100 Days of Being Dye Free

how artificially dyed candy gets used in our house

I can count the number of times I've had chemical food dyes in the last year on one hand.  Because artificial food dyes can muck with my brain, I decided to rid them from my diet.  The boys have probably been working on eliminating them for about 100 days, or since the beginning of the school year.

Every time one of the boys offers me one of their junk candies I say "no thanks" citing nasty food colorings as the reason.  I even complain out loud so they know I'm struggling too.  They often hear me say "that iced cookie looks so good.  I wish I could eat it, but it's covered with brain poison, so I won't."

I'm teaching them to read labels and make choices when we buy snacks.  When they get nasties in birthday party favor bags I offer a trade when we get home.  I have a collection of naturally colored organic candies and snacks that I swap out for dum dums, fruit roll ups, and jolly ranchers.   They don't always take me up on it, but after nearly six months of the trade practice, they usually agree to a swap.  Not taking credit for the swap idea, I learned that from Christina at Spoonfed.

Yet every time I take the kids to the grocery store they beg for junky candy and snacks.  It's maddening, but I just need to give them more time to make good decisions.  Instead of saying no, I need to pick up each item and have them read the ingredient list.  Then they can make the choice to put it back on the shelf themselves, and I can give them an opportunity to make a safe selection in the natural foods section.

Big boo is conflicted when he's offered treats. His brain wants to say "no thanks" but his heart wants the treat.  One day the school handed out rainbow colored popsicles.  One the way home from school that day, with a little alarm in his voice he asks:

him: "mama, can I have a paper towel?"
me: "what for"
him:  "i made a mess"
me:  "i can't hand you a paper towel, I'm driving.  what made a mess?"
him: "a melted popsicle"
me (with alarm in my voice)  "why is there a melted popsicle in your lunch box inside the car (did I mention we'd just bought the first new car our family has driven since 2002)?"
him: "we got them at school. but i didn't eat it because it have food coloring.  i decided to save it for later."
him: (sobbing)  "it's all ruined.  i never get treats because they have food coloring. it's all ruined."

This episode really made me think.  Am I asking too much of my six year old?  Maybe I went too far with the whole food dye thing?  He really does want to feed his body right, but so many school days contain access to food dyes and other nasty additive ingredients. To expect a six year old to "make the right choice" in the face of so much junk when I'm not there to offer a substitute is expecting a lot.  I then went through a phase where I simply offered the option for a swap, and let him decide with no persuasion.  I realized that he really did need to own his decision, not just follow my lead.

It's been half a year since the popsicle episode, and I have to say that despite some tears and frustration over opting out of the junk that's at the bank, the school, every birthday party, and on every holiday table, that big boo is less conflicted than he used to be.  Little boo is a different story.  He'll tell you all about how food coloring is bad for his brain and dig right in.

When we searched the pantry for something small like beans or popcorn to glue down to a poster board for his1st Grade class 100 Days of School party, he rejected all real food items.  He said, "let's use something unhealthy, so we don't waste food."  The bag of M&Ms he got for Christmas came to mind.  I hadn't had the nerve to toss it yet.  It was given to him, and tossing/eating it was his call, so I stuffed it in there hoping we'd all forget about it.  He didn't hesitate or flinch about gluing all the green and red M&Ms down.  Until we opened that bag and smelled them.  That familiar candy-chocolate smell got to me to.  I confess.  I ate just one green one.  Big boo ate one, and little boo had one too.

I think I paid the price though.  It took me an hour to fall asleep last night (usually I'm out with the light), and I woke up at 4:30a unable to go back to sleep.  Probably explains why I couldn't sleep on new years eve either.  We went out for sushi, I ordered seaweed salad not knowing the sea vegetable starter would be tainted with food dyes.

No more "just one" mentality for me. I learned my lesson.  It's not just me, other parents see a connection between food dyes and behaviors such as anger, aggression, restlessness, and inability to focus.

I was fiercely proud of him for deciding so easily to use these colored brain bombs for his math homework.  It goes to show, that when you act like your child has a brain and is capable of making good choices, they will.

On the Real Red Food Valentines Day Party front we have good news.  Both of the boys teachers agreed to do the party!  PreK may have real food and red hots, but at least it's a step in the right direction.  Word is spreading around Sherwood, and at least one PK, K, 1st, 3rd, 4th grade class will be doing a real food party this year. I'll call that a baby step in the right direction at improving Food IQ at the local elementary.

If you're on the fence about eliminating food dyes check out this piece by Christina at Spoonfed. Her color of trouble article is thought provoking, and includes few choice words about Kool-Aid fun fizz.

What about you.  Have you ditched the dyes yet?  Have you noticed any subtle or not so subtle reactions when you cheat, or petroleum based food dyes sneaks in where you weren't expecting it?

Potato Crust Quiche - Canadian Bacon Leek

I make quiche every year for our Christmas Day brunch.  The boys demolish a few bowls fresh berries that my dad brings and slurp milk while we open presents.  Once the boys start playing with their new loot I wander into the kitchen with my dad and we get brunch going.  It's fun to cook with my dad.  He spent no time cooking when I was a kid. He taught himself some simple cooking since my mom moved away to take care of ailing grandparents.  He watched his farm mama cook and bake and preserve and bake and cook and cook some more as a child, so I'm sure all that exposure made it easy for him to pick up a few pans and get some grub on the table.  His job?  Frying bacon.  My job?  Warming quiche and making grapefruit and orange fruit salad.

Triple batch
Never make just one quiche.  Quiche is a labor of love.  It requires a crust, cooking, shredding and mixing ingredients in separate stages and bowls.  If this lazy cook is going to go to all that trouble, I'm eating quiche for more than one meal!  I made three and stashed two in the freezer (in glass Pyrex pie plates).  Boy were those good on all those busy Spanish class nights when I didn't have time to cook a hot meal for dinner.

This recipe comes from the Breakfasts and Brunches book out of the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Library line of cookbooks.  They are some of my favorite cook books.  Back in the day before kids and real food when more discretionary income wasn't getting sucked up by school supplies and grass fed beef, I used to frequent Williams-Sonoma.  Now that store is off limits, lest my food budget tank for the month.

Williams-Sonoma's version has a pastry crust vs. mashed potato crust.  But I was looking for a short cut to making my own dough and rolling it out, so I decided to try for a tater crust.  This is perfect for a gluten free quiche.  I have done a hash brown crust before and liked it better than mashed potatoes.  Mashed is so much easier, plus a great way to use up left over mashed potatoes.

The quiche was tasty with the potato crust, but not divine as it is with the pastry crust.  Anything with Gruyere (affectionately called "stinky cheese" by the boys) tastes great.  The boys and hubby requested a return to the pastry crust next year.  My photos are horrid compared to those in the Williams-Sonoma book!  We got a new camera for Christmas and I'm still learning how to get good photos from it.....

Canadian Bacon Leek Quiche with Potato Crust
Ingredients - quiche
6 slices Canadian Bacon, cut into thin strips
1 TBSP butter
1 leek, washed, cut crosswise into thin slices, include tender green tops
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
6oz shredded Gruyere or Jarlsberg cheese
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Ingredients - crust
1-2 cups left over mashed potatoes
1 egg beaten, mixed in.

Directions:  Brush pie plate with butter/oil.  Press potato and egg mixture into a glass pie pan in a smooth thinish layer.  You're making a crust, not a foundation.  Bake for 30 minutes until golden at 350.  Apologies, I forgot to measure how much potato mixture I used for each pie plate.

Meanwhile, over low heat in a flat bottomed pan, add Canadian bacon, cook for a couple minutes.  Remove from pan.  Melt butter in pan and cook leek slices until tender, about 10 minutes.  In a bowl beat the eggs.  Add half-and-half, salt and pepper, combine.  In another bowl combine the shredded cheese with cornstarch.  Put the bacon, leeks and cheese on top of the potato crust.  Fill with egg mixture, gently stirring to combine.  (If you are making just one you can mix meat/veggie/cheese into the egg mixture before pouring).  Bake for 40-60 minutes until set (a knife inserted will come out clean).  To freeze, let quiche cool completely before putting in large zip top bag.  To reheat, defrost quiche in frig, then warm in oven for 30-40 minutes at 250.

Note:  I use a deep glass pie pan and need an extra egg and sometimes a bit more milk/cream to fill up the quiche.  You can substitute all or part milk for the half and half.

Leeks
Can I just love on leeks for a minute?  Leeks are amazing.  Leeks are green onions on steroids. Leeks, in my opinion, don't get enough plate time in the average cook's kitchen. You should all rush out to the store and buy a bundle.  Yeah, they are a little pricey (and gritty, see here for best washing method), but worth the indulgence on occasion.  Use them in a leek recipe, or just use leeks as you would onion in any old recipe. Leeks happen to be my "gateway" onion.  Readers know that as a recovering picky eater, I was already blogging before I learned to eat any and every onion ever served to me.  I tolerated leeks and green onion tops long before I'd eat a yellow onion. 

Farmers are you reading this?  Why don't you guys grow more leeks, tons of leeks, so the common family cook can afford to use them on a regular basis.  I know I'd buy them every week if they weren't three times the price of an onion.

Kid Appeal Tip  If your kids are suspicious of new vegetables take them shopping with you to buy leeks.  Have them find a bunch of green onions in the produce section.  Then ask them to see if they can find another bundle that looks similar to green onions but a different size.  Watch them marvel at the two vastly different sizes.  Ask a bunch of questions like "What do you suppose a leek field looks like?  What about a green onion field?"  "How do you think the farmer harvests leeks?"  At home, invite them to help (or watch) you wash them and slice them.  Leeks are fun to investigate with their white rings and long green tops.  Kids are more likely to sample food they've purchased and prepared. 

Don't Toss the Tops
Never never, I tell you, never throw away leek tops.  They add amazing flavor and flavanoids to any broth or stock.  Save those leek tops in a freezer bag and stash them in the deep freeze.  Drop them down whole in your next batch of veggie/chicken stock or toss them in (whole)  in the soup pot 10 minutes before serving.  Fish them out before serving. They are in there to flavor the broth, and add tons of nutrients.

This recipe is participating in Real Food Wednesday.

How do you do leeks?

Speaker for Growing Good Eaters in Houston, TX

 

Updated Jan 25, 2011

Kid Appeal offers guest speaker services.  I am available to speak to your Moms club, Parent Teacher Association (PTA/PTO), school or preschool about the importance of real food for kids.  I cover nutrition, but my niche is offering suggestions to help parents grow good eaters.   Sometimes kids need to transform their taste buds either because they don't care for anything besides processed food, or because vegetables don't appeal to them. 

About Kid Appeal's Guest Speaker Services
I taught kids' nutrition education classes to parents in 2008 and early 2009 with Jennifer Nagel, Registered Dietitian and PA- C. I have taught through Leisure Learning and offered classes to the Jewish Community Center preschool parents, as well as several Houston area Mom's Clubs.

In the spring of 2009 my teaching status went on hiatus due to a busy work schedule. Something had to give and sadly it was these classes.   Fortunately my work demands are lighter in 2011 and I again have the bandwidth to advocate for kids who are capable of learning to eat real nourishing food. 

I offer the following program topics.  Read on to learn more.  Eat to Learn, Fall in Love with Vegetables, and Open Discussion.  If you don't see something here you like, I can customize a session for your group.  Just ask.

Public School Speaking - Eat to Learn
In 2010 I spoke to several Houston area mom's clubs and taught a Parent Meeting covering the Eat to Learn program at Sherwood Elementary in SBISD.  The Eat to Learn program covers the following topics with parents.

• The four nutrients the brain wants for optimal learning
• foods students should to eat and foods to avoid to build a big brain
• A salad demonstration - I prepare a simple salad with brain healthy dressing for a taste test.

 

Fall in Love with Veggies  - Food Demonstration
One of my favorite speaking engagements of 2010 was to a Sugar Land moms group who asked me to help their preschoolers fall in love with vegetables.  I brought my knife, cutting board, some fresh vegetables and a couple of dips.  I blanched green beans and trimmed baby carrots and let kids dig in. I started the discussion off with providing some reasons why young kids are averse to veggies, and offered some tried and true tips for getting tots hooked on vegetables.  The moms asked a lot of questions, kids sampled lots of veggies, it was a blast. 


Open Discussion to Growing Good Eaters and Eating Habits
Sometimes mom and dad just need to pick some one's brain about feeding the family best practices.  Unfortunately most pediatricians don't have a lot of schooling on nutrition, nor is it a focus of a busy practice dealing with vaccinations, illness and well visits.  Counseling with a nutritionist or dietitian is rarely available unless you have a specific medical issue with nutrition needs.  Let's face it, we feed our kids 3-5 times a day!  Eating is a big part of parenting.  There is so much conflicting information in the media about healthy food.  Low fat?  Calcium supplement?  Vitamin enhanced cereals?  Hidden veggies?  Food manufactures put ridiculous health claims on packaging to get parents to purchase them.  What is the truth in what's good for kids to eat? 

Parents need more counsel on feeding the family than what they can get from magazine articles.    Your group can send me 5-10 questions in advance of our session, and I will respond to questions and open the floor for discussion.

Looking for a Guest Speaker?
Most moms have at least one reluctant eater in their house (you and hubby count too!).  Find out how students at your school can improve classroom behavior and experience school success with the right nutrients nourishing their brains.  Recommend bringing Kid Appeal to your PTA, PTO, mom's group, preschool or elementary school.

Send all inquiries to jenna@foodwithkidappeal.com.

Kid Appeal's Message To Parents with Reluctant Eaters

Last week I asked for your comments on a new tag line.  The comment section of that post got a little heated, but in the process I had to do some soul searching about "who" Kid Appeal is and how to best communicate that identity to new readers. It's beneficial for information providers to reflect on occasion about what exactly, specifically we offer our readers.  If you've been reading for a while you know that being succinct is not a strength of mine.  I have something important to say, but ask me to make my point in 400 words or less and I'll be editing for days. A tag line was a real challenge.  Communicate my message in 10 words or less, eek!

Email subscribers, click on through to launch this article in your web browser and see the new look!
  
Final Answer for the tag line

Food with Kid Appeal

Your guide to growing good eaters

I agonized tag lines over the weekend and pestered the Food with Kid Appeal facebook community.  I play blockus the same way.  I have to "try on" all my pieces.  Putting each piece in the spot to figure out which is best.  I lack the ability to visualize how things would look.  I have to see it and hate it or love it.  I don't love this new tag  line, but I can live with it.  It still doesn't capture that important "believe" concept I was going for.

How do you get from point A (reluctant eater) to point B (good eater with accepting palate)?
I'm convinced that before you follow a guide somewhere you have to believe it's possible to get to your destination.  A lot of parents are at their wits end with their reluctant eaters.  The first step before you even start walking is to know in your heart that the results you expect are achievable.  When you believe that a picky palate is your child's obstacle to good eating habits, and your thoughts and actions affirm the picky eater label, the result is more picky eating.

However, when you believe that your reluctant eater can indeed learn to like new things, even if (s)he needs more support than the average kid, she will.  You have to follow up your conviction with matching thoughts and consistent actions.  When mindset, thoughts and actions align, the desired results naturally fall out. Sounds easy eh?  The challenge is how.

If you that sounds like what you want, don't miss a post.  Subscribe via email to find out how to align mindset, thoughts and actions.

Hats Off
I want to thank my mentor, Heather at Freebies4Mom for hooking me up with Doug Cloud who did the design.  I want to thank Doug of Doug Draws for the design of the veggie transportation, social media icons and being patient while I tried on a plethora of tag lines. 

Housekeeping
In the coming weeks I'll be updating the some of the top line navigation pages of this blog, perhaps adding new ones like a recipe page (at long last).  I'll be rewriting my About Me page as well as revising the Food 101 page.  Stay tuned for revisions that hopefully will do a better job of communicating to new readers what this blog has to offer.

Why all the changes?  Well, thanks for asking.  There's a chance some high profile visitors will be stopping by in February.  I received news last week that Sherwood Elementary's Taste Off competition may get some national coverage.

Do you like the new veggie transportation images?  New tag line message?  Candid responses welcome.

Marinated Baby Rainbow Beets

Beets are a lot of fun.  The color of a roasted beet seems supernatural.  Yet, I don't buy them very often because I'm the only one who really eats them (all the guys taste a few bites).  Even though I like them, I can't finish a bunch off myself, nor do I really have a hankering for leftover roasted beet salad.  I hate to waste food, so I usually pass them up at the market.

I bought baby rainbow beets from the farmers market by mistake.  I thought they were a bunch of multicolored radishes for my Christmas relish tray.  Nope.  Not radishes.  Definitely baby rainbow beets.  Instead of roasting them, I decided to try them raw, in a vinaigrette served as a topper for salad bar night.

Success!  3 out of 4 of us liked them this way.  And the colors were so much fun.  Not as much magenta plate painting like beets do when roasted, but pretty little rings in pink, yellow and white.

Marinated Baby Rainbow Beets
Ingredients
One bunch baby beets (rainbow optional)
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions 
Mix the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a pie plate or bowl., Peel the beets. Using a mandolin or sharp durable vegetable peeler, make thin slices through the equator of each beet.  Mix the thin beet slices with the marinade. Let sit for one hour before serving.  Serve over green salad, or as side dish.

Kid Appeal Tip The decision.  The boys resisted tasting the beets at first knowing they weren't big fans of roasted beets.  I reminded them these were raw, and would have a different flavor and texture.  I asked for their decision.  Taste each color of beet and declare the best tasting color.  Little boo took the bait right away, tasting all three and declaring all of them equally "not good."  Big boo did not accept a taste test initially, but when hubby went back for seconds he gave big boo a second chance.  He accepted and ate all three slices.  He liked them all, choosing yellow as the winner.  Asking for a kid to decide something often takes the focus away from the "tasting" and onto the "decision" long enough for food to go down the hatch without a fuss.

Need pink icing for valentines day?  Toss the petroleum based food coloring and use, you got it, beets!  

Will your kids eat beets?

A Request For Your Opinion - New "Believe" Tag Line

I've got a new header and social icons for the Food with Kid Appeal blog.  Along with a new look, I wanted to change the tag line for my blog. 

I set up this blog rather impulsively one evening after the boys went to bed in October of 2008.  At the time, I had no idea what the blogosphere or twitter was.  I needed a web presence for my nutrition classes and speaking engagements.  I had just met a blogger, an audience member at one of my lectures, and she was kind enough to get me started in the blogging world. 

Needless to say, when you impulsively set up a blog at 11pm, and  you're bone tired from chasing tots, serving 3 meals and 3 snacks, doing a couple loads of laundry and billing as many hours you can squeeze into a 16 hour day, your blog name and tag line are um, well, quite imperfect.

So, now I have a new look with fruity social icons and veggie transportation in the header.  I blame my sons for the veggie transportation.  They were obsessed with food photographer, Saxton Freymann's, books (Fast Food and How Are You Peeling) as tykes. I always imagined having a veggie trains and planes to adorn this blog. 

Tag Line Help - The Kid Appeal Message
Over the years my messaging has gotten tighter.  What I've honed in on for parents is one key thing they need to possess to help their kids adopt more real food.  Confidence.  Parents need to believe their child can learn to like new foods and can learn to eat real food despite all the processed food that lurks at every play date, party, social gathering, cafeteria, school/church function and sporting event.


Parents can serve all the raw veggies, bone-in chicken and stir fry they want, but kiddo is not going to eat up unless mom or dad truly believe that she is capable of learning to like healthy food. 

Imagine reading to your child every night while in the back of your mind you're thinking she'll never learn to read.  Or taking the training wheels off the bike and thinking there goes my clumsy kid, he'll be in college before he rides a bike.  Isn't that what we're doing when we think to ourselves, Jr. will probably refuse to eat these carrots, he's so picky.


Of course kids learn how to ride bikes and read.  Why?  Because we expect them to.  Because they practice. A lot.  And they have teachers and parents who believe they can and will.    Training taste buds does not happen with one meal, one new appealing-to-a-kid recipe, one trip the the grocery store.  It takes practice.  A lot of practice.  And it takes having a community of older wiser folks who know that with daily practice and confidence a child will learn how to eat the food that fuels his body.  I'm not saying all palates are created equal, some are less accepting than others.  But, I'm certain that the vast majority of "picky" eaters would eat a whole heck of a lot more food variety if their parents believed they could. (No offense meant to the parents of kids with sensory disorders).

So how do I say all that in a few words?  How do I communicate the believe and it will be so message succinctly?

What I have now is : 
Believe your child can learn to eat healthy food and they will.

It doesn't flow.  It's a bit long. 

For comparison, the old one was "discover healthy food your kids will eat"  

What I don't like about that one is that it suggests the problem with the kid who doesn't eat healthy food is that the right food or recipe hasn't been found yet.  I'm not saying that appealing recipes or presentations don't help, or that they aren't part of the practice.  But food discovery is hardly king when it comes to getting kids to eat healthy food.

For the record, I'm not in love with my blog name either.  It's just way more complicated to change that, so it sticks until I have budget to hire someone to move my entire blog platform.

Maybe I should just leave off the last bit?
Believe your child can learn to eat healthy food

Any word smiths reading today?  Got an idea for the tag line?  I need to make a decision in the next 48 hours, yikes!  Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Real Red Food Valentines Day Party for Elementary Students

In addition to last week's post about elementary school students who do actually like vegetables, here is another real food vegetable success story about elementary school students.

Real Red Food Valentines Day Party
Angelle Batten at NourishMD created a fun way to celebrate valentines day without copious amounts of sugar and artificial food colorings. And the the kids had fun. She started by giving a 45 minute lesson to 2nd graders about real food, what real food does for their body as well as talking about what chemical food colorings do their body. Then she has kids brainstorm about red food that is naturally colored; kids volunteered to bring in some real red food for the valentines day party.

For more details see Angelle's article describing the real red food valentines day party.

What problems do artificial food dyes cause?
According to Dr Susan Rubin of Two Angry Moms, artificial food colorings like those found in gatorade, fruit snacks and bright red and pink iced cookies are dangerous for learning students in the following way:

".......the research on artificial food colors and additives published in the September 2007 issue of Lancet. This double blind study spelled out the fact that increased levels of hyperactivity are associated with the development of educational difficulties, especially in relation to reading, therefore adverse effects could affect a child’s ability to benefit from schooling."

Dye Free School Days
I would be delighted if my child's school day could be chemical dye free, each and every day. Unfortunately teachers like to hand out candy as rewards and parents send in brightly colored cupcakes for birthday celebrations. That's too many school days where a kid's learning brains is bombarded with neurotoxins as they attempt to learn to read and write. In the comment section of this The Lunch Tray post, Jane Hersey of the Feingold Association says of the icing on store bought cupcakes and the "safe" amount used in food safety studies:

"One of the things we hope to share with Dr. Stevenson and other researchers is the fact that the studies only used a fraction of the amount of dye a child typically eats in a day. When you see those cupcakes at the bakery section of Wal Mart or Food Lion, and look at the vibrant colors in the frosting, many have more than 300 mg of food dye in them, and the typical amount in the studies was 27 mg."

The FDA is holding hearings in March to discuss the dangers of chemicals food additives. I don't suspect this will create a ban on food colorings as some countries have done, but perhaps they'll be stories in the media and more awareness of the connections between behavior and learning disorders and food dyes will come of it. I can only hope that parents, teachers and administrators come to understand that artificial food dyes, while they may not impact some kids a lot, make it impossible for others to focus, concentrate and learn, causing a problem for the entire class.

Advocate for a dye free party for your child's class
Valentines day is one month away. This is the perfect time to reach out to your child's teacher and see if this type of party is feasible for your child's class. Don't let not being a health or nutrition professional get in the way of recommending a party like this. You don't need to have a degree to share with kids the difference between real food and artificially flavored and colored food. The lesson could be as simple as real vs. artificial without going too deep.

Healthy Habits Plate Giveaway - Teaching Tots About Food Groups

It's giveaway time! Super cute plate; helps toddlers and preschoolers learn how much protein, grains, fruits and vegetables to eat.

We have been using the Healthy Habits Plate by Super Healthy Kids for after school snacks. I like to cut up an apple for the fruit portion, spoon some peanut butter in the protein portion and toss some popcorn in the grain side. Another medley is hummus in protein, cut veggies in veggie part and pita chips in grain part.

I wish I had it when the kids were younger. I graduated my kids from plastic kid plates to real dinnerware about a year ago. My favorite part of the plate is that it teaches the youngest eaters that different kinds of foods are valuable energy sources and that amounts of food matter. It teaches young kids to recognize and balance different nutrient groups. The more your tools teach, the easier it is for mom!

I like how grains are downplayed on the plate. Since grains are such a big part of convenience food like bread, crackers, granola bars and the like, kids don't need to load up on grains at meal time. I try to offer non-wheat grains at dinner, go grain free, or offer smaller portions of wheat when I do make them.

I like how the plate encourages a higher proportion of fruits and vegetables over grains, although for kids who aren't currently consuming many vegetables, a half plate of fruit three times a day would be too much fruit, in my opinion. Even though fruit is healthy, too much is too much. Not only can it cause loose stools, but too much fructose, even in whole fruit form does make it hard for your body to regulate insulin levels. The last thing a toddler wants to do to his metabolism is make it harder for the body to regulate insulin, which could set the stage for metabolic syndrome or worse, diabetes. The other side is that often kids prefer the fruit because it's naturally sweet and juicy, and may readily eat a half a plate of fruit, then have a dull appetite for the protein and grain offered. In other words, excessive fruit will take up real estate needed for other nutrients in a kid's tiny tummy. This may not be an issue for older kids who know how to eat a variety when food is offered, but for toddlers, who will stop eating when full may stop eating after consuming preferred fruit, thus missing out on wholesome grains and protein. Personally, I would choose not to fill the fruit section up with fruit only.

But My Kid Hates Vegetables
So what do you do if your child refuses most vegetables? Fill up the fruit and veggie section and include veggies on his her plate each time you offer them. You can't force kids to eat, but your job is to teach that they nourish their body and make them available. Generally if you do those two things, they will eventually learn to eat most of what you offer. There is a 0% chance of them eating a vegetable if it is NOT on their plate!

Healthy Habits Plate Giveaway
Would you like to have one of these plates in your cupboard?

For a chance to win, leave a comment, including your email address and answer this question:

What meal would your kiddo like to eat off this plate?

For an additional chances to win,
1) "like" me on Facebook and tell me you did so in the comment section.
2) subscribe to my email or become a reader and tell me you did so in the comment section.
3) follow me on twitter and tell me you did so in the comments.
4) like Super Healthy Kids on Facebook and tell me you did so in the comments.

The fine print
Only separate comment entries will be counted for extra entries. If you want more than one chance, leave more than one comment. The contest closes at midnight January 28th , 2010. I will draw a winner and notify the winner via email. The winner will have 48 hours to claim their prize by responding to the email. Your email address should be in this format. jenna AT foodwithkidappeal DOT com.

Disclosure
I received a plate to review, and one to use as a door prize during a lecture for the Eat to Learn series. The opinions here are my own.

You Grow Sideways

A local community paper, Memorial Examiner, wrote about fruit and vegetable Taste Off Competition at Sherwood and Rummel Creek Elementary schools last week.

Read the story to find out what one Pre-K student at Rummel Creek says will happen if you eat too many sweets and desserts.

I've been hearing stories from Sherwood parents about the Taste-Off:

One mom said her son now eats spinach in a "primal" way. Raw, no dressing (just as it was served at the Taste-Off) fist fulls at a time. She said it wasn't pretty to watch, but she didn't mind the uncivilized eating practice as long as he was voluntarily eating spinach.

Another mom said her Pre-K student claimed "I like celery mom. But not your celery." I explained to the mom how we sliced it for the taste off, a different shape than she'd been serving.

I wonder if these veggie eating youngsters will keep eating spinach and celery weeks, months and years after the event, or if the novelty will wear off.

Another mom sent this in an email about her 4th graders reaction:

"Mommy you and your friends are really changing our school and the kids..We are all talking about being healthy, eating healthy, and how cool it is!"

Was your student at the taste-off? What has he/she said about the event. Leave a comment and let us know what your kids are saying!

How amazing would it be for Sherwood and Rummel Creek Elementary students to encourage other schools and ISDs to hold this type of event?

Photo Credit HCNonline

Elementary School Students Do Like Fresh Vegetables and Fruits

This just in, elementary students do like vegetables and fruits

One of the home cooks biggest frustrations is that kids often won't eat what we serve. Vegetables are often on the top of that list. Especially the green ones. And the leafy ones.

1st grader comes back for more spinach

Kids Will Eat Green Vegetables
I am here to tell you that kids do eat vegetables. Not only that, this too: kids are willing to try new vegetables. How do I know? Don't just believe me because of my own experience raising vegetable eating boys now ages 4 and 6. Believe me because I served 7 vegetables and 2 fruits to each of 400 elementary students last week's Taste Off Competition held at Sherwood Elementary, in Spring Branch ISD. And do you know what they did?

parent volunteer gets ready to serve spinach and broccoli

They ate them. They even liked some of them. Yes, yes, they even ate the green ones and the leafy ones. One 4th grade student reported as he was about to taste broccoli, "I've never had broccoli before." Turns out he asked for more. Many students asked for seconds. Yes, yes! Kids wanted seconds of broccoli and spinach and carrots, celery and beans! Of course they wanted more oranges and pears, but we expected that right?

1st grader tries oranges

What did I feed them at Friday's Taste-Off Competition? (via generous donations from HEB, thank you thank you thank you HEB!)

Bite sized pieces of celery, carrots, broccoli, orange, pear, spinach, cucumbers, green beans and beans (drained canned pintos). These items were chosen because they are the good majority of the fresh fruits and vegetables offered in SBISD's school food program. These same fruits and veggies are available in the cafeteria.

Kinder students display punch cards

What Did Elementary Students Taste?
Almost everything! There was a pinto bean run out mid-morning. I ended up at the store buying another 111oz can of beans for hungry students. After one group finished, I was counting handouts and noticed a student hovering. I asked him if he had a question for me. He shook his head. I asked him if he wanted to tell me something. He nodded. Then there was a pregnant pause. I said "I'm listening." Finally he musters up the courage to say "I want more." with a shy grin. I will probably never forget that moment.

• 328 out of 400 students tasted all 9 items served.
  
• Only 5% of students opted out of spinach or broccoli.
  
• Raw spinach and broccoli were tasted by 380 students grades PK-5th.
• Many classes had perfect tastings, meaning each kid tasted each item.
  

The question becomes......

Why did so many Elementary students eat these veggies when they won't do the same in the cafeteria or at home?

I have some conjectures:

2nd grad student tries a cucumber

• The only food available during the Taste-Off competition were the unadorned raw fruits and vegetables. No bowls of chips, no platters of cookies, no crackers, no cooler full of juice boxes and chocolate milk were available. No pizza, no meat-on-bun, no pasta, no rolls, no goldfish. Taste buds weren't bombarded with sugar, salt, and chemically-engineered-to-taste-good food.
• It was a novel experience, and food was being served to them by novel folks (parent volunteers most kids had never met). Not mom and dad at home, not the same old cafeteria lady. I'm sure some kids tasted just because they weren't comfortable protesting in unfamiliar territory.
• It wasn't meal time, therefore most kids probably had some appetite. You'd be surprised how much more willing kids are to eat what's available (even when it's unappealing) when they are actually hungry.
• We bribed them. This was competition style produce tasting. Students knew that the classes with the most "tastings" would get a reward: extra recess time. I am not beyond giving a little extra fresh air, wiggle room and sunshine to kids who eat their veggies.
• Herd mentality. I'm sure many kids just did what everyone else was doing. And since most kids weren't turning their noses up, gagging and spitting food out, down the hatch the veggies went. (I mean no offense to kids with sensory disorders).
  
• Distraction. There was so much going on at the event, crowds of kids holding dixie cups, munching away, there was probably little time for kids to have disastrous food hating thoughts like ''ewww that's green, i don't want it" or "i've never tasted that, it's probably gross" or "yuck, healthy vegetables taste bad" or "vegetables, no way, no how."
  
• We made a connection between food and learning. Even I am not delusional in thinking that this was the strongest force pulling kids to gobble up. Believe me when I tell you, many eyes were wide with interest when I told them that these same veggies were lurking in the cafeteria waiting to be put on a tray, eaten, and fuel a brain. Especially grades 1-4. They were the most receptive to the Eat to Learn message.

coach explains how punch cards will work

To All You Grown Ups Who Think Kids Don't Like (or eat) Vegetables
You are wrong. I'm sorry to have to bust this myth, but happily, you are very very wrong. I have 400 elementary school students and 4,951 tastes to prove it. You may know kids who don't like (or eat) vegetables yet. You may live with some of these kids. You may teach some of these kids. You may be extraordinarily frustrated by the fact that these kids won't eat the vegetables you know they need. But they will. I assure you, they will. Believe that they will, and they will.

And if you are a grown up who still doesn't like to eat vegetables, guess what? I believe you can learn to like vegetables too. Come. On. You learned to read and write. You learned to ride a bike. Maybe you learned how to teach children, practice tort law or how to figure Cost of Goods Sold. No doubt you've learned some pretty complicated arcane stuff in your life time. Surely you can do something as delicious as learn to like a few vegetables. No?

What To Do While You Wait For Your Kids To Try (and eventually like) Vegetables?

Food with Kid Appeal Tip Simple. Ask them to eat it. Tell them they make their brain smart. Tell them it will make them a better mathematician, reader, speller, scientist, lego builder, baseball player or whatever it is they like to do that uses brain power. If they still resist, grab it from their plate, let it feed your brain, and say "I believe that one day, you'll want to eat vegetables that power your brain." Then drop the subject until you serve vegetables again. Repeat at each meal.

What should school food service professionals take away from this?
You know all those "healthy" items you think have low acceptability? All those healthy menu changes you've made that few kids are participating in? It's not that kids won't accept them. It's that kids won't accept them when they have other preferable items around. Need more proof? This study showed that kids will accept low sugar cereals "when that is the only option offered."

If schools really want kids to eat fresh fruits and vegetables they need to clear out all the carnival food and significantly reduce the emphasis on dairy and grains. Is this possible given the current regulations? Probably not. Sure is a bummer we can't set kids on a better path to a strong education by providing them with ONLY the nutrients they need. Chocolate milk is not a necessary nutrient. Neither is daily burger or chicken sandwich.

Food Revolution and Let's Move advocates, are you reading this?

student decides his least favorite food

Are you stunned? Would you ever have predicted that

• 95% of elementary kids would taste broccoli and spinach?
  
• 82% would taste 9 out of 9 things offered?
  
• 48% would prefer a vegetable over a fruit?
  
• 25% would prefer a green vegetable over other veggies and fruit?
  
• even one child much less 20 would vote spinach as their favorite when up against carrot, orange and pear?

Help me bust the myth that kids don't like vegetables
Just ask for permission to republish this article on your blog or write your own opinion piece about it. Share the link via email, facebook and twitter with parents and educators!  Better yet, forward this to your PTA group or school principal and ask for an event like this at your school.

Rainbow French Fries

[Editors Note] While I'm distracted slicing 9 kinds of fruits and veggies for Sherwood Elementary's Taste Off competition tomorrow, here is another guest recipe and fabulous kid appeal tip from Kara. Giddy does not even begin to describe my state of mind about tomorrow's event. Can you imagine? 400 students trying 9 fruits and vegetables. Can't wait to hear what kids say during the tastings. Enjoy!

My name is Kara from the blog Taste is Trump. I am a SAHM of 3 healthy little boys, who love to eat. We have no marketed “kid food” in our entire house. We all eat the same food every day, even if it is spicy, even if it is vegetables, even if it is “weird.” But I have my own marketing scheme, what is Roasted Rood Vegetables to adults is Rainbow French Fries to kids. They go to public school, they know what the other kids are eating.

I am a foodie at heart and love to try new things and take risks. I am convinced it is easy to use processed ingredients and make something that is tasty. It takes talent to use whole foods and make it taste better! My sentiment is; What good is a healthy dish if nobody eats it?

The way I see it, there are 4 problems with the typical French fry;

1. They are fried in low quality oil that is reused over and over again.
2. We eat too many of them, crowding other health foods off our plate.
3. They are full of pesticides (on the list of The Dirty Dozen).
4. They are dipped in ketchup.

Find a Solution

But kids LOVE them!! So let’s just fix the problems, shall we?

What if we use high quality expeller pressed coconut oil and bake them so that there isn’t as much waste to tempt is to reuse the old oil?

What if we mix them with a bunch of other root vegetables, cut to the same shape to give variety?

What if we use organic potatoes and other vegetables?

What if we gave them their own seasoning or found an alternative dipping sauce?

Expeller pressed coconut oil will not impart a coconut flavor, it is tasteless. Store coconut oil in the warmest place in your kitchen, mine is above the wall oven. Refrigerators produce heat too, so this might be an option to try. This will keep the oil softer and easier to use. When I am thinking ahead, I set it by the stove while cooking to get it ready to go.

I have invested in a Zyliss Mandoline that makes all the vegetable slicing a breeze. A sharp knife will do the trick. The thicker your cuts, the longer they will take to bake. The Zyliss cuts them ¼ inch thick.

We all love garlic at our house, that’s why I use it to season these. Because they are tossed with the garlic before baking, the flavor is mild. If you want a more intense garlic flavor, toss them after baking. If the "green stuff" bothers your kids, just leave the herbs out. If your kids are pretty stuck on ketchup, try making your own, or diluting it with good homemade mayonnaise. Homemade ranch is an option, or one of my favorite things to dip into is and egg over easy J

Kid Appeal Tip: When introducing these new fries to your family, be heavy on the {organic} potatoes at first. The potatoes will brown and crisp up the best, which is hallmark for French fries. Sweet potatoes and carrots are generally tolerated well, since they are common vegetables. Parsnips and turnips blend in well with potatoes and stay firm. Kohrabi blends it well, but will be soft. Red beets add great color, but golden beets are a bit more mild and blend in better with the sweet potatoes and parsnips. So choose your own to mix and match.

Rainbow French Fries - recipe

5 cups various root vegetables, julienne
1 clove garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons melted expeller pressed coconut oil
1 teaspoon dried herbs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 425, convection is best. Combine garlic, oil, herbs (I like rosemary, thyme and oregano) and pepper. Drizzle over vegetables and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes; remove from oven and toss, moving the vegetables from the center towards the edges of the pan. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes until vegetables are thoroughly browned. Salt, toss and serve.

Frugal [Editor's note]
This post is participating in Nourishing Gourmet's Pennywise platter. Root veggies are one of the most affordable veggies around. Nothing like real filling, real nutrients on the cheap!

Taste Off Competition Preparation

T-4 days until the Taste-Off competition at Sherwood Elementary. In just 4 days, 400 Sherwood Eagles will be tasting 8 different types of raw produce and competing for a chance to win extra recess time. The produce items were chosen based on fresh fruit and vegetables currently offered in the school lunch menu and include beans, spinach, pears, broccoli, cucumbers, carrots, celery, and oranges. How is that for Food Revolution?

How it will go down
Students will cycle through the gym through 8 tasting stations, getting a piece of produce in a dixie cup for a taste. Tasters get a punch on their punch card. Then they proceed to large charts on the wall to "decide" which was their favorite and least favorite fruit or vegetable by placing a sticker next to their choices. These will turn into graphs which will be used in math for graphing practice. The punch cards will be tallied by our campus SHAC group, returned to the classroom teachers where kids will review, analyze and chart data for TAKS practice (how many broccoli tasters? boys' preferred produce, class favorite item etc.)

Benefits of Exposing Kids to Produce Competition Style
I'm trying to stay focused on the benefits of the Taste-off event, instead of overwhelmed by all the implementation details and effort. Let's just say I'll be worn out and happy by Friday at 4p!

The whole event will be a success if any one of the following results is recognized:

• If just 50 students discover that they like at least one of the foods they tasted
  
• If just 50 students learn the connection between what they eat and their body function
  
• If participation and consumption of the fresh produce available at school lunch increases
• If there is a sustained increase in the consumption of fresh produce available at school
• If kids begin initiating dialog with parents about what food fuels their brains
  

I am so thankful for a supportive Principal, Student Health Advisory Council and Parent Teacher Association for making this event possible for Sherwood students.

I'm excited to see how this goes over with the students. I expect there will be broccoli spit out here and there and maybe even a few baby carrots down the hatch.

Comments from readers please! Are my predictions accurate? Will at least 50 elementary school students (out of 400) have an ah-ha moment and discover a raw produce item they like to eat? Click through to leave a comment.