THE BATTLE OF THE GREENS: HOW TO GET THE KIDS TO EAT THEIR GREENS, LITERALLY!
Words by Melinda Richards
Encouraging your little ones to make healthy food choices can feel like a nutritional battleground, and to your kids, veggies are the enemy! The good news is, little by little, you can make healthy eating habits a part of their lifestyle. It’s all about making food fun and encouraging them to get involved from a young age to garner their interest early. These simple tips will assist you in the daily endeavor to ensure your kids receive the nutrients they need to build healthy habits in their early years.
Make good food fun:
While every meal doesn’t have to be an Insta-worthy creation, simply adding an element of fun to your kids’ meals will likely increase the chance of them eating it. Even a chicken salad sandwich can be made into an exciting meal when armed with a toolkit of creative additions, such as cookie cutters featuring their favourite animals or shapes. There is just something about star shaped sandwiches that kids can’t seem to resist. In creating this child-friendly food, you’ll be ensuring their lunch isn’t ending up at the bottom of their school bag and that come break time, they are excited to munch on their homemade lunch.
Kickstart the day with a Shrek inspired smoothie:
Nothing beats a great smoothie, so why not give your family that fresh feeling every morning by kickstarting the day with one full of green goodness. Our go-to is a kid-friendly blend of banana, frozen mango, coconut water, broccoli sprout powder and spinach to ensure they are filled with green energy all before the school run. To eliminate the debate, blend it up and pop the green smoothie in a funky cup, for them to proudly march around sipping. If you’re finding your mornings are always a rush, why not pop your ingredients in the blender the night before and make breaky time even easier. While you’re at it, make one for yourself so you feel just as energized as your little munchkins.
Mini master chef:
Children love helping in the kitchen and are more inclined to eat healthy snacks they have helped prepare. Assign age-appropriate tasks to children ahead of meal times to increase interest in the dish. Kitchen skills like egg cracking, herb picking, and whisking are always great and safe ones to start with. This responsibility will make them proud about what that have whipped up and gives you the chance to spend more quality time with your children after a busy day. We’re sure they’ll thank you for it one day too when they take on fending for themselves and realise your cooking wasn’t as easy as it looked!
Just add colour:
Artificial colours seem to sneak into everyday foods and can make grocery shopping a minefield for parents. To keep food additive-free stick to unprocessed foods with natural ingredients! We know vibrant coloured food appeals to kids so kit out your pantry with a rainbow of natural colours that can easily be added to yoghurts and dips for a colourful twist. We love Super Sprout’s Broccoli Sprout Powder for green, beetroot powder for red and blueberry powder for bright purple. These types of powder are super easy to add to everything and anything and mean even the fussiest of eaters are still being filled with their daily veg.
Daily greens:
Keep your child’s diet clean and green and they will grow up to appreciate fresh, healthy food and how great it makes them feel both inside and out. We don’t recommend eliminating sugar or ‘sometimes food’ altogether… Just keep refined food and sugars to a minimum, to ensure your kids are getting the essential vitamins and nutrients they need to grow up healthy and strong. Creating these clean eating habits early, will guide the entirety of your child’s life and make them realise that a healthy living lets them thrive. Not to mention, healthy habits are surprisingly cost effective and your cooking skills will increase once you rid the cupboard of packet mixes and take on whole food recipes. The old rule of ‘everything in moderation’ will help too, encourage balanced eating packed full of nutrients so their bodies will receive everything they need through their years of growth.
Writer’s Bio: Melinda Richards is CEO and Founder of Australian owned and operated business, Super Sprout. Melinda writes with over 10 years’ experience in the nutrition industry and personal insights from her practice as a parent. Super Sprout specialises in growing and producing 100 per cent pure all-natural fruit and vegetable powders. Find out more about Melinda Richards at www.supersprout.co and follow her journey here.