Healthy Habits for Happy Bellies

Those who know me well, know that my two greatest passions are children and food. Six months ago, I got the opportunity to combine those two passions as I took on the role as the cook at a nearby daycare. I can honestly say that this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, it has taught me and continues to teach me a great deal. I’ve had to learn a great deal about food preparation and handling (one of the first requirements was obtaining a food handling certificate); catering to a large number of appetites and I’ve had to adapt my cooking style to accommodate food sensitivities and allergies and some generally picky eaters. I have even challenged myself on how to reduce food waste in the kitchen which has earned me the affectionate title of food crusader in this early learning environment.

There have been some food failures (children don’t seem to like rose sauce with salmon despite my best efforts) but there have also been some incredible and unexpected successes (they asked for seconds on my murky green split-pea soup with ham). I have even had the opportunity to get interactive and pass on some of my culinary knowledge (we made our own dough from scratch then turned into the same day’s pizza lunch) and educate their parents on some of my practices when it comes creating healthy habits for happy bellies.

It has been documented time and time again, that developing healthy eating habits at a young age creates the foundation for nutrition, helping to shape brain development, metabolism and overall health and that poor nutrition leads to not only physical health problems but psychosocial ones as well.

I am not a nutritionist, but I am always trying to find ways to improve what is going on my plate and more importantly the plates of my own biological children and this new group of adopted children if you will. One of the biggest challenges I face as a parent is how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into daily meals. Here are some of my learnings when it comes to doing just that.

Sneak Them In

While I firmly believe it’s important to teach children to appreciate fruits and vegetables in their whole, natural forms, there are some great ways to sneak those veggies in are here are some of the things I’ve tried:

Pureeing roasted squash with cream cheese to make a lighter and healthier version of kid-favorite mac and cheese
Mashing up steamed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes as a side dish
Pureeing vegetables into sauces (I always start my sauces by sautéing flavorful veggies then I puree them before adding the tomato sauce)
Adding pureed vegetables to soups and dips (I love adding sweet red roasted peppers or roasted beets to hummus)
Turning vegetables and legumes into tasty desserts; I have make zucchini bread and cookies, lentil cookies, pumpkin cookies and chocolate avocado pudding (recipe follows) that were gobbled up in seconds

Some of the other tips I can suggest for getting those fruits and veggies in include:

Trying different preparations for example roasting really intensifies the flavors of vegetables like beets
Keeping fruits and vegetables accessible and easy so that a child can reach for them when it comes to snacking (whether its pre-washed and chopped vegetables in the refrigerator or a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter). Of course, on the flipside keep the less healthy alternatives out of reach
Don’t make assumptions when it comes to certain foods (I made the mistake of assuming at a young age that my daughters wouldn’t like mushrooms but found that they gobbled them up in a mushroom risotto when give the opportunity to try)
Take children grocery shopping and let them explore the produce section allowing them to choose fruits and vegetables they would like to try (my girls discovered a love of dragon fruit after being intrigued with not only its name but its interesting pink shape)
Involve children in the menu planning and food prep as this makes them more likely to try new foods. Start them off with easy tasks such as snapping the ends off green beans, mashing avocados and tearing lettuce leaves then graduate to cutting and chopping as they get older

Perhaps the most important piece of advice I can offer is to have patience when it comes to introducing new foods to children as it can take ten or more exposures before the food is embraced.

I hope these tips for developing healthy habits for happy bellies help and I will certainly keep sharing as I keep learning. Buon Appetito!