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Remember that food rejection is a normal behaviour for most young children. Meal-times should always be family-oriented and enjoyable, and don’t forget that children learn from you so be a good example.
- Always encourage your child’s choices: they are more likely to eat a food they themselves have chosen.
- Involve your little one in meal preparation, cooking, serving etcetera.
- Grow vegies or vegie bits (i.e. carrots and sprouts in containers on the bench).
- Another way of involving your child in their food selection is
allowing them to gather food, i.e. growing/picking vegetables in your
own garden or picking them at the supermarket.
- Be clever with food by hiding fruit and vegies where you can. For
example, you can include pumpkin in scones, grate vegies into meals,
puree fruit into smoothies or include fruit in their yoghurt.
- Try to involve others in your child’s meal-time. For example, if
your child attends family day-care, try asking the carer to give them a
main meal at lunch.
- Try to be creative with food: make hedgehogs, faces, houses, and
discuss the foods your child is selecting. It is a great way to make
meal-times fun.
- Consider using iron-fortified cereals as they offer more
absorbable iron than many foods and this will help with growth and
immunity. Low iron can influence fussy eating habits. If you suspect
this is the case seek professional advice.
- Be persistent and don’t give up. Continue to put a variety of
foods on your child’s plate and don’t make a fuss if it goes uneaten.
Simply take the plate away (even if it means the dog is getting a
little plump!). Even if the meal is rejected, your child is still being
exposed to food that will form a part of their diet later on.
- Don’t let children fill up on snacks too close to meal-time.
- Remember, excessive milk can affect iron uptake so don’t rely too heavily on this drink.
- Ensure all meals – including snacks – include some form of protein
(meat, dairy, egg, nuts, seeds, pulses, fish). Grind up nuts and seeds
and add them to your child’s breakfast each morning; add to smoothies
and frittatas. With smoothies, don’t forget to add natural yoghurt and
opt for additions such as almonds, oats or rice that have around 100mg
of calcium per 100ml.
- Freeze smoothies and make cool ice-blocks that are a meal in themselves.
- Add tiny amounts of treats to foods, for example, make
cream-cheese crackers with a smidge of additive-free hundreds and
thousands. Or pop a few on a banana and freeze!
- Limit distractions such as toys and TV.
- Offer your child’s main meal when they are hungriest; this may mean dinner is at lunch time.
- Don’t overfill plates; an empty plate is pleasing for everyone.
- Offer three main meals and three small snacks a day, one of which
may be a healthy supper, to increase the spread of nutrients over the
day.
- Remove the plate when they have finished and offer a healthy snack later if you feel they may still be hungry.
BREKKY BLAST OFF
Breakfast is your little one’s first meal after some 8–12 hours of
sleep (if you are lucky!). While your child obviously hasn’t been
burning up as much energy while asleep, they have still used a
considerable amount regenerating the body and growing; indeed, some
children literally seem taller in the morning than when they went to
bed! Also, the body’s metabolic rate is highest in the morning so your
child’s need for refuelling is at its greatest.
When they wake up, their little bodies’ sugar levels are low, and
need replenishing with something quick and healthy. There are few
things worse than a hungry and cranky child.
Breakfast is the meal that will kick-start the brain and body, providing it with the fuel it needs.
Skipping breakfast commonly results in an energy slump mid-morning.
With fuel for the brain in scarce supply, it’s not hard to work out
that even basic mental and physical tasks become taxing. This is most
pronounced in children and in fact, many studies point to the influence
of a good breakfast on a child’s behaviour and overall eating habits.
Children who skip breakfast tend to have more body fat and may struggle
with learning.
Munchie muesli
Ingredients
4 cups of whole oats
1⁄2 cup of dried coconut
1⁄4 cup of roughly chopped sunflower seeds
1⁄4 cup of roughly chopped pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons of linseeds
3⁄4 cup of honey
1 cup of mixed dried fruit
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 180°C.
- Line a large baking tray with grease-proof paper and leave ready for the ingredients.
- Combine the oats, seeds and coconut and mix well.
- Carefully melt the honey in a microwave or pan.
- Add the melted honey to the ingredients and combine well.
- Place the muesli mix in the baking tray and spread out evenly.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then mix.
- Return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Add the dried fruit and mix.
- Place in an air-tight container for about 10 days.
Option: Top with fresh fruit and yoghurt. Munchie muesli is also great as a quick snack.
Perfect porridge
Ingredients
1⁄3 cup of whole rolled oats (not the fast-cook kind)
3⁄4 cup of your choice of milk or you can use water
1⁄4 teaspoon of vanilla essence
a sprinkle of spice
extra milk of your choice for topping
1 tablespoon of natural yoghurt
1⁄2 banana chopped
Preparation
You can, of course, opt to use the microwave, but I have used the stove here.
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Combine the oats, milk, vanilla and spice in a pot.
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Bring to the boil, turn down to a moderate heat and stir until thickened.
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Top with yoghurt and banana and a little extra milk.
Cookie-cutter brekky
Ingredients
1 or 2 slices of wholemeal or wholegrain bread
1 egg
A little butter
Preparation
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Using a cookie-cutter, cut out a shape from the middle of the bread slice and carefully remove.
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Butter both the leftover bread and the cut-out piece.
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Melt a little butter in a frying pan (to help brown the bread).
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Place the unbuttered side of the bread into the pan.
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Break the egg into a small bowl or cup and pour into the hole
left in bread slice (you could also beat the egg first if you choose
to).
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Fry egg until it is cooked through.
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Flip the bread and fry until browned.
Serves one.
SNACKS AND PACKS
Children up to 10 years need to eat every four to six hours (maybe
more) to ensure they have enough energy. Keep in mind, however, that
grazing all day isn’t ideal due to the continual exposure of the teeth
to food. Your child should eat regularly and include two to three
snacks a day. Snacks are vital to reduce hunger, maintain energy and
provide nutrients. In fact, many children (particularly those in
childcare) get around 50% of their nutrient requirements in meals and
snacks prior to the evening meal.
Ensure that snacks are as nutritious as meals, avoid overly fatty
foods and sweetened foods or drinks (e.g. fruit juices) that are energy
dense and may displace other foods. Giving milk after a snack rather
than before or with can be a good idea.
It can also be helpful to have
jars of healthy snacks in the fridge and cupboard that can be rotated,
for example sun-ripened sultanas, dates, figs and apricots, choosing
one fruit each day and rotating them. Another may be crackers which can
vary from wholemeal, rice crackers, rye and even gluten-free, again
rotating. You can do the same thing with breads, varying brown bread,
rye bread, spelt bread, pumpernickel and so on. These foods can be
stored and will keep for some time; they can then be combined with
fresh fruit, yoghurt and other fresh foods.
So, for example, a child
may have snacks composed of strawberries, sun-dried figs, wholemeal
pumpkin scones and natural yoghurt one day; then apple, sun-dried
apricot halves, rye crackers and cheese the next, and so on. The
following ideas are provided in order to assist you in meeting one of
the most important dietary guidelines – VARIETY. Some are for home
while others can be used for lunchboxes and bags.
SNACK IDEAS
Personally, I like to offer both fruit and something more sustaining
at every snack – for example: fruit and yoghurt, fruit and crackers,
fruit and cheese.
Fruit snacks
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Fruit sticks 1–2 a day (from health food section with 100% fruit only).
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Cheese sticks 1–2 a day.
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Fruit (all the ones ending in ‘berry’ are very nutritious, but remember variety is the key).
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Naturally sun-dried sultanas, dates or figs (sulphur dioxide and pip free).
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Snake peel an orange and then re-wrap with the peel so it keeps fresh until eaten.
Frozen snacks, cool for kids and their lunchboxes
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Frozen grapes are a fantastic treat on hot days (slice in half if you are concerned about choking).
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The same goes for frozen melon, banana and orange quarters.
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Frozen bananas with a passionfruit yoghurt dip.
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Yoghurt can safely be frozen as a great hot day snack or for lunchboxes.
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Cold sago/tapioca mixed with natural yoghurt and sliced fruit. Freeze overnight so it can be taken in a lunchbox.
Easy wholegrain options
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Crackers (organic rice, rye, sesame and water crackers particularly those low in sugar and salt).
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A bagel with avocado and/or Philadelphia cheese.
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Healthy sugar-free biscuits.
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Wholemeal crumpet topped with a little butter.
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Cream-cheese on crackers.
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Wholemeal crumpets, bagels and muffins with a choice of toppings.
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Healthy muffins, e.g. fig (high in calcium and sultana), made from
wholemeal flour and reduced or no sugar, the healthfood shop variety
are often nutritious.
Other options
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Yoghurt is a great hot day snack.
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Carob and buckwheat crackers.
Home snack and lunch ideas
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Smoothie (with mixed berries) – you can also freeze them and give them as ice-blocks as a summer treat or at parties.
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Homemade ice-blocks filled with a mix of natural yoghurt and fruit pulp.
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Falafels and vegie sausages.
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Mini pizzas (using mini pocket breads) with avocado, ham, tomato, pineapple etc.
LUNCHES
So what is a healthy meal? The three basic principles of a good diet
– for all of us – are variety, wholesomeness and unprocessed food.
These help ensure that a diet is nutritionally sound.
Variety in a diet refers to eating a variety of food groups but it
also means variety within a food group. A great, easy way to ensure
variety is to check that there is a good range of colours: for example,
red fruits and berries (an excellent source of vitamin C), green and
yellow vegetables (high in vitamin A), wholegrain and brown bread (high
in zinc), white meat (providing protein and iron), dairy (for calcium
and riboflavin) and so on. Eating a little of all sorts of foods can
dilute the exposure to problem food components and undesirables.
Ensure that snacks are as nutritious as meals; avoid overly fatty
foods and sweetened foods or drinks (e.g. fruit juices, biscuits and
cordials) that may displace more nutritious foods.
IDEAS FOR LUNCH BOXES
Ideally, main meals should have protein and carbohydrate/s; for
example: tuna, a roll and grated vegetables. Often they can be served
with a piece of fruit and always with water. Some of our ideas are
portable while others are best at home.
Lastly, remember your child is likely to prefer to play than to eat,
so convenience needs to be balanced with nutrition. Yes, I know that is
easier said than done, but it is better to keep it in mind than be
disappointed by a full lunchbox coming home each day.
Top lunchbox ideas
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Wholemeal salad sandwich, yoghurt, grapes (cut in half) and water.
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Cream-cheese, ham and avocado Lebanese bread wrap (rolled up).
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Bagel with avocado, sliced chicken and grated cucumber.
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Pumpernickel bread with cheese, hummus and red capsicum.
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Pocket bread with grated cheese, tomato, cucumber and yoghurt dip and canned tuna.
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Roast beef salad with tomato, lettuce and avocado.
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Prepared Nori rolls (seaweed) with a variety of fillings including
tuna, avocado, cucumber, capsicum, salmon, lettuce etc. (these are
extremely easy to make with or without the kids and will keep in an
airtight container in the fridge overnight – no longer).
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Fish cakes with grated vegetables, fruit and yoghurt.
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Various cheeses, avocado, fruit and crackers.
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Fruit and a tub of natural yoghurt.
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Vegetarian sausages and grated/sliced vegies.
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Ham and dips wrapped in flat bread.
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Bite-size raw vegies with a separate container of dipping sauce or your favourite ranch dressing or curried tofu mayonnaise.
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Cheese cubes with tiny cherry tomatoes.
QUICK BITES & LIGHT MEALS
Many of the following recipes can be used for lunches (freshly made
or leftovers) and dinners. Once you have found a recipe, adapt it and
let it expand, try using different ingredients when you make it next.
Remember, the key is variety.
Nutrition tips to keep in mind:
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Sugar ideally should not be added to a child’s diet. However, if a
product has added sugars they should not be in the top three
ingredients listed on the packet.
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Take care when using fillings such as honey, jam or other spreads as they can limit the nutrition of a meal.
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Likewise, biscuits, chips, bars, lollies, flavoured milks, cakes
and pastries can severely impact on the nutrition of a meal as well as
displace health foods and meals later due to the large amount of energy
in such foods.
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Drinks containing caffeine should not be given to children.
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Sodium should be minimised and ideally not exceed 120mg per 100g.
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Fruit juices are not necessary. It is better to eat the fruit
instead and drink water. Fruit juices may be a good source of some
vitamins, but the downside is they are low in fibre, high in energy and
can displace foods.
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Potato is often the most commonly eaten vegetable and variety can be lost.
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Potato chips are not the best way to eat potato. Most commercial
brands are high in fat and salt, and best left for special occasions.
Some healthier versions are available, and of course, homemade chips in
fresh olive oil can be a tasty treat.
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Fruit bars and fruit straps are high in sugar. While these tasty
morsels generally contain some fruit, they are often high in sugar
(some in added sugars), low in fibre and become stuck to children’s
teeth (increasing the chances of decay), so are best avoided.
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Wash all fruit and vegetables. This will reduce the risk from any nasties.
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Supervise young children. To reduce the risk of choking, toddlers
and young children should always be seated and supervised while eating
all foods, including chopped raw fruit, vegetables and all ‘hard’ foods.
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Children with loose teeth or missing teeth may find softer foods, such as bread instead of a roll, easier to eat.
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Picky eaters should still be offered healthy food even if they reject it continuously.
Cheesy zucchini scrambled eggs
Ingredients
3 eggs (one for each person)
1⁄4 of cup grated cheese
1⁄3 cup of milk
1⁄2 a peeled and finely grated zucchini
1 teaspoon of butter
Toast (optional)
Preparation
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Peel then grate the zucchini using a fine grater.
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Grate the cheese.
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Beat the eggs, zucchini and cheese and milk until mixed.
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Gently melt the butter in a pan, ideally non-stick.
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Add the ingredients to the pan.
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On a low heat gently cook the egg.
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Stir gently with a spoon to create large pieces of scrambled egg.
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Once ingredients are no longer moist and are cooked serve on toast soldiers.
Serves three.
Salmon croquets
Ingredients
1 medium potato
2 teaspoons of butter
1 small can of salmon, drained
1 egg beaten
2 tablespoons of finely grated and chopped carrot
2 tablespoons of finely grated and chopped zucchini
2 tablespoons of finely grated cheese
2–4 tablespoons of organic plain flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Preparation
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Boil the potato and mash with the butter in a bowl, allow to cool.
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Prepare the salmon by crushing the bones thoroughly into the salmon flesh.
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Add the egg, salmon, vegetables and cheese to the cooled potato and blend together.
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Make small rectangle croquettes in your palm.
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Roll the croquettes in the flour.
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Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and gently place croquettes in the pan.
- Cook until golden brown on each side, remove and drain on absorbent paper.
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Serve with yoghurt dip, pasta or rice.
Corn fritters
Ingredients
1 cup of wholemeal self-raising flour
1⁄2 cup of your choice of fluid (milk or water)
2 eggs
a medium can of creamed corn or corn kernels
Olive oil
Preparation
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Sift the flour into a medium bowl.
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Beat the egg lightly in a small bowl.
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Make a well in the middle of the flour.
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Add the fluid and egg to the mix and blend to a smooth batter.
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Add the corn and mix.
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Use a non-stick pan or add some oil to a flat pan and heat gently (do not burn).
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Add a ladle-spoon of the mix to the heated pan.
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Allow bubbles to appear before turning.
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Cook until light brown.
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Serve as is (cooled) or you can top with cream-cheese or your choice of topping.
Saucy balls
Ingredients
500g of quality minced lamb
1 small grated carrot
1 small peeled and grated zucchini
1⁄2 small red onion
1 teaspoon of Vegemite
1 tablespoon of Sacla bolognaise sauce (for meat mixture)
1 finely chopped clove of garlic
a sprinkle of thyme
5 medium-sized mushrooms diced finely
1 beaten egg
1⁄3 cup of flour
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 jar of Sacla bolognaise sauce or equivalent tomato-based sauce (for cooking)
Preparation
- Using a clean hand or suitable utensil combine the lamb,
vegetables, herbs, Vegemite, tablespoon of bolognaise sauce and egg.
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Heat the oil gently in a flat pan.
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Flour your hands and make meatball-sized balls from the mix, flour the balls.
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Place the balls into the pan and shallow-fry until brown on both sides.
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Drain the balls on absorbent paper.
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Gently heat the jar of bolognaise or tomato sauce and place the balls into the sauce to cook for a further 15 minutes.
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Serve on a bed of rice or noodles or potato.
DESSERTS
Can they really be healthy? Well, of course! After all, desserts
range from fresh fruit and yoghurt through to double chocolate mud
pies. Like most things, it is moderation, balance and common sense that
will hold you in good stead when it comes to desserts for your little
ones.
In the main, desserts (if you choose to offer them) should be
healthy options such as fruit and yoghurt, smoothies, cheese and
crackers and other meals in this section. As a treat though, in most
cases there is nothing wrong with offering something a little ‘naughty’
like icecream, pie or cake, but they should be offered irregularly so
as not to set up an expectation of something a little tasty after the
main meal.
Egg custard
Ingredients
1 cup of your choice of milk
1 beaten egg
1⁄2 teaspoon of vanilla essence
1 teaspoon of honey (not for bubs under 12 months)
1⁄4 teaspoon of mixed spice
Preparation
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Heat the milk in a small pot, don’t allow to boil over.
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Beat the egg in a bowl and add the honey, vanilla and spices.
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Remove the milk from the heat and add the egg mix to the milk.
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Place the custard back on the heat and gently simmer, stirring regularly until the custard sticks to the wooden spoon.
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Take care not to overheat or the custard may curdle.
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Serve when cool with sliced fruit.
Information & recipes supplied by Leanne Cooper © 2009, nutritionist & director of Sneakys www.sneakys.com.au . For more recipes visit the website & read about her book Recipes for Fussy Foodies.
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