Like beauty, taste can be in the eye of the beholder. What tastes scrumptious to you may taste “yucky” to your child. Sadly, if the food you serve does not taste good, your family may not eat it, regardless of its nutritional content or how long you slaved in the kitchen.
“Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right” is this year’s National Nutrition Month® theme. National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign created every March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, headquartered in downtown Chicago.
Taste research
Consumer research confirms that taste tops nutrition as the main reason why one food is purchased over another. While social, emotional, and health factors also play a role, the foods people enjoy are likely the ones they eat most.
As parents around the world know, children love sweet-tasting foods. Research conducted by the Monell Center indicates this heightened likeness for sweetness has a biological basis and is related to children’s high growth rate. This preference declines as kids’ physical growth slows.
Other research findings indicate most kids are sensitive to bitter flavors, such as those found in broccoli and other vegetables. Yet it is possible to get kids to enjoy them.
Combine taste and nutrition
“There is a lot of psychology involved with healthy eating. And there is a decent amount of evidence that tells us taste buds are adaptable,” says Registered Dietician Nutritionist Angela Lemond, a board-certified specialist in pediatric nutrition and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “A lot of parents are all-or-nothing about healthy eating. Kids have high energy needs, so it’s okay to put a little ranch dressing or cheese on top of vegetables or salad” to improve their taste.
You’ve probably read this before, but it’s worth repeating. The process of a young child learning to enjoy a food can be long and tedious, but it’s worth the time and effort. Three- to 5-year-olds need up to 15 exposures to accept a new food. Yet, parents typically offer new items only three to five times, studies suggest.
Lemond is a big fan of avoiding so-called kid food by serving tots age-appropriate portions of regular grown-up food. She knows of a chef who serves his own little ones sushi rolls, which have become their favorite foods. This impressed on her if you just make adult food “the norm,” most children will accept it.
Christine Palumbo is a Naperville-registered dietitian nutritionist who is a new Fellow of the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Follow her on Twitter @PalumboRD, Facebook at Christine Palumbo Nutrition, or Chris@ChristinePalumbo.com.
Easy stuffed peppers
This is a meal in itself. It contains a vegetable, protein, and whole grain.
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1¼ hours
Serves: 6
INGREDIENTS:
1¼ pounds 96 percent lean ground beef
6 large green bell peppers
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup bulgur
1 egg
¼ cup white rice, uncooked
1-28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup water
DIRECTIONS: With a sharp knife, remove the stem and about 3 inches off the top of each pepper. Carefully remove seeds and fibrous membrane from each pepper. In a large mixing bowl, combine ground beef, bulgur, onion, egg, rice, salt, and pepper. Divide the meat mixture into six portions, and stuff each pepper with it. Place crushed tomato and water in a large covered baking dish. Carefully add the peppers, so they are all standing up. Place in a 375 degree oven for about 1¼ hours. Carefully remove cover as there will be a great deal of steam. Serve on plate with tomato gravy spooned over each pepper and with additional gravy spread around the pepper.
NUTRITION FACTS: 270 calories, 32 grams carbohydrates, 25 grams protein, 6 grams fat (2 grams saturated), 470 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber, 25% DV vitamin A, 250% DV vitamin C, 25% DV iron, 29% DV zinc.
