Childhood obesity and diabetes are real problems in our society today.
There have been many things that can share the blame: eating out more often especially at fast food, a drastic increase in soda consumption at an early age, sugary snacks, and families that are busier and trying to cook meals faster even if that means they are relying on processed and refined grains are just a few culprits.
One problem today seems to be that children have been told that they dislike vegetables so often that they actually believe it.
Look at commercials on TV today.
We have canned pasta meals that make the claim of "a full serving of vegetables in every can" but with parents afraid their children may hear that and not want to eat it anymore.
That is just one example of children hearing the media saying "you are not supposed to like vegetables".
Is it any wonder when they refuse to eat these whole foods? Instead of making vegetables sound like a disgusting food that we all have to choke down, teach your children to enjoy them.
First is learning to find kid-friendly veggies as snacks.
Find ones that are easy to prepare, available throughout the year, and are portable.
Two of the easiest are carrot and celery sticks.
Be sure you are only using fresh and preferably organic veggies to avoid harmful chemicals or produce that does not taste good.
These are great and crunchy snacks that anyone can love.
Other options can be sliced cucumber, broccoli florets, or cherry tomatoes.
These are raw vegetables that just about any child can enjoy even without an unhealthy dipping sauce.
Learn how to make vegetables taste better.
Take green beans, for example.
Most people will start with canned green beans and boil them for about 10 or 20 minutes while they are making the rest of dinner.
Then they will strain them and serve these mushy and greyish-green beans that even the dog may not want to eat.
Try starting with fresh green beans.
Boil them in lightly salted water for a minute or so.
After that, put the beans immediately in ice cold water for a few seconds.
This will keep them lightly crispy, preserve their green color, and with a little salt and olive oil will be something anyone can eat.
By simply learning how to prepare cooked vegetables with a little more care, children could learn to enjoy many of the "scary" veggies.
Steamed broccoli, stir fried Brussels sprouts, sautéed spinach, baked sweet potato fries, zucchini that is cut into medallions and seared in olive oil and lightly salted on each side.
These are all vegetables that children traditionally hate but can be something any child can learn to enjoy.
Take a little more in preparing these foods and they may not seem so bad to children anymore.
Get children involved in the cooking and shopping process.
A hands-on approach may teach them to appreciate food at a younger age and be more willing to try new things.
A child may not like the idea of stuffed peppers but if you had them help you stuff them, you may be surprised to find out that they actually enjoy red bell peppers.
Take them to the grocery store or to the farmers' markets.
Have them see you sampling and enjoy fresh vegetables and they may want to emulate you.
Vegetables have gotten a bad reputation with children.
Start by introducing them to easily approachable "kid-friendly" snacks and then branch out and make everything kid friendly.
By learning new cooking techniques and getting your children involved with the food, they may learn to enjoy a wide variety of vegetables.
There have been many things that can share the blame: eating out more often especially at fast food, a drastic increase in soda consumption at an early age, sugary snacks, and families that are busier and trying to cook meals faster even if that means they are relying on processed and refined grains are just a few culprits.
One problem today seems to be that children have been told that they dislike vegetables so often that they actually believe it.
Look at commercials on TV today.
We have canned pasta meals that make the claim of "a full serving of vegetables in every can" but with parents afraid their children may hear that and not want to eat it anymore.
That is just one example of children hearing the media saying "you are not supposed to like vegetables".
Is it any wonder when they refuse to eat these whole foods? Instead of making vegetables sound like a disgusting food that we all have to choke down, teach your children to enjoy them.
First is learning to find kid-friendly veggies as snacks.
Find ones that are easy to prepare, available throughout the year, and are portable.
Two of the easiest are carrot and celery sticks.
Be sure you are only using fresh and preferably organic veggies to avoid harmful chemicals or produce that does not taste good.
These are great and crunchy snacks that anyone can love.
Other options can be sliced cucumber, broccoli florets, or cherry tomatoes.
These are raw vegetables that just about any child can enjoy even without an unhealthy dipping sauce.
Learn how to make vegetables taste better.
Take green beans, for example.
Most people will start with canned green beans and boil them for about 10 or 20 minutes while they are making the rest of dinner.
Then they will strain them and serve these mushy and greyish-green beans that even the dog may not want to eat.
Try starting with fresh green beans.
Boil them in lightly salted water for a minute or so.
After that, put the beans immediately in ice cold water for a few seconds.
This will keep them lightly crispy, preserve their green color, and with a little salt and olive oil will be something anyone can eat.
By simply learning how to prepare cooked vegetables with a little more care, children could learn to enjoy many of the "scary" veggies.
Steamed broccoli, stir fried Brussels sprouts, sautéed spinach, baked sweet potato fries, zucchini that is cut into medallions and seared in olive oil and lightly salted on each side.
These are all vegetables that children traditionally hate but can be something any child can learn to enjoy.
Take a little more in preparing these foods and they may not seem so bad to children anymore.
Get children involved in the cooking and shopping process.
A hands-on approach may teach them to appreciate food at a younger age and be more willing to try new things.
A child may not like the idea of stuffed peppers but if you had them help you stuff them, you may be surprised to find out that they actually enjoy red bell peppers.
Take them to the grocery store or to the farmers' markets.
Have them see you sampling and enjoy fresh vegetables and they may want to emulate you.
Vegetables have gotten a bad reputation with children.
Start by introducing them to easily approachable "kid-friendly" snacks and then branch out and make everything kid friendly.
By learning new cooking techniques and getting your children involved with the food, they may learn to enjoy a wide variety of vegetables.
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