Local Life - Wigan - February 2021

56
Helping your child to get their
5 a day
Fruit + vegetables + kids isn’t always a match made in heaven.
These tips might help to make meal times less stressful.
Don’t let dinner become a battle field
Studies have shown that putting pressure on kids to eat
can actually lead to worse eating habits a couple of years
down the line. Try to make sure you’re sitting down to
eat as a family at least a few times a week and don’t let
the tension build up until you’re all just focusing on how
much (or how little) your child is eating.
Ultimately, you want your child to have a healthy longterm
relationship with food. That’s going to be so much
harder if they end up getting anxious about dinner time.
And remember that we all have food we hate, even as
adults. So if they really despise something, move on.
Try raw
Kids often prefer the taste or texture of raw vegetables
over cooked. My children, for example, will happily munch
on raw carrots and peppers, but loathe cooked ones.
Some vegetables shouldn’t be eaten raw (like potatoes)
but most can be, even ones like broccoli.
When you are cooking vegetables, it’s worth trying
different methods. My daughter hates steamed kale, but
loves crispy kale (chopped up, tossed in olive
oil and roasted in the oven for 5-10 minutes).
Boost with multivitamins
Multivitamins don’t replace the need for a healthy diet,
but they can provide a handy boost. Look for ones that
include Vitamin D, as our bodies struggle to absorb
enough of it during winter.
Bassetts chewable multivitamins tend to be popular with
kids. Another option is Kendakids Vita-Boost Shakes,
which are fortified with twenty-three vitamins (including
vitamin D). You mix the powder with warm water (it’s a bit
like making up a bottle of baby formula). There are three
flavours to choose from. The chocolate one is basically a
healthier version of hot chocolate, but my son swears the
strawberry is by far the best. See www.kendamil.com.
Blend it up
Children often complain about ‘bits’, whether it’s the
seeds in granary bread or pieces of mushroom in a pasta
sauce. Blending soups and sauces until they’re smooth
can work wonders.
Let them help themselves
Keep your fruit bowl within reach of children over three,
so that they can help themselves when they want a snack.
You could also keep a snack box of chopped up carrots,
peppers, cucumbers etc. on a low shelf of the fridge.
Give them a choice
If you can, involve your child in shopping, and
let them pick out some fruits and vegetables
that they want to try. You could also help them
to grow some of their own, even if it’s just
strawberries on a windowsill. When it comes to
meal times, try offering your child a choice of
a few different vegetables sometimes, so they
feel that they have some control. And when
you have time, involve them in preparing
dinner and then praise them for how tasty the
food is.