John Myers
Healthy eating can and should be fun, especially if you want to explain it to children. We give you tips on how to introduce your children to new foods and how to integrate cooking for your children into everyday life!
It’s never too early to start cooking for children
It is never too early to start educating children about healthy eating. If children are used to vegetables such as cauliflower or broccoli, they often prefer to eat them. Education in the field of nutrition is therefore possible. The result: A healthy banana is just as popular as a sweet piece of chocolate.
Children can learn healthy eating. To do this, they need good role models and frequent contact with healthy food. If you want to explain nutrition to children, it is best to use emotional words such as “food” and “delicious” instead of the rational terms “nutrition” and “healthy”. Apples, carrots and co. are more likely to be eaten if they are prepared and offered with creativity and love. If rather unloved foods are good for strong pirates or cunning foxes, they strike a chord with children. Get creative with humorous names, decorate plates when cooking for the kids, and cheat the veggies on them. Then the important nutrient mix is right for the little ones.
Oidis do pháistí
As soon as children are born, the question arises: What am I cooking today? Cooking healthy and varied meals for children is becoming a daily challenge. When it comes to cooking for kids, quick meals are best. Because hardly any child likes to wait a long time for their meal. A pasta salad, for example, is quickly prepared and meatballs don’t take long to be on the plate. It is not difficult to find healthy recipes for cooking for children that are tasty at the same time. A point of reference for the composition of meals is the mixed plate. This also provides important orientation for child nutrition based on the nutrition pyramid.
Sweet but without sugar
When cooking for children, the little ones should enjoy it. Even if they have a craving for sweets such as pancakes with sugar, waffles, or rice pudding, parents are responsible for preparing their offspring’s favorite food with as little sugar as possible – and not letting the children eat too large amounts of the sweet dishes. However, there shouldn’t be any prohibitions, because what is forbidden usually becomes even more interesting. There are many cake and muffin recipes that use less sugar than advertised. Sweet fruits such as bananas or dried fruits such as plums can often also significantly reduce the amount of sugar. Whether sugar or honey is used is ultimately a matter of taste. The healthy additives in honey make up only a negligibly small proportion. In principle, honey consists of water and sugar (especially glucose and fructose) and does not allow sugar-free baking. In general, do not use honey in the first year of life, and you should also avoid artificial sugar if possible. Our tip: Try banana pancakes or choose the hearty alternative with vegetables. This way, your favorite dishes don’t get boring!
You should be careful when cooking for children who are affected by food allergies. If there is a diagnosis from the doctor, the respective food should be greatly reduced or avoided entirely, depending on the recommendation. That means, for example gluten-free without grain, lactose-free without milk sugar, or fructose-free without fructose from fruit and vegetables. Keep this in mind, even with friends of your children who come to visit. A quick phone call to the parents can provide security here.
Nutrition for big and small
From the age of one, children can eat at normal family meals. Some things the parents may have to break up a bit. You should also avoid exotic and strong spices when cooking for children. Put part of the dish aside and prepare the rest for the adults – so nobody has to make any sacrifices. Delicious recipes for the whole family can be, for example, fish fingers or a quiche with quark, for which everyone chooses their favorite topping.
Older children – around kindergarten age – can help with the cooking. Cooking with children is also a great training ground for motor skills, estimation, arithmetic, and social interaction for the little ones. Children like to imitate their parents: You are a role model for the eating habits of the children. Avoid hectic snacking in between and take time to cook and share a meal. You can also use this opportunity to talk to school-age children and above about their day.
If you are currently more concerned with the topic of family planning, then read more about nutrition when planning to have children here. And for the parents of the very little ones, we have summarized some useful information about starting solid food. Finally, a tip for a special birth gift: Make a dream catcher for the newborn, who is always watching over his sleep!
