The Purple People Eater and the Elusive Kale

The number one question I am bombarded with as a dietitian from mom's is, "How do I get my child to eat their vegetables?".  Ah, the age old question that mother's have been asking for generations.  Although I am all for cultivating a love of pure, unadulterated veggies in children (see my post "Growing Up Fruity"), I am also realistic.  I would rather ensure a child consumes healthy food in a sneaky way than not have it a part of their diet at all.  One of the most challenging vegetables to get children to embrace is the all popular, all famous, dark leafy green.  A child's brain and taste buds are not set up to appreciate the texture and bitterness that are inherent in vegetables such as kale and spinach.  As children grow, their taste bud's change and so does their palate and perception of certain foods.  Don't despair, many of the pickiest eaters will grow up and be able to enjoy a delicious spinach salad, but until then we may need to use a little trickery :)

The "Purple People Eater" ingredients

Who Doesn't Like a Shake?

One of my favorite ways to ensure, not only my children, but I get my full range of fruits and veggies is by concocting a smoothie.  Although I usually have one for breakfast, I often offer this treat to my children for an after school snack or even a dessert.  How else can you consume such a variety of fruits and veggies, including all colors of the rainbow with such little prep work and resulting in something so truly delicious?  The key to being able to whip up the most tasty and quick smoothie is to keep frozen fruits on hand. 

Kid's Eat With Their Eyes First

Frozen berries are one of my favorites and is the foundation of most of my shakes, especially when made for children.  Aside from the many health benefits, berries provide the masking of color of the greens in a shake.  Although I find the natural green hue of my morning smoothie appetizing many young children would disagree and turn their nose up to it before even giving it a fair chance.  Blueberries particularly are great coloring agents and work wonders at making my green shake magically turn a lovely shade of purple.  Another important ingredient in a kid-friendly smoothie is a frozen banana.  Not only does it provide a healthy dose of potassium, but it results in a thick and smooth finished product that most kids enjoy.  The natural sweetness is also a plus.  I buy fresh bananas and when they are at their peak of ripeness, I peel them, break them in half and put them in a plastic bag in the freezer so they will be ready to use.

 

Eating the Rainbow

What's great about a smoothie is you can totally customize it based on what's at hand and your own child's preferences.  Other frozen fruit that we typically add is mango, peaches and pineapple.  Since we talk about "eating the rainbow" in our house, I always represent all colors in my kid's shakes (how you can build on that lesson is for another post).  Another great addition for a smoothie is avocado.  Filled with healthy fat (that most people in this country don't get enough of) avocado is easy to cut in half and scoop out.  It provides more silkiness to the shake and will keep them feeling fuller longer.  Lastly, although not necessary, raw honey can be added to ensure adequate sweetness.  Raw local honey has been shown to stimulate the immune system, especially when consumed cold (not heated up by adding to your tea or baking with).

Baby Steps

You know your child best and can decide how much deceit you need to use.  My four year old son loves to help me make the shake, greens and all.  He finds it riveting that when blended all of those different colors turn into a vibrant purple.  He decides what to add to our custom concoction and because of that enjoys it all the more.  My ten year old daughter doesn't want to know what's in it (her words) but once presented, cold, purple, pretty and in a tall glass with a long straw, will drink it without even a nudge.  Whether you call it a placebo effect or not, once the "Purple People Eater" is downed, you and your little ones will feel like you can take on the world :)

 

The Purple People Eater

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients:
2 cups spinach or kale, fresh
1 cup blueberries (frozen)
4 strawberries (frozen)
1 avocado, fresh
1/2 cup pineapple (frozen)
1 banana (frozen)
2 cups almond, soy, or coconut milk
1-2 tablespoons raw local honey

Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until fully combined and broken down into a smooth consistency.  Feel free to experiment with the types of produce you use and the amounts.  Once you get your child to embrace this smoothie, you can slowly try adding more greens.  Drink immediately as it will start to separate quickly.

My little smoothie making assistant ready to take on the world......

Stricter Guidelines for Snacks in Schools- Is it Enough?

July 1, 2014- that is the deadline!  As part of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture's new legislation "Smart Snacks in Schools", snacks offered in schools will now be limited in fat, salt and sugar and portion size will be restricted.  This legislation will impact about 50 million students and over 100,000 schools nationwide that participate in the federal school lunch program.  Proponents are hoping that these changes will help address the staggering rate of childhood obesity and generally improve our children's diets.  Some examples of the changes that will be mandated are:

• Vending machine food items will have to be under 200 calories (less than an average candy bar)
• Drinks will have to be under 60 calories/12oz. (less than most sodas)
• Low-fat and fat-free milk, 100% fruit and vegetable juice and no-calorie flavored water will be allowed 
• Water must be available for free
• All snack foods must have 50% whole grain, contain fruits, vegetables, dairy or protein, or contain at least 10% of the daily value of calcium, potassium, Vitamin D or dietary fiber

Sad but typical snacks offered at schools across our country!

I could write about all the loopholes in this legislation and why this isn't enough, but as I know from working within the restrictions of the government, legislation is usually somewhat lagging behind our knowledge and the current research.  If our education system put in 1/4 of the amount of time, energy and focus on our children's health and nutrition as they did on the futile standardized tests (such as the FCAT's in Florida) we may not be in such a dire situation.  Well, so it goes!  This legislation is the first significant revamping of school snacks in over 30 years.  Although we have a long way to go towards improving our children's nutrition in this country, this is definitely a huge step in the right direction.  Let's applaud the movement towards improvement!

Nutritional makeover :)

Many parents take it upon themselves to send their children snacks from home.  This will still be an option and a good one.  Unfortunately, this tactic usually doesn't work as well for older children as they will buy their own snacks when given a choice.  It comes back (again) to nutrition education and teaching self-empowerment.  Our goal as parents is to give our children the tools needed to navigate their own way in this world.  Making "good" food choices is something we as adults continuously struggle with daily in this challenging food environment.  This new legislation will hopefully make it a little easier for our children to make the right choices.  Although let's remember, the fight is not over:) 

What are your thoughts on the legislation?  How much should we as parents rely on our schools to control what our children eat? 

For more information and great ideas for school snacks, please visit:

Healthy School Snacks ~ Center for Science in the Public Interest

http://cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/healthy_school_snacks.html