Cereal bowl confrontations. Brown bag battles. Dinner table disputes. Sound familiar?
For parents who want their kids to eat healthfully, mealtimes can become prolonged skirmishes, more about conflict than togetherness. That's no fun for anybody. So we asked some experts — dietitians and pediatricians — for tactics parents can use to win the nutrition wars on the home front. Think of it as a back-to-school lesson for adults.
Everything starts, says Dr. R. Scott Spies, a pediatrician at the Matthews (N.C.) Children's Clinic, with parents. "You can't expect your children to do what you are not doing yourself."
So let's review. A healthy meal, according to the new federal food plate unveiled earlier this year, includes lean proteins, complex carbohydrates such as brown rice or whole wheat pasta, dairy and lots of fruits and vegetables. (For more information, go to www.choosemyplate.gov.)
Once the parents set an example, the experts agree, the next step is to provide good food and teach their children about what is healthful and what is not. Parents can encourage children to eat well and try new foods by involving them. Take a hands-on approach: Let children pick out fruits and vegetables at the grocery store or the farmers market. Prepare a meal together. Or plant a vegetable garden.
"There's nothing like growing your own tomatoes to make you eat tomatoes," says Dr. Cheryl Mutch, co-author of the new book, "Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Love."
Teach children that sweets or junk foods are occasional treats, not everyday fare. Send desserts only once or twice a week with lunch. Encourage children to make chocolate milk a special drink and enjoy it occasionally.
Even parents who do all that, experts say, need to realize that they can't force their children to eat. "It's our job to provide the healthy food and explain about healthy food, but it's the child's responsibility to eat it," said Karen Varga, a dietitian at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh, N.C.
Several experts suggested setting food out family-style and letting children choose what they want to eat from what's offered. They also recommend that parents make tasting new items a family rule. It can take up to 10 attempts before a child will adopt a new food.
And don't panic.
"If they don't eat the family meal, they will get hungry later and that's OK," says Dr. Eliana Perrin, a pediatrician at N.C. Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill.
When faced with picky or stubborn eaters, parents shouldn't get angry, anxious or coercive.
"You may be anxious about what your children are eating or are not eating," Mutch says. "You have to not express that to the child. ... It sets you up for unpleasant dinner experiences."
If kids won't eat what's set before them, the doctors and dietitians say, cover the plate of uneaten food with plastic wrap, put it in the fridge and pull it out the next time the child eats. Eventually, even stubborn kids will learn to eat what is offered.
Most of all, don't become a short order cook. Offer healthy food, and stick to your guns. Don't offer anything else, especially processed food that children may prefer or crave.
And remember, Spies says: "Who is in control of the ship here?"
___
GETTING CHILDREN TO EAT WELL
These tips come from our experts: Karen Varga, a dietitian at WakeMed Health and Hospitals in Raleigh; Dr. R. Scott Spies, a pediatrician at the Matthews Children's Clinic; Dr. Eliana Perrin, a pediatrician at N.C. Children's Hospital in Chapel Hill, N.C.; and Dr. Cheryl Mutch, a Vancouver pediatrician and co-author of "Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids will Love."
For breakfast, do offer fortified cereals with low-fat milk, yogurt, lean proteins such as eggs and Canadian bacon, and fruit. Don't choose cereals with lots of sugar and fake flavors.
For lunches, do pack fruit such as apple slices, strawberries, blackberries, grapes or dried fruits, and fresh vegetables such as carrots or red or yellow peppers. Don't add any dipping sauces. Make sandwiches with whole grain bread and fillings such as egg salad, deli meats or peanut butter.
Do limit juice consumption to one four-ounce glass a day of 100 percent juice. Don't add juice to water; that can prime children to prefer sweetened drinks.
Do make water or milk the main beverages in your children's diets. Do choose low-fat milk for teens.
Do remember, when babies start eating table food, that their portions should be smaller. A good rule of thumb: a portion the size of the child's fist.
Do push calcium-rich foods on teens, who need calcium when they are experiencing growth spurts. Make sure they are being offered two to three dairy servings a day, such as milk, yogurt and cheese.
Do remember that teen girls and athletes need extra iron. Get it in foods such as beans, leafy green vegetables, eggs, red meat, poultry, pork and seafood.
___
MEXICAN BLACK BEAN PINWHEELS
From "Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Love," by Brenda Bradshaw and Dr. Cheryl Mutch
2 tablespoons light cream cheese
1 8-inch whole wheat soft flour tortilla
2 tablespoons canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons diced sweet red pepper
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup mild salsa
Spread cream cheese over tortilla. Scatter beans, red pepper and cheese over tortilla and roll up tightly. With sharp knife, slice into 1-inch rounds, discarding ends. Pack pinwheels and salsa in separate reusable containers and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 1 or 2 servings for young children.
___
LUNCH BOX PIZZAS
Substitute different toppings such as thinly sliced mushrooms, zucchini, diced cooked chicken or feta cheese, depending on your child's taste. From "Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Love" by Brenda Bradshaw and Dr. Cheryl Mutch
1 whole wheat English muffin, cut in half horizontally
2 rounded teaspoons tomato paste
2 very thin slices sweet red or yellow pepper
3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
Toast the English muffin the night before to prevent sogginess. Thinly spread each half with tomato paste and top with red pepper and cheese. Place 2 to 4 slices of tomato on each pizza.
Place pizzas on cookie sheet and then place on top most rack in the oven. Broil until the cheese bubbles. Lay pizzas on wire rack to cool. Pizzas must be completely cool before packing to avoid condensation from forming inside container. Pack in a reusable container and refrigerate overnight. Yield: 1 serving
___
BIRDSEED COOKIES
From "Good Food to Go: Healthy Lunches Your Kids Will Love," by Brenda Bradshaw and Dr. Cheryl Mutch
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup rolled oats
¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup raisins
¾ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup ground flax seeds
1 cup dark chocolate chips
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add oats, coconut, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax seeds and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
Cream butter and sugar together in separate bowl. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add dry mixture 1 cup at a time and stir until combined.
Spoon tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Dip fork in water and gently press down to flatten cookie. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cookies cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: About 4 dozen cookies.
___
(c)2011 The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
Visit The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) at www.newsobserver.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
ARCHIVE ILLUSTRATIONS on MCT Direct (from MCT Illustration Bank, 202-383-6064): school lunch
Become a fan: