One of the greatest life challenges that is faced by a mother has to do with the type or process of food to cook for the children. Children need a lot of nutrients that will enhance their growth, but most times, it is tough to get them to eat these types of nutrient-rich foods. Even though we all know about food pyramids and the importance of the different classes of food such as healthy grains, fruits, proteins, vegetables or calcium, getting the children to consume these nourishing foods is a different ballgame entirely.
But then, you don’t necessarily have to merge or combine all these vital nutrients for dinner. You will need to improvise if you want to get some vegetables or fruits into the children’s systems. You could slice cucumbers thinly, then sprinkle a pinch of table salt on the thin slices; this snack is healthy and provides more nutrients when compared to feeding them with potato chips. Not only do they enjoy the meal, but you’ve also succeeded in getting them to eat some vegetables. You can also improvise if you want them to eat other types of fruits like orange-fleshed melons or cantaloupes as well.
You should always mix things up a bit when cooking if you want to remain on the friendly side of your children. No man or woman can survive on eating cheese and macaroni only. It is crucial for you to get your kids familiarized with the proteins, whole grains as well as vegetables at any time, especially at mealtimes in your home. The growing demand for foods that are rich in healthy nutrients is growing steadily, and food companies are churning out pre-packaged foods containing whole grains into the market nowadays, making it easier for mothers to prepare without much ado.
Fresh vegetables or fruits are very crucial to the health of growing children. Try as much as possible to avoid foods that are canned, most especially canned fruits that are usually stored using sugary constituents or additives for preservation purposes. You should, therefore, give more preference to frozen foods than to canned foods.
Finding meal ideas that are easy to prepare as well as kid-friendly shouldn’t be too hard for you. By surfing the internet, you will find a myriad of information that pertains to recipes, diets and meals that are rich in nutrients and which most kids love to consume as well. Want to meet your child’s daily requirement for calcium? Why not consider adding milk as a preferred drink for meals or a wedge of liquefied cheese on top of their favorite vegetable? Pudding, yogurt or ice creams are just some of the treats that are rich in calcium. Only ensure that your kids exercise self-control when they consume any of these dairy products.
Another trick you should consider when it comes to cooking food for your children is to allow them to experiment with different food recipes. This will not only prevent you from cooking only the same type of foods all the time but will introduce variety in the kitchen. New textures or flavors could quickly become the new favorites, and you will also be spared the feeling of abject boredom anytime you prepare their meals. This will make your children as well as you to learn more about the types of foods they like and the ones they dislike.
Children are humans, too and you should, therefore, bear in mind that they will acquire their own tastes too sooner or later, just like you did as well. One of the most infuriating feelings you must have experienced is to spend a lot of money or time to cook a meal, only for your child to push away the plate without even tasting the meal. To avoid these exasperating scenarios, why not consider asking for their support, especially in the kitchen? Doing this will get your children more involved in the cooking process, and there is a very high likelihood of them eating what they helped in preparing, just to feel proud of the accomplishment. Is that a psychological twist? Well, that may be so, but all’s well that ends well.
At the end of it all, you will have made your children more appreciative of your efforts in preparing their meals and will eat just to make you happy rather than eat their food resentfully. Following these strategies have resulted in a great success when it comes to cooking food for my kids, and I’m sure it will do you good as well if you will but try them.
