Kids Won't Eat Their Veggies? Sesame Street Can Help
Who better to solve the problem of kids and picky eating than Grover, Elmo and Cookie Monster?
“Sesame Street Let’s Cook!” offers simple and healthful recipes that may be the first step toward convincing even your pickiest eater to try something new. The recipes, created by Susan McQuillan, a family nutritionist and food writer (in collaboration with all the Sesame Street muppets of course), offer a child-friendly approach to cooking and eating. Familiar family dishes include Elmo’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese ‘n’ Bits and Grover’s Monstrously Delicious Chicken Nuggets, as well as more adventurous fare including Grover’s Asian Sticky Rice Balls and Zoe’s Tortellini Soup with Tiny Turkey Meatballs.
Research suggests that involving children in meal preparation is an important first step in getting them to try new foods. In one study at Teachers College at Columbia University, nearly 600 children from kindergarten to sixth grade took part in a nutrition education class. But some of the children also took part in cooking classes. The researchers found that children who had cooked their own foods were more likely to eat those foods in the cafeteria, and even ask for seconds, than children who had not had the cooking class.
For the latest Well Book Club, we spoke with Ms. McQuillan about hiding vegetables in food, taste-testing recipes with kids and why muppets can talk children into eating anything. Here’s our conversation.
Q. What was your goal in writing this book?
A. The book is really a family cookbook. The idea is that every recipe has steps marked for kids. The goal is to get kids involved in cooking from scratch with the longer term goal of eating better. A two-year-old who hands you a spoon or stirs something feels involved in the process. Even with picky eaters, the idea behind it is that if they participate in the making of the food, or at the supermarket choosing the foods or even just choosing the recipes from the book, they’re more inclined to eat the food.
Q. What kind of response have you received about the book?
A. Kids love the characters. If you’ve got Cookie Monster telling them to eat greens or vegetables, the kids identify with the character and the advice that comes from the character.
Q. What do you think about cookbooks that hide vegetables in food by adding vegetable purees to the recipe?
A. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. In small ways you are getting those flavors into foods. But you want to expose children to all kinds of foods. If kids don’t like peas, you might mash peas into something to get them to eat it. But you should still be presenting the peas to them so they get used to the idea of seeing them on the table. You should be role modeling by eating all of these foods yourself in front of the child. Obviously never force feed because then you set up negative associations with food.
Q. Why is it such a problem to get kids to eat vegetables?
A. Vegetables seem to be the big problem. It’s not exposing them early on. It might be the form you’re feeding them in. When I was a kid I only ate raw vegetables. In my experience watching kids, maybe they don’t like boiled carrots but they like roasted carrots or they like them raw. A lot of it has to do with the fact that they haven’t been cooked to their best advantage. It might be texture. They don’t like steamed carrots but they might like grated carrots in a salad. The more you are at least exposed to them, the more likely you are to try them.
Q. Have you ever changed a recipe because of feedback from a child?
A. Yes. Kids will suggest pizza toppings for me. I had a pineapple banana pop, and one kid didn’t taste the pineapple. The other kids agreed. I get good feedback. For Cookie Monster’s Tomato White Bean Dippity Dip , it was a little bland. I had olives on the counter from another recipe, and one kid suggested putting olives in the bean dip, and I ended up doing that.
Q. Do you have a favorite recipe from the book?
A. Grover’s Asian Sticky Rice Balls are a great lunch box snack. There’s nothing unusual about the ingredients — it’s rice and diced vegetables, a hard-cooked egg, a little soy sauce. Sesame seeds are optional. Ernie’s Light and Easy Veggie Lasagna Rolls are individual rolls instead of a big pan of lasagne. We’re also trying to show portion size and the right amount of food to eat. Oscars Green-Like-Me Smoothie I drink all the time. Avocado, kale, banana and apple juice may not sound like it all goes together, but it makes the best basic green smoothies. It’s sweet, but it’s a great way for kids to have vegetables. Zoe’s No-Bake-Make-Ahead Berry Delicious Summer Pudding is made with berries and whole grain bread. It turns out to be so delicious.
Are your children picky eaters who won’t eat anything other than noodles and white bread? Does your child have a food allergy that makes family meals a challenge? How do you help children develop healthful eating habits to last a lifetime?
Share your questions and stories of your food successes and failures.
More from the New York Times:
