The Art of Hiding Vegetables: Sneaky Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy Food [Paperback]

'As a working mother, this is just the book I need. It's packed with great ideas which are clever, practical and simple to use.' -- Melinda Messenger

'A frontline guide to concealment and disguise... it offers a fresh - not to say underhand - weapon to parents who find themselves staring into the jaws of defeat' --Daily Telegraph

How are you supposed to get your kids to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day? How are you supposed to get them to eat even one or two? The answer is simple: you trick them into it. The Art of Hiding Vegetables tells you how to conceal healthy food in the unlikeliest looking ways so that your children don't ever have to know they're eating it. Co-written by a nutritionist, The Art of Hiding Vegetables is a godsend to frustrated parents everywhere.

Introduction

A balanced diet with at least five portions of fruit or vegetables every day - we all know the theory and it sounds so easy, but putting it into practice is another story ...

Many of us struggle to get just one or two portions into our fussy little darlings; this is, after all, the `fast food generation'. The closest some kids get to greens is the football field and they wouldn't know a cabbage if it passed them on a bicycle.

There can hardly be a parent in the western world who hasn't at least once (if not once a day) felt guilty about their child's diet. Working parents without time to cook are especially guilt prone. We may feel that every other parent in the world is carefully selecting organic veg, preparing home cooked meals and serving them to their healthy, fresh faced children, who clean their plates, say thank you and offer to clear the table. Maybe families like this do exist, but this book is for real parents of real children living on planet Earth in the 21st century - hard working parents who struggle daily to get their children to eat anything remotely healthy, let alone the five whole portions children should eat a day.

We will make your life much easier.

This book is not about having super healthy kids who eat tofu and sprouts every day; it is a realistic guide for busy parents of normal children - a step in the right direction towards healthier eating. Neither is this book intended to scare, lecture or bully parents into guilt and unnecessary hard work - most of us feel guilty enough and work hard all the time anyway.
Guilt isn't hard to understand when articles about the state of our children's health appear in the press almost daily, usually with dramatic headlines such as:

-One in five UK kids overweight
-The return of rickets: Vitamin deficiency disease figures up
-Additives cause behavioural problems in our young
-Diabetes: Kids are getting it too
-Packed lunches fail the nutrition test
-Is low fibre a problem for your child?
-One toddler in eight has anaemia
-Parents may outlive unhealthy kids
-Meet the children who NEVER eat vegetables

According to recent government figures, a whopping 96% of children in the UK don't get enough fruit and vegetables. Whilst articles and statistics like this do scare many parents (and of course make them feel guilty), what is often missing is practical advice on how to improve the situation. In this book we focus on how to get more fruit and veg into your child's diet ... without them batting an eyelid.

It isn't easy being a parent today with convenience food, kiddies' menus, a multitude of sweets and snacks, takeaways and soft drinks wherever you go. Almost every child wants to have the same as their friends and to eat things that look and taste familiar. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

White Ladder - the parenting & family health experts We are publishers of a growing parenting and family health range of books. We pride ourselves on our friendly and accessible approach whilst providing you with sensible, non-preachy information. This is what makes us different from other publishers. We use expert authors who write on subjects that really matter and focus on providing you with all the facts so you can decide what approach is right for you. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

It’s not easy getting kids to eat 5-a-day

Whether you are short of time or have fussy eaters, 5-a-day For Kids Made Easy gives you simple ways to get your children eating the fruit and veg they need, without tears or tantrums.

Inside you’ll find over 100 practical (and tasty) family recipes so you can ensure your children get the vitamins and nutrients they need to grow up strong and healthy. And it starts with what 5-a-day really means for children: how many carrots or grapes make up one portion?

Crammed with hard-to-find but really useful information, find out:

• The latest nutritional advice for children
• Easy recipes, from packed lunches to party food
• Timesaving tips for parents in a rush
• How to deal with fussy eaters
• Menu planning and cooking on a budget

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Karen Bali is self employed and married with two children aged 12 and 9. Fearing her children were becoming 'chicken nugget junkies' she teamed up with Sally Child to develop a book that will help busy working parents offer a healthier family diet. She hates cooking and is definitely not a domestic goddess. An ex - health visitor, Sally Child currently practices as a nutritional therapist, is a lecturer and a practitioner for HACSG (hyperactive children's support group) and Foresight (a fertility charity). She is author of 'An A-Z of Children's Health' published in 2002 by Argyll. Her 27, 23 and 18 year old daughters inspired her to retrain in nutrition. 'It's amazing what you learn living with a miniature Houdini and Attilla the Hun'

Why are fruit and vegetables so important? Healthy eating: a short introduction Eating a balanced diet is something we are all encouraged to do, and children are no exception – they also need a balanced diet for health and well-being in the short and long term. Although it’s not easy in the 21st century to give children adequate nutrition, by doing so we can give them a good start in life and increase their chances of reaching old age in good health. But what is a balanced diet and how can parents help children to achieve this? A healthy diet should include some of each of the main food groups, and be varied enough to provide a wide range of nutrients. As far as is possible, some of this should be ‘wholefoods’ – basic foods that have not been processed, preserved or refined. Many children consume high levels of sugar and salt in their food and these should ideally be reduced to within at least the government guidelines (see Appendix, p231). Above all, a healthy diet should be interesting, varied, attractive and fun. The food groups and what they do Although this book is mostly about fruit and vegetables, their benefits and how to increase intake, they must of course form part of a diet that includes other essential nutrients. These are: Protein Most protein that children consume comes from sources such as meat, fish, soya products, dairy products, eggs, beans and pulses, wholegrains, nuts and Quorn. Some protein should be consumed with every meal. Many children find meat difficult to chew, refuse to eat wholegrains or become vegetarian (this quite often happens with teenagers but they do not then replace animal proteins with other sources). Canned fish and pulses (including baked beans) are good alternative sources of protein. Fats Children need fats for energy and growth but the word ‘fat’ sounds negative and things that are low fat are often promoted as healthier. Low fat diets are not suitable for children. Good sources of fat for children include butter, full fat milk (children under five should always have this rather than skimmed or semi-skimmed milk), lean meat, olive oil, avocados and fish. This food group includes essential fatty acids – ‘good fats’ including the omegas that are mostly found in foods that children often don’t eat: nuts, seeds, leafy green vegetables and oily fish. Add oils that contain essential fatty acids – avocado, evening primrose or walnut oils – to cooked rice, pasta, salads or vegetables. Carbohydrates There are two types of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are generally found in processed, refined foods such as white bread and sugar. Complex carbohydrates come from food containing wholegrains – breakfast cereals, wholemeal bread, and oats – which contain fibre, minerals and vitamins. Low carb diets should not be considered for children – almost 50% of their diet (3 – 5 servings daily) should consist of carbohydrates. Fibre This is found in fruit, vegetables and wholegrains. Fibre is needed for good digestion but it is best to offer soluble fibre from fruit, veg, salads and wholegrains. Too much insoluble fibre (such as wheat bran) can inhibit absorption of vitamins and minerals. Water Children need to consume water to keep hydrated – the amount depends on their age, weight, activity levels and the air temperature. A one-year-old child needs around one litre of fluid a day and older children (school age upwards) need at least two litres. You can give water in the form of diluted fruit juice or high-juice squash (low sugar varieties contain artificial sweeteners, thought to have health risks, so are best to avoid). Fruit and vegetables Fruit and veg are the last essential food group and we’ll focus on this area throughout the book. It can be the most problematic food group for parents to get their child to eat. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

A balanced diet with at least five portions of fruit or vegetables every day - we all know the theory and it sounds so easy, but putting it into practice is another story ...  Many of us struggle to get just one or two portions into our fussy little darlings; this is, after all, the `fast food generation'. The closest some kids get to greens is the football field and they wouldn't know a cabbage if it passed them on a bicycle.

There can hardly be a parent in the western world who hasn't at least once (if not once a day) felt guilty about their child's diet. Working parents without time to cook are especially guilt prone. We may feel that every other parent in the world is carefully selecting organic veg, preparing home cooked meals and serving them to their healthy, fresh faced children, who clean their plates, say thank you and offer to clear the table. Maybe families like this do exist, but this book is for real parents of real children living on planet Earth in the 21st century - hard working parents who struggle daily to get their children to eat anything remotely healthy, let alone the five whole portions children should eat a day.

We will make your life much easier.

This book is not about having super healthy kids who eat tofu and sprouts every day; it is a realistic guide for busy parents of normal children - a step in the right direction towards healthier eating. Neither is this book intended to scare, lecture or bully parents into guilt and unnecessary hard work - most of us feel guilty enough and work hard all the time anyway.

Guilt isn't hard to understand when articles about the state of our children's health appear in the press almost daily, usually with dramatic headlines such as:

• One in five UK kids overweight
• The return of rickets: Vitamin deficiency disease figures up
• Additives cause behavioural problems in our young
• Diabetes: Kids are getting it too
• Packed lunches fail the nutrition test
• Is low fibre a problem for your child?
• One toddler in eight has anaemia
• Parents may outlive unhealthy kids
• Meet the children who NEVER eat vegetables

According to recent government figures, a whopping 96% of children in the UK don't get enough fruit and vegetables. Whilst articles and statistics like this do scare many parents (and of course make them feel guilty), what is often missing is practical advice on how to improve the situation. In this book we focus on how to get more fruit and veg into your child's diet ... without them batting an eyelid.

It isn't easy being a parent today with convenience food, kiddies' menus, a multitude of sweets and snacks, takeaways and soft drinks wherever you go. Almost every child wants to have the same as their friends and to eat things that look and taste familiar.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.