309. When making food for children, remember that generally their taste buds are not yet fully developed, while their higher density of anterior papillae make them more receptive to sweet flavors, according to a Danish study
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
at the University of Copenhagen. As children grow older, they are able to distinguish and appreciate more subtle flavors – but don’t expect them to react to a good pepper steak the way you would!
310. Children love sweets and simple carbohydrates, so it can be a battle to get them to ingest vegetables and proteins. Remember that visual appeal can help you win these battles, according to a Stanford University study (and based on many parents’ experiences).
Try making a smiley face out of ketchup on an omelet or grilled cheese sandwich, or making “stories” when you arrange vegetables or fruits on a plate. Play food games with small children. (“Open wide for the airplane!”) And use color instead of flavor to appeal to children’s senses. (Try special plates, different bright colors for each child. And avoid bland-looking presentations.)
311. Let children add their favorite condiment to any food you want them to try – even if you think it’s
“yucky”. (Ketchup is the big front runner.)
312. Serve small portions to children. One of the biggest causes of mealtime anxiety is parental insistence that children eat portions too large for their tiny tummies.
313. Don’t force picky eaters to eat. This will only turn meals into a battleground, causing the child either to feel intense anxiety over eating – or become combative and stubborn.
Instead, take your child to a dietitian or nutritionist, and come up with minimum intakes for food groups per day. If he or she doesn’t consume this in meals, try adding supplements such as PediaSure (sweet drinks children usually love).
314. Make veggie sticks easy to eat by chopping them finely and keeping the pieces small. Store them in water in the fridge overnight (in a sealed jar): Drain them on paper towel and bag them right before assembling the lunch. They will taste fresher and better this way – and you won’t be frazzled from trying to peel and chop vegetables while your children dawdle over getting dressed.
315. If your child has a peanut allergy, make sure everyone at their school knows about it – from the principal down to the janitor. Also make sure everyone knows what to do – and leave at least three Epipens with the school, since severe anaphylactic reactions will hardly be dented by one.
316. Be aware that peanut allergy is one of the most severe and potentially fatal allergies currently in existence.
Children who are allergic to peanuts can suffer anaphylactic shock and die merely from being in contact with something touched by peanuts – including your child’s hand or picking up a wrapper. It’s better to avoid sending peanut products with your child to school completely (even if the school doesn’t currently have rules about this, which many do).
317. If your child won’t eat a new food, adopt a laid-back attitude – but continue to serve it at later meals. (Try varying the presentation). Don’t force children to eat – but don’t allow them to veto foods: At least serve a small portion or even one piece on their plates.
318. Get children involved in food selection and preparation – they’ll be far more likely to eat the results!
319. Make sure you let children help you in the kitchen when it is a relaxed day and you have plenty of time.
Remember their focus will not be on getting things done speedily; it will be on experimentation and having fun.
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know
320. Never turn down a child who wants to help with meal preparations. If you do have to turn them down (e.g.
eight people are coming for a formal dinner in fifteen minutes), make a concrete date with them in the very immediate future to cook together.
321. Give your older toddler a piece of pastry dough to play with, when making pastry or pies. It will keep her happy and occupied. (Let her bake the results if she wants to; and don’t worry about “germs”.)
322. Let children do food prep tasks they find fun (e.g. shelling fresh peas). Don’t force them to do ones they hate – there is usually a good reason for the aversion. (E.g. “Mom, this peeler cuts into my finger!”) 323. If your child has a weight problem, cut down on fruit juices – they are full of sugar; even the natural ones.
Give your child snacks that require chewing such as half a bagel or finely-chopped veggie sticks or fruit pieces.
Snacks like juices and yogurt are not only sweet; they’re gone in no time, leaving the overweight child still feeling hungry.
324. Note your overweight child’s peak hunger periods, and try to figure out what is causing this time period to be the trigger time. Does he always associate food with getting home from school? Does he eat while reading?
Has he skipped lunch? Come up with solutions that are ideally suited to your child’s unique triggers.
325. Remember that kids like foods that are easy to eat. Use this preference for you rather than against you, when preparing lunches, snacks and meals. And do include easy-to-eat foods like PediaSure drinks, cheese straws or yogurt if your child has a ridiculously short time allotted for eating at school.
326. Be creative when sending school lunches. Try bagging cold, mini-sized meatballs (without sauce!) Or including a hard-boiled egg; or stuffing celery with cream cheese.
327. If your child doesn’t finish his lunch (or doesn’t eat his school lunch), serve all or part of it as a snack later.
Don’t do this with a punitive attitude, however: Keep it casual. (“Mom, I’m hungry!”, “Well, here are your pretzels.”)
328. Children love chicken nuggets. Make your own chicken nuggets and bake rather than deep-fry: It’s a healthier alternative for kids.
329. If your child always cries and kicks up a fuss over a particular meal, find out exactly what he is objecting to: Sometimes removing the offending garnish or not pouring gravy over his potatoes is all it takes to make him a happy eater.
330. Don’t fall into the fatal trap of raising your child on take-out food, sugars and carbohydrates: It will seriously affect his health in later life. A packet of French fries may be inexpensive and your child may love them – but you wouldn’t deprive yourself of protein, so make sure he has enough protein during his day.
331. Make a recipe book of favorite family recipes for each of your children and give it to them before they head off to college, a new job in a distant city or marriage. (Keep a back-up copy; they may “lose” it several times before finally deciding later in life that they miss your recipes!)
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365 Cooking Tips & Tricks Every Cook Needs To Know