Rosalee Brown - DIETITIAN'S DESK
Summer holidays are here again. It's a happy time for 'schoolers' but not necessarily so for parents and guardians. The latter have the headache of finding safe activities for the children and the challenge of keeping up with their unchecked appetites, especially at a time when food prices are escalating.
Tips
Make weekends, your day off or a few hours of the day into activity period when you spend time making the week's preparation with the children. They will be helping you with some of your work and, with some creativity on your part, they will never know. Children love to do things with their parents or guardians.
Shop together. Many parents/guardians are afraid of this, as it can be a time of quarrels, tantrums and ill feelings but with some planning it can be a time of education for children and parents. Teach them how to make wise choices, read labels, do safe shopping such as avoiding damaged containers and expired items and introduce them to new foods.
'Bulk bake' rock cakes, totoe and puddings and include fresh fruits and vegetables in these products. Bake them in cup-cake pans, cool and freeze. These can be added to the healthy snack list for the week.
Freeze bag juices with a higher concentration of fruits, less sugar and no high fructose corn syrup.
Make trail mixes of chips, raisins, dried fruits and nuts. They will enjoy stirring all these ingredients and placing them in bags.
Peel sugar cane and cut into small pieces for the older children; the younger children can help with the bagging.
Put water into small plastic bags. Some children prefer to suck on the ice than drink water all the time.
Make casseroles, such as macaroni and cheese, which can be frozen and reheated at lunchtime in the microwave by older children for the rest of 'the gang'.
Make bean burgers and other types of burgers which can be frozen. Put them in the refrigerator, thaw them the night before to produce scrumptious burgers the next day for your teenagers.
Prepare vegetable salads - cut vegetables into attractive shapes.
Make 'open-face' and pinwheel sandwiches.
Other fun stuff
Children play during the Maggi Food and Culture day in May Pen, Clarendon, recently. - file photos
Here are some other fun but educational things the family can do together; your children will never forget them:
Play games together outside or on the veranda even for one hour. This is increased activity for you and the children.
Teach the children to set the table, sit at the table, use cutlery, fill a glass, hold a glass when serving another person and to carry a tray. These activities will go a far way in improving their eating behaviour.
Have loads of fun!
Rosalee M. Brown is a registered dietitian/nutritionist who operates Integrated Nutrition and Health Services; email: yourhealth@ gleanerjm.com.
