Why Children Should Cook
Part One
by Heide Horeth, author of 4 Ways to Yummy Children’s Vegetable Cookbook, a guide to help the entire family cook, eat, and love real food together.
Children who learn to cook, eat more vegetables and make better, life-long food choices. If the world is a child’s treasure room of dreams, then good health is key to opening the doors wide!
Let’s move in the right direction
The trend towards weight gain and obesity has been non-discriminatory and continuous to increase; in fact, here in the U.S. it has more than doubled since 1980. At this rate, it is predicted that by 2030, our population’s obesity rate could reach 50%. While I don’t blame anyone for the battle of the bulge, I am concerned with the deterioration of our health. Whole foods are most nourishing for our bodies and we have undervalued their powerful effect on our physical and mental health.
Our bodies are starved for the fiber and nutrition of whole, plant-based foods. Although healthy diets vary, no one has claimed it's a good idea to eat fewer vegetables. Yet for many people, it is the least desired food. This inspired me to write a children’s vegetable cookbook geared toward the whole family. My goal is to help bring kitchen exploration and slow food back into our daily lives with a fun, investigative approach. This method of observation and reflection allows families to tailor the recipes to their own liking. If we approach cooking with a creative, scientific, and flexible attitude, we just may uncover what we need to do to enjoy eating vegetables. Let’s rediscover simple, enjoyable, wholesome, and delicious food focused on vegetables and get the kids into the kitchen.
The Rainbow Basket — An engaging Educational activity
A rainbow basket is a visual activity that I used to engage Shane, my four-year-old son, into helping the family eat more fruits and vegetables. The basket tracked the colorful foods we ate each day. It was fun and authentic work for him.
I briefly explained that colorful rainbow foods are powerful foods we need to make our bodies strong and healthy. I placed two small baskets on the kitchen table where Shane could reach them. One basket was empty, and it would be his job to fill it each day. The second basket contained clay balls that he had shaped and painted in various colors to represent fruits and vegetables. To this basket, I also added some fun mini fruits and vegetables from a play set. Other options could have included colored beads, colored blocks, or even pieces of colored paper.
Each time we ate a meal, Shane found the color of the food we were eating and added it to the daily basket. If he had a banana with oatmeal for breakfast, it meant he could add the color yellow. At lunch, we often tried to get green (lettuce) and some orange (carrot sticks) into the basket. It was amazing how he enjoyed this responsibility and would soon help me think of ways we could add more colorful foods to our plate. A couple of days into our game, he exclaimed after dinner, “we didn’t eat anything red today.” The urgency in his exclamation made me smile as I saw how serious he was to get us on a better eating track. I asked him if he’d like to share a red apple. He was happy to do so, and so was I.
Never underestimate our little ones. They consistently surprise us with their insights and have such a fresh perspective. Children also learn quickly, have lots of energy, and love to help us.
Enjoy this recipe for Lemon Drop Dressing from my new cookbook. It’s delicious on salad greens or as a dip for blanched veggies. I wish you a happy and tasty cooking adventure.
Heide Horeth is a cookbook author and former columnist for Grandparents Day Magazine. She lives on Whidbey Island, WA with her husband, Jerry, and their veggie-loving dog, Dalai. Originally from upstate New York, Heide recalls simple, seasonal food made with love. Her cherished childhood memories include working and laughing side by side with her mother in the kitchen. These early experiences taught Heide that placing children in the kitchen is a powerful and natural experience that helps them make better eating choices throughout their lives. As a mom and preschool health assistant for ten years, Heide developed recipe charts and creative methods to help children take a lead role in the kitchen. This ultimately led her to write 4 Ways to Yummy Children’s Vegetable Cookbook, a guide to help the entire family cook, eat, and love real food together.