A new approach

As most parents can attest to, getting young children to eat healthy foods or to try new food at all can be one of the biggest struggles you'll face in the early years. All of us want our children to develop properly, build strong bodies, have energy throughout the day, and be active. But most often this is not a simple thing to accomplish with toddlers and preschoolers who insist they don't like something before they even try it.

Ian has always been a picky eater (we think it's partially because of texture issues) but now that he is four and a half and Anna is two, our meal times often turn into a battle of wills and Mark and I just got fed up with all of the stress. So after speaking to our family physician about nutrition for our entire family, we are actively trying a new approach to nutrition. But I will say up front that we are being realistic with our changes. We aren't vowing to never eat out or indulge but we really want to make a conscious effort to eat better, make better choices as it regards what is made available in our home, and be better examples for the kids on a more regular basis.

I had heard of Jessica Seinfeld's book Deceptively Delicious before meeting with our doctor but didn't know enough about it to realize it might be a good option for our family until he and his nurse recommended the concept. In researching her book I learned about a similar book released several years prior called The Sneaky Chef. I ordered both books and have become absolutely fascinated by this awesome technique. Basically the authors suggest "hiding" healthy super foods by way of pureeing or grating them and adding it to foods most children already eat such as mac n' cheese, mashed potatoes, pancakes, muffins, chicken nuggets, cupcakes, etc. Each cookbook includes instructions on pureeing and various food combinations, meal-time tips, nutrition information, and numerous recipes that incorporate the purees secretively.

I recently opted to "clean house" in our pantry and make way for much healthier food options. At the end of school I did away with things like gummy fruit snacks (the kids' favorite afternoon snack) and explained to them that I won't be buying that stuff anymore. And surprisingly, the kids have been quite receptive to the changes. Instead they are offered things like fruit, pudding, homemade juice pops, crackers, etc. And they don't see Mom and Dad eating junk either. We're doing this together.

So now when Ian asks for a snack he says, "What can I have? No junk, right?" He knows because we have talked about it together. He even helped me make some of the purees (he doesn't know what they'll be used for though) because it involves helping in the kitchen and loud appliances - two things he enjoys. Both kids have taken part in the grocery shopping for a while now - helping to put items in the cart and they know I read labels so Ian will often ask "Does this have too much sugar in it?" when he selects a treat/goodies from the shelf.



I'm also looking forward to using more whole-grain breads and pastas as well as cooking with healthier, homemade options and fresh organic foods when I can instead of constant dependence on processed or boxed foods as I have in the past. It's sad that convenience equals poor nutrition these days!

My first test of this concept with the kids was to prepare regular boxed mac n' cheese (one of Anna's staples at this age) and add one half of a raw organic carrot (grated) into the cheese mix as I prepare it. It worked!!! Since it's hidden in a food they are used to, in the form they are used to, they don't suspect any changes. So I can sit back and relax as they devour their mac n' cheese with carrots knowing it's a win-win. They get the food they like and I can lay off the begging, pleading and bribing to get them to eat something healthy.

But to take it one step further I am experimenting with similar sneaky techniques for the dishes I make for Mark and me so we can benefit as well. My first test with a regular dinner was to add pureed organic carrots into my favorite Mama's Garden Ragu sauce when serving Parmesan Chicken over spaghetti noodles with a side of fresh zucchini squash. And it was yummy.

In addition to the sneaky techniques, we'll continue to offer fruits and vegetables and new foods in general in their traditional form in hopes the kids will choose to try them at some point. In the meantime, the healthy super foods hidden within their preschooler favorites will keep them healthy.

One final note, I recently randomly tuned in to the tv show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and I was glued to it! I love his concepts of providing GOOD food that is GOOD for you to school age kids. His repetitive quote, 'If you don't understand the ingredients, don't buy it' stuck with me.

A new approach...couldn't hurt!