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Food for fussy eaters with Paula Mee

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

Parents may notice that when a child reaches their first year, children may discover that refusing food is one of the first ways they can flex their muscles and assert their drive for independence.

Many children become fussy eaters at some time in their lives but usually outgrow it. The problem often arises between the ages of 1 and 5 years, but some children may start as early as 10 months. Things usually improve when children get older and start to eat outside the home and with other children


Paula's top tips for One to 5 year olds.

. Hide and go sneak! If your kids won't eat vegetables, you can sneak them into their meals by adding grated vegetables e.g. carrots to casseroles, stews and pasta sauce. Try mashing potatoes with carrots, sweetcorn or peas for a colourful mixture

. Juices and smoothies made with berries, mango, papaya and bananas are a great way to get vitamin A, C and potassium into fussy eaters. Add some yoghurt or milk too, to boost their calcium intake. One small glass a day is recommended

. Many children will gobble up their greens when they're served on a slice of pizza. Try making your own pizza with pre-made pizza bases and a basic pasta sauce with pureed spinach or broccoli topped with cheese.


. Don't get into the habit of cooking separate meals for the kids - give them smaller portions of what you are eating, and don't feel the need to buy foods aimed at children like fish fingers, chicken nuggets etc - it takes very little time to make much healthier versions of these foods yourself for all the family!


. To learn about nutrition, children should be involved with actual food. Try to eat meals together - this is where we can talk and educate each other about different foods and how they can help us to grow, enough energy for play and to concentrate on getting the homework done in gig-time!

. Young children may need to be offered a new food 8 to 10 times before they will accept it, yet the majority of parents with fussy eaters (53%) give up offering a new food if the child has not accepted it after 2 or 3 attempts - so the message is PERSEVERE but don't pressurise.


Home made tomato sauce

This sauce is a clever way of incorporating veg into their meals. This tomato sauce recipe is tasty and versatile. Make in large quantities and freeze it in small amounts. Use it as a sauce on grilled chicken, fish with pasta and on pizzas.

Ingredients
. 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
. 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
. 1 tbsp of olive oil
. 2 tins of chopped tomatoes
. 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
. 1 dessert spoon of sugar
. 1 tablespoon of chopped basil
. Left over vegetables

Method:
1. Gently fry onion and garlic in olive oil, for five minutes. Do not let the onion and garlic colour.
2. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar.
3. Allow tomato mixture to simmer on a very low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add Basil and season with pepper to taste.
5. The sauce will be a little chunky, if you prefer a smooth sauce blend the sauce with a hand held blender.
6. Hand blend in any other vegetables you have left over.


Fussy eaters from the age of 5 to 10.
. At this age children need 5 or more servings every day.
. Try 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables every day.

What's does a serving look like?
. One big piece of fruit e.g. apple/ orange/ banana/ pear
. Two small fruits like 2 plums
. 3 tablespoons of stewed fruit
. 3 tablespoons of vegetables
. A bowl of homemade vegetable soup


If you're getting the thumbs down for veggies in your house the following are simple ideas from mums, dads and those little people who love to feel involved and participate in their own food choices..


Raw
Cut any raw firm vegetables into batons, strips, wedges or cubes. Prepare 2 or 3 contrasting brilliant colours e.g. batons of carrots, strips of red peppers, thin slices of cucumber.
Raw with Dips Young children love to play with food. If they are showing no interest in raw vegetables on their own getting them dipping and diving into hummus, guacamole, tzatziki or a mixture of mayo and yoghurt.
Raw with Fruit Bits Let them make their own 'edible kebab men' with cocktail sticks and a little imagination - cubed apples, fresh or tinned pineapple, grapes are great alongside their raw vegetables.
Cooked but crunchy Sugar snap peas are a big favourite because they're so sweet and crunchy when steamed for 2 to 3 minutes. Green beans, broccoli or carrots (lightly steamed and still crunchy) can be topped with a low fat white or cheese sauce.



Liquidise It's amazing how many children will eat a smooth vegetable soup or sauce where they can't identify the 'bits'. Just don't call it vegetable soup - think of something that will tie in with their favourite game/ TV programme/ film/animal.


Juice Transforming cucumber bits into a bright green frothy juice is lots of fun. Kids won't like the juice on its own but when you team it up with the juice of apples, pears or oranges you can have great success and again they're involved and are more likely to try and taste their amazing concoctions.


Roast Roasted vegetables are firm and not soggy and watery. Keep the colours bright and appealing.


Stir fry Stir fry red peppers and bean sprouts which really keep their crunch.


Salmon Lollipops

Ingredients:
For 16 to 20 lollipops
. 2 large chunky salmon fillets skinned
. 3 tablespoons mild curry powder
. 3 tablespoons runny honey
. 1 tablespoons virgin olive oil
. 16 to 20 cocktail sticks

Method:
1. Cut salmon into 8 to ten pieces
2. In a bowl, mix curry powder and honey into a paste
3. Add in virgin oil
4. Roll salmon peioces in paste
5. Place onto cocktail sticks
6. Put on an oiled baking tray and grill for 10 minutes, turning half way through

Cous Cous Stars

Ingredients:
. ½ yellow pepper chopped
. Spring onion chopped
. 1 1/2 cup water
. 1/3 cup raisins
. 1 tsp salt
. 1 cup couscous
. 1 tbsp butter


Method:
1. Measure water, raisins and chopped veg and salt into saucepan; bring
to boil.
2. Stir in couscous and butter; cover and remove
from heat.
3. Let stand for 5 minutes; fluff with fork and place on plate.
4. Make a shape with a star cut out and present with salmon lollipops


Tips for making salmon and cous cous :

. Sometimes we can end up so uptight about what are children won't eat, that we forget about motivating them by using simple praise and encouragement. Children love praise 'Well done - you ate all your scrambled eggs and beans, that's brilliant".

. Even children with a very limited repertoire of foods, can end up eating better if we employ the right tactics. Above all don't label them as 'picky'- this only encourages a child to see himself this way and live up to the label. Even if it's true - 'He's impossible. He never eats anything. He wont touch vegetables' - don't reinforce their food rejecting instincts when you're totally frustrated.


. Involve your children in the shopping, preparation and cooking of food. Assign a "kids rule" night every week or month where they are in charge of menu planning, cooking and clean-up. Involve your children at the supermarket by giving them a list of foods to find. Add a few unusual foods to the list each time (for example, avocado, kale or hummus).

. For snacks and other mealtimes, give foods that have the look of the foods they want, but are actually a lot better! E.g. oat-based biscuits, cereal bars, homemade (oven) chips or potato wedges, frozen yoghurt and fruit lollies instead of ice-cream in summer time.

. Teach your child about agriculture by visiting local farms and farmer's markets. Stock up on locally grown produce as often as possible.

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