Getting kids to eat healthy food by stealth
If you want your child to eat a more nutritious lunch, try using your imagination and being sneaky about it, an author tells Elle Kwan
The key is looking beyond just sandwiches, says Tracy Griffith, author of a new book called Stealth Health Lunches Kids Love, to be released here next month. Griffith, who counts a sushi mat as a lunchtime essential, has declared war on the usual suspects, from packaged crisps to sugar-loaded snacks. She's armed with gluten-free tacos, wraps, onigiri-style rice and sushi.
Some of the recipes don't sound too friendly - Green Slime, Schmoo, or Alligator Scales, anyone? These are actually the book's more stealthy inclusions - nifty ways to tuck veggies into a lunch so they are almost unnoticed.
Green Slime is a spread made of avocado, sour cream, chopped basil and spinach that can replace mayonnaise or as a healthy dip with crisps - preferably home-made from kale (the Alligator Scales), or sweet potato.
Dips, spreads and sauces are an effective way to subtly introduce children to a wider range of healthier flavours, says Griffith.
"They are basically purées," she says. "And it's in the nature of a purée to cram goodness into one super concentrated burst."
Schmoo, her pesto cream cheese recipe, includes half a cup (30 grams) of parsley - rich in vitamins A, C, and K.
"It's hard to imagine anyone eating that much raw parsley, but mixed with the other ingredients kids just love it," she says.