IN THIS ISSUE:
Five “Peas” for Raising a Veggie-Loving Child
Pyramid Where you Live
RECIPE: Polenta Stuffed Peppers
NEWS IN BRIEF:
Public Comments wanted on new Food Guide
Child Nutrition Reauthorization
Recommended Website: CDC Youth Health
Nutritionforkids.com updates

 

Five “Peas” to Raising a Veggie-Loving Child

Promotion
Placing vegetables up-front-and-center increases the likelihood that they will be eaten. Always keep plenty of cleaned, ready-to-eat vegetables at eye level in the frig. In the late afternoon (when kids are super hungry), set out a bowl of pea pods, baby carrots, grape tomatoes or broccoli florets on a table or area nearby the children. It won't take long for the veggies to disappear!

Persistence
Even If you have an ironclad vegetable-resistant child, it's important to continue to serve vegetables at the family table. It sometimes takes over 10 exposures to a new food for a child to muster up the courage to try it. But if the food becomes familiar enough, the odds increase that the child will actually sample the food.

NOTE: Don't force the issue, though. When you force a “bite” or two, it actually makes a child more resistant to trying new foods. The important thing is that you continue to serve vegetables and set a good example by eating them yourself.

Personalize
Try serving vegetables in a variety of ways. Some kids like them fresh and crunchy while others preferred them lightly steamed. Mixed dishes such as vegetable soup, stir fry dishes, spinach lasagna and burritos served with fresh salsa are more appealing to some children.

Plant some
Gardening is perhaps the best way to get kids interested in trying new vegetables. Assign children a small plot in the yard and let them choose which vegetables to plant. Kids take pride in the foods they grow and will enjoy sampling their harvest.

Produce Story books
There are a lot of fun children's books with a "eating vegetables" theme. Children have fun hearing/reading these stories while they hear positive messages about eating vegetables. Some examples:

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, by Lauren Child (©2000, Candlewick Press)
Lola is a fussy eater until her big brother Charlie makes up inventive names for vegetables and other foods.

Rabbit Food, by Susanna Gretz (©1999, Candlewick Press)
John is a young rabbit who doesn't like vegetables ("rabbit food"). Uncle Bunny comes to the rescue, except he tries to hide the fact that he doesn't like carrots!

The Ugly Vegetables, by Grace Lin (©1999, Charlesbridge Publishing)
A tale about a little girl who thinks her mother's Chinese vegetable garden is ugly, especially compared to the neighbor's flower gardens. She changes her mind after her mother makes a delicious soup from the vegetables. Recipe included.

For more on this topic, see “At least 5 A Day” at http://www.nutritionforkids.com/emlnews/FK-MarApr00.htm

Pyramid Where you Live

Choosing locally grown food for your family benefits your health, the environment and the local economy. Best of all, freshly harvested food tastes wonderful! A fun family activity that can turn kids on to fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans and other foods is to visit family farms, farmers markets and community gardens. The resources below will aid you in finding farms and farmers' markets where you live.

To find a farmers market in your state, visit http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets. This site also features a fun, downloadable USDA Farmers Market Coloring Book for young children located at http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/KidsCorner.htm

Visit http://www.localharvest.org to find locally grown produce, anywhere in the country. Interactive maps enable you to locate farmers markets, family farms, food coops, Community Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs), farm stands, and pick-your-own produce in your neighborhood.

Activity Ideas:

• Ask kids if they ever think about where the food they eat is grown and produced. Brainstorm with kids some advantages of eating foods that are produced in their local area or region (e.g. Food is fresher, taste is better, energy is saved, local farmers make more money, etc )
• Research the foods that are grown in your state or region. A helpful website that provides information for all states is Agriculture in the Classroom, located at http://www.agclassroom.org.
• Design a “pyramid where you live,” filling in all the agricultural products that you have identified in the correct food group spaces. You can find a blank pyramid to use at http://nutritionforkids.com/BlankPyramid.doc

RECIPE: Polenta Stuffed Peppers

2 cups uncooked polenta (I have good results with the polenta from Bob's Red Mill -- http://www.bobsredmill.com/catalog/index.php?action=showdetails&product_ID=132t)
Water (per package directions)
1 tsp. salt (optional)
1 T. ground cumin
½ c. diced onion
½ c. toasted pine nuts
1- 4 oz. can mild green chiles, diced
½ c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 sweet peppers (green, yellow, red or orange), seeded, with tops off

Cook polenta according to package directions. Stir cumin, onions, pine nuts, chiles, and the Monterey Jack cheese into the polenta mixture. Fill peppers with the polenta mixture and place in a shallow casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove from oven, top with cheddar cheese and bake until cheese is melted.
4 servings.

"This is a great way to use fresh, colorful summer peppers. This dish works as both a vegetarian entree or a delicious side dish."

NEWS IN BRIEF

Public Comments wanted on new Food Guide
USDA’s current food guidance system that includes the Food Guide Pyramid is being reassessed. The overall purpose of the reassessment is to ensure that the food guidance system reflects the latest nutritional science and to improve the educational tools that assist consumers in making healthier food choices. USDA expects to release the new food guidance system in early 2005. USDA/HHS are currently looking for public input into this process. The comment period ends on August 27th. For complete information on how you can provide feedback on the food guidance system, visit http://www.usda.gov/cnpp/pyramid-update.

Child Nutrition Reauthorization
On June 30, 2004, the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 was signed into law. Improvements in the child nutrition programs include expanding the availability of nutritious meals and snacks to more children in school, in after school programs, and in child care; and improving the quality of food in schools. In addition, the fresh fruit and vegetable pilot projects will be expanded to more states. For a summary of the act, visit: http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/cnreauthor/cnrc_highlights.htm.

Recommended Site: CDC Youth Health
CDC has a wealth of resources and tools available to schools interested in implementing coordinated school health programs. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), which monitors priority health risk behaviors that contribute markedly to the leading causes of death, disability, and social problems among youth in the United States, has recently been updated with new data. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth

Nutritionforkids.com Update

It's hard to believe that this is the 50th issue of the Feeding Kids Newsletter! Back in April of 1996, I never dreamed that an email newsletter with a distribution of 50 subscribers would thrive and continue to grow. I truly appreciate all of the wonderful comments I have heard from readers through the years (and also the constructive criticism – it keeps me on my toes!). In addition to distribution through list servs, there are over 3300 direct subscribers to the newsletter!

I have decided to remove back issues of the newsletter prior to January 1999. While much of the information is still relevant, the out-of-date links and information makes it difficult to keep up with. I plan to update the most visited articles and include them in future newsletters.

I am also working on a recipe index. When I started looking through the archives of the site, I was amazed at how many recipes have been posted through the years. An index should be very helpful for searching and finding seasonal recipes.

I have also added a kids page at http://nutritionforkids.com/kidactivities.htm. I hope to keep this page up-to-date and make it a place where both kids and educators can access fun activities and links.

Again, thanks for your continued interest and support!

The information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for medical and/or nutrition advice. See your physician and/or registered dietitian for individual health and/or dietary concerns.

©2004, by Connie Evers, All Rights Reserved. There is a modest reprint fee for reproducing the material in this newsletter in either print or electronic publications. Please send an email to reprint@nutritionforkids.com for details and rates.

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