ALMOST half of parents think their children are missing out on the best nutrition because they’re fussy and unwilling to try new foods.
Research shows that of the 45 per cent of parents who say their child is fussy, 67 per cent put it down to an unwillingness to try new food, particularly vegetables (53 per cent), fruit (39 per cent) and fish (32 per cent).
Now, in a bid to encourage the nation’s kids to sample a wider variety of food, cookery writer Alex Hollywood has teamed up with the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) and Sainsbury’s Active Kids to launch the Taste Buddies Challenge, featuring Hollywood’s recipes, plus activities and advice to help parents overcome some of the barriers faced when introducing children to new foods.
Mother-of-one Hollywood said: “As a mum, I understand the struggles of getting kids to try new foods and I want to pass on my experience and create some easy recipes that make trying foods fun for the whole family.”
A Sainsbury’s Active Kids survey of 2000 parents found the barrier to trying new foods isn’t always about disliking the taste but is often linked to appearance, smell and texture, followed by taste, or even an unusual name.
Yet more than half of parents consider their children’s palate “adventurous”.
Hollywood says there are many ways to encourage children to try new foods, such as getting them to help cook meals and letting them to try new food at home.
Letting them pick their own food at the supermarket can also help, as can presenting food in a fun way.
And Hollywood says that doing things such as making healthy kebabs and using older or younger siblings as key influencers can also help.
HIT THE SHOPS
Hollywood says taking children shopping helps them to become more familiar with different foods, their names and appearance.
She said: “This is really important in the veg aisle with often unusual-looking fruits and vegetables.
“Allow them to make some of the choices.”
COOK TOGETHER
Getting children involved in food preparation and eating the results is a great way of spending family time together and encouraging kids to try new foods, said Hollywood.
She added: “I grew up cooking with my mum and I believe teaching your kids the basics of cooking is a really important skill to take into adult life. Leaving home able to make a stew, a roast dinner and a couple of pasta dishes is a great start, and imagine how popular your kids will be at university or when they set up their own home.”
MAKE IT FUN
Hollywood suggests parents introduce foods little and often, and shouldn’t feel the need to make every meal an event.
She said: “Just a spoonful of a new veg on the plate or letting them try a taste of what you’re eating is a great way to encourage them to explore without making every meal a battleground.
“Making it fun is much more productive than making it hard work for everyone concerned.”
In addition, she says, creating traditional meals with unusual ingredients for extra flavour is also a great way to tempt kids.
“My mushroom and chilli beef lasagne uses soft tortillas instead of pasta and some gentle spicing which will help children on a journey to enjoying hotter foods.”
via : dailyrecord – Health
