January can be a tough month—especially for kids. Inclement weather makes it hard get out. Weekends stir up complaints about being bored. If this sounds familiar, it might be the perfect time to pull them into the kitchen.
Kids are regularly bombarded with unhealthy options. Junk food, candy, sodas and energy drinks are everywhere. Loaded with artificial flavorings, sweetners and preservatives, these “goodies” are engineered to taste great. And trends show that kids’ palettes are changing as a result.
Consider some of the headlines from 2013. School districts reported that students would rather throw away fruits and vegetables and go hungry instead of eating them. Emergency room doctors saw an uptick in kids coming in with gastritis after indulging in too many super spicy snacks.
A great defense is to involve your kids in the process of fixing their own healthy meals.
Involving your kids in all aspects of the household meals has great benefits. Here are a few suggestions to get started:
Make the Food/Health Connection
Teaching children good nutrition is one of the most valuable, life-long gifts you can give them. Experts agree that learning to cook contributes to a healthy adulthood. Positive habits extend beyond the kitchen. Menu planning, list making, budgeting, reading nutrition labels and making selections at the store are all important aspects of conscious living.
Leverage Existing Resources
There are all kinds of resources to help you instill a connection between food and health. Take a few minutes to explore what’s out there and what is most likely to interest your children. Sites like SuperKids Nutrition are loaded with activities and articles for kids of all ages. Disney has even gotten into this area and provides tips and tools for making the kitchen a place for family fun.
Whole Foods is another resource. In partnership with PBS, Whole Foods has a Fantastic Organic portal that is loaded with information, tools, interactive games, shopping suggestions and videos to make education engaging for the whole family. Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit organization, has the mission to support schools and inspire families to improve children’s nutrition and wellness. This site even has a social media extension, enabling kids to share and interact with peers.
Expand Options as They Grow
Age obviously plays a big role in the learning process, but children of almost any age can begin to pick-up healthy kitchen habits. Washing produce, tearing greens for salads, mixing and stirring are inclusive activities for even the youngest member of the household.
As your kids grow, advance their responsibilities. Peeling, light chopping, juicing and measuring ingredients are nice “step-ups.” Plus, learning to read and follow a recipe is an essential skill to master. Make it part of an enjoyable family activity.
Teenagers can handle more kitchen tasks than you might think. Incrementally advancing preparation and cooking techniques will keep them engaged. Teach them to sauté, braise or steam an ingredient. Think about introducing them to the healing tastes and qualities of every-day spices.
Cooking is an excellent confidence-builder. And praise is always a powerful motivator. Most importantly, remember that you’re never too young (or too old) to taste test or to lick the spoon as a celebratory finish.
Kids are more likely to eat what they have a hand in creating. Think about it. What could be better than quality family time, empowering your children to take charge of their own wellbeing and have your kids like eating their veggies? It’s practically foolproof!
Do you have a budding chef in the family? Tell us about your latest project.
