Weighing IN: Kid food doesn’t have to mean fried
Published 5:28 pm Saturday, May 18, 2013
If you go to any restaurant, it’s sure to have a kid’s menu with items such as corn dogs, French fries, hamburgers and chicken nuggets. That’s it. Most menus tailored for children won’t have smaller-sized portions of the healthier fare found on a regular menu. We think that most kids would prefer those typical fried items over grilled meats, fresh vegetables and salads, but do they?
Too often I’ve heard parents say, “My kids won’t eat that. They’re picky eaters.”
In a culture that glorifies quick and easy “kid-cuisine,” many children really haven’t had a chance to love healthy food. Maybe we’ve underestimated their palates.
Not too long ago, a 12-year-old chef charmed television audiences with her take on “kid-friendly” cuisine. Tuscan, Ariz., native, Haile Thomas, made a quinoa salad with garlic shrimp and avocado on NBC’s “Today” show. And that’s not all the pre-teen culinary artist can throw together in the kitchen. She’s teamed up with a hotel chain and restaurants around the country to provide children with healthy and savory dishes such as curry shrimp lettuce wraps, chopped salad and build-your-own tacos.
“I never got the memo that I was supposed to only be eating nuggets, tenders, fries, mac ‘n cheese, pizza and burgers,” she wrote on a “Today” blog.
Miss Thomas uses this opportunity to educate her peers on the importance of embracing a healthy lifestyle. She’s making it her mission to show them how they can cook healthy, simple meals at home with a Kids Can Cook Facebook page and a YouTube video series.
While our favorite finger foods evoke great memories of childhood, it’s not the same as it was several decades before — when they were occasional treats. Today, it’s available all day every day at the drive-thru, at school, in the grocery freezer and at home. As a mother myself, I understand the constant battle to find balance and to ward off the barrage of appealing advertisements that come their way. But if we’d practice a little patience and creativity, I think kids would grow to love real food. And the rest of us would love the benefits of that.