Orchestrating Child- Friendly Healthy Mealsparentedge.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Tips-Tricks-To-Do-Lists.pdf · As your child grows, you will find that the issues you tackle on

64 | ParentEdge | July - August 2012

Along with the tremendous positive response to our first issue feature on lunch and snack box items*, came a demand from our readers, “What about other meals? We have to pander to our

children’s tastes and wishes while making sure they eat healthy, wholesome foods. Help!” So here is a handy guide to help make all the meals that your family eats healthy, tasty and interesting.

Tips, Tricks & To-Do Lists

Orchestrating Child-

Friendly Healthy Meals

Child Friendly Healthy Meals

*http://parentedge.in/tips-tricks-and-to-do-lists Image Courtesy: Little Food Junction blog

July - August 2012 | ParentEdge | 65

Today’s children are exposed to cuisines from across the country and the world. It is no wonder that they crave variety in meals. Also, our fast paced urban life has led to not just your children, but your selves too, battling the temptations of processed, ‘instant’ foods that are tasty and attractively packaged. But, the alarming trends of increasing childhood obesity and the higher incidence of lifestyle diseases worry you. To satisfy the family’s taste buds while keeping meals healthy, wholesome and balanced, making meals look attractive and enticing, within the constraints of time.... Tall task? Maybe not — we are here to help!


Tuning in to your child - Rethink your attitude towards meals Our notions of nutrition are often based on what we were fed as children. Most of us grew up on traditional fare that comprised many-course meals. Today’s children may not have the patience or attention span to sit through elaborate meals. So cut them some slack. If your seven-year-old daughter loves soup, allow her to eat just that for dinner (after making sure there are enough veggies in the soup and coaxing her to eat a whole-grain dinner roll on the side). Be game to try momos for breakfast and not just idlis. It is important not to be fixated about dal-chawal or thayir sadham! Of course, this will mean that you stock your kitchen with spices and seasonings that your mother may not have done in her time.

Also be flexible to individual tastes and whims – while you cannot make different lunch or dinner items every day for each member of the family, try to ‘treat’ each of them to a dish based on their favourite food item, from time to time.

As your child grows, you will find that the issues you tackle on the meals front keep morphing! Try the life-saving ‘This too shall pass’ parenting mantra and our tips in the table below.


TypicalChallengesAge Group

Below 9 years

14 - 18 years

10 - 13 years

Whatyoucando

Distraction due to high energy levels – they may not sit through long meals.

Many young children are picky eaters – they may want to eat their favourite dish for

days in a row or refuse to try new dishes.

Changing tastes, as they are on the cusp of adolescence.

Increased physical activity like organised sports lead to temptations to binge on high

fat, high salt, high sugar items.

Tendency to eat outside the home (at the school canteen, fast food hangouts).

Consciousness about weight gain and a tendency to abhor carbohydrates in the

form of rice and chapathis.

Make food look interesting, to grab children’s attention. Try more finger foods

that they can eat on the go

Patience and persistence should be your guiding principle; continue to serve new

dishes along with your child’s favourite one.

Sensitise them on healthy choices – grilled sandwich rather than a fried

samosa, for example.

Offer whole-grain substitutes in different forms like rolls, pav buns, breads etc.

Be flexible - try not to show your dismay as they are outgrow childhood favourites.

Stock up on healthy snacks and make them easily accessible and available. Also try

baking instead of frying favourite snacks like samosas and French fries.

Different stuff to stock your kitchen with!



Getting the audience in sync – sensitising children to healthy food Now that you are prepared to think out-of-the-box to make meals child-friendly and fun, here are some things you need to do to make children understand the ‘health’ and ‘nutrition’ part of meals.• Talk about the need to avoid processed and packaged foods – do explain to your children

about artificial colouring, flavours and preservatives that are used, and why food prepared fresh is best for the body. Teach them to read labels, so that the learning is reinforced during visits to the supermarket or grocery store.

• Involve your children in the food preparation process – starting with garnishing, grating and moving on to cutting, grinding and actual cooking. Not only will they appreciate the effort that goes into making meals but will also be sensitised to subtle flavours, tastes and smells.

• Let them try growing their own greens, tomatoes and herbs in pots in the balcony or backyard. They will be thrilled to make their own salad for dinner, after harvesting!

• With older children, discuss the science of food – how to calculate the calorific value of each meal, how the calorific requirement of an individual changes with gender, lifestyle, body weight etc. Armed with such information, your child will be able to regulate his diet himself.

Getting the lead actors in – the essential food groupsWhile there can be no debate that a balanced diet for children should include all the major food groups (see Box), including all of these in every meal may be a little difficult. Instead, try and include at least some groups in every meal. The table in the next page has some indicative ideas – both traditional and new. (Dairy products have been indicated in a different colour. Also see side bar in the following page.) Many of these also happen to be one-dish meals, thus low on the hassle quotient. Do remember, however, that you may need to make more than one of these or make other accompaniments, depending on your child’s age and appetite.

ResourcesIdeas on healthy meals andengagingchildrenwith foodTarla Dalal’s books ‘Cooking with Kids’, ‘Healthy Snacks for Kids’, ‘Fun Food for Children’

Tocalculatecalorificvalues of meals/disheshttp://www.ehow.com/video_6846998_determine-caloric-value-foods.html

http://nrsl.wordpress.com/2006/11/17/calorific-values-of-indian-food-items/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/162720-how-to-calculate-calorific-value/

Sound Testing - Revision on food groups!

Grains – rice, wheat, ragi, jowar, maize (Carbohydrates)

Vegetables

Fruits

Meat, pulses (Protein)

Dairy Products – milk, cheese, curds, butter, gheeVitamins and minerals are essential for a balanced diet. Do refer ‘An Apple a Day’ for more information.


Involve your children in the preparation and presentation of food

Image Courtesy: Little Food Junction blog


Tips, Tricks & To-Do Lists Child Friendly Healthy Meals

Lunch DinnerBreakfast

Grains (Carbohydrates) +

Meat/Pulses (Protein)

Meat/Pulses (Protein) +

Vegetables


Vegetables


Fruits


Meat/Pulses (Protein) +

Vegetables

Bread and Omelette/French toast/ Multi-grain health mix

porridge with milk

Idli/dosa with sambhar

Bread and Channa

Moong Dal + Grated Lauki Cheela (optional stuffing with

grated paneer)

Stuffed Paratha with curd

Aapam and vegetable stew

Whole wheat pancakes (made with milk) with banana filling

Oats porridge (made with milk) and apple

Sabudana Khichdi (with roasted potatoes and powdered

peanuts) with cucumber raita

Homemade wheat pizza topped with meat, cheese

Dal /paneer paratha, raita

Chicken and roasted vegetable salad

Sprouted moong/horse gram, cucumber, tomatoes salad

Vegetable Sandwich (made with whole wheat bread) with low-

fat cheese slice

Pineapple rasam with rice

Submarine sandwich (meat, fresh veggies and whole wheat roll) with low-fat cheese slice

Vegetable Khichdi with raita

Bean Burrito

Rajma Chawal with Curd-based dip/raita

Misal pav or usal pav

Dal soup topped with butter with whole wheat dinner rolls

Grilled fish with vegetables

Grilled/tandoori chicken with vegetables

Pav Bhaji

Whole wheat or whole grain pasta with vegetables and

grated low-fat cheese

Whole wheat Pasta with vegetables and Asian pesto

(peanuts/almonds, mint leaves/coriander leaves and olive oil)

Chinese stir-fried rice with vegetables

Kashmiri pulao (with paneer)

Fruit chaat – chopped banana, pineapple, apple with salt and

pepper –with chapathis.

Bisi bele bath with raita



IdeasforHealthySnacksFruits, fibre biscuits, salad with sprouts, plain popcorn, Veggies (carrot sticks, sliced cucumber, tomato), dried fruits and nuts, khakra, bhel puri (with grated carrot, cucumber, pomegranate seeds). Some of the meal ideas listed earlier can be healthy snacks for teenagers – pav bhaji, bread channa for example.

Do refer to the ParentEdge article on snack/lunch box ideas for an exhaustive list(http://parentedge.in/tips-tricks-and-to-do-lists)

Children do not need as much oils and saturated fats (like butter) as your grandmother thought they did! Decide on how much should be consumed by your child based on her height, weight, activity levels and rate of metabolism. Despite your best efforts, some meals may turn out to be dominated by one player (food group). Don’t lose heart. If breakfast is a carb-laden dosa, give centre stage to protein at lunch or dinner with egg curry or sprouted moong salad.

Similarly, if your tween or teenager turns up her nose at a glass of milk (deeming it ‘babyish’) during the morning rush, compensate with a fruit smoothie when she returns home.

If by and large your family eats balanced, nutritious food, then do not fret at the occasional unhealthy or junk food meal or two. Do remember that meal time should not become battle time!

Lead players in different costumes – giving avatars to essential food sourcesAmong vegetables, those rich in beta carotene (carrots, bell pepper/capsicum) and those rich in iron (greens) have greater nutritional value. Include these in unexpected, unconventional and creative formats – carrot grated into bhel puri or dosas, yellow pumpkin cooked and mashed into cake batter and disguised in soups, palak paste included in idli/dosa batter, methi leaves in chapathi/paratha/thepla dough.

The Supporting Cast – Food presentationChildren are naturally drawn to food that is colourful and presented in an interesting way. You may not know fancy vegetable or fruit carving (though you could try your hand at that too!). But you can try making dosas in different shapes on the tawa itself, or cut out shapes using cookie cutters or biscuit moulds. Make ‘faces’ with carrot sticks, tomato slices, cucumber slices and lettuce. Let your imagination run wild and see what you come up with!

Make food ‘colourful’ – strawberry or mango milk shakes may be preferred for their unusual colours rather than a plain glass of milk. Similarly, ice lollies made at home with fresh juice will be relished for both the colourful appearance and the taste.

You can also try thematic meals (in which all dishes from soup/starter to dessert follow a cuisine or a pattern) occasionally – a Chinese or an Italian meal, a ‘green’ meal, a ‘prepared-without-heat’ meal or a fusion meal (East meets West) – these could be the much-needed breath of fresh air to break the monotony.


Fun with Food ArtSmita G. Srivastava, a graphic designer, food stylist and young mother, has implemented some simple yet eye-catching food designs. Display and presentation can win over the pickiest of young eaters, believes Smita. While some of her creations decorate this feature, you will find many more at her blog http://littlefoodjunction.blogspot.in/.

Interesting tableware can also perk up mealtimes. While younger children will be thrilled with Disney-themed plates and cups, older tweens and teens may like unusually shaped plates, funky designs, abstract patterns etc.


Concert time! - Rush time recourse

Both breakfasts and dinners can be stress free and a lot more enjoyable if you minimise external distractions. As the first step, switch off the television! Constant chatter from the television not only interferes with conversation around the table or the enjoyment of food, but also increases the chances of obesity because of over eating.

If breakfast is a challenge for young children with apparently ‘micro’ tummies – here is a tip. Serve the carb or protein-based breakfast item first and then offer the glass of milk or milkshake. Set aside batches of dried fruits and nuts in small boxes with lids – children can munch on these as they dress or as they are being groomed for school.

For lunch and dinner, serve the fresh salad or even the dry sabzi first and delay the carbohydrate (chapathi/rice) – you will see that more veggies will be eaten in toto.


Not able to be the conductor? Do not despair

You may be working full-time and unable to devote too much time to cooking meals or you may just not have

the inclination to spend time in the kitchen; you can still use our guidelines and resources to give

suitable instructions to your household help or cook. If you are lucky to have the children’s grandparents living close by, enlist their help in making meals more enjoyable

(after giving them some tips about making healthy meals – less sugar, less fat). After all, they do have more time and patience to spare! Grand parents can also teach the children traditional methods that are being proven to be beneficial to health – use of turmeric (powerful anti inflammatory agent), practice of tadka (inclusion of the smidgen of fat needed by the body) and so on.



Lastly, if you find that you have not been able to add enough fruit or vegetables to the main meals, use them as add-ons – an apple or carrot to eat while waiting for

the elevator in the morning, a banana to eat on the bus-ride home and so on.

Concert time – Setting and Ambience

Try to set aside any stress that may have been an outcome of the preparation of the meal, and have a cheerful countenance. Do not bring up sticky issues for discussion during mealtime – be it performance at school, ideological issues or any others. Also,

encourage young children from the age of two to eat on their own – it gives them a better sense of control, ownership and enjoyment (tolerate the mess,

it is worth it!). In the long term, this reduces meal time battles and makes the experience pleasant for the family as a whole. When you can spare the time, have your children’s playmates stay for lunch or dinner– young children often eat better in a peer setting!

So do you feel ready to launch your ‘healthy, fun meal’ symphony at least three times a day at home from today? We can picture you with your conductor’s baton! Good luck!



- With inputs from Vijayalakshmi Parthasarathy (grandmother of five), Bangalore

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Orchestrating Child- Friendly Healthy Mealsparentedge.in/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Tips-Tricks-To-Do-Lists.pdf · As your child grows, you will find that the issues you tackle on