Sneaking Nutrition into Family Meals

Your husband hates vegetables. Your stepchild won't touch it if it doesn't come in the form of a "familiar shape" or stick (see Supersize Me). Your toddler would rather fill up on watermelon and bread than get a little protein and veggies in their mouths. Perhaps your school-age child even comes running home demanding cookies, ice cream and soda, and faints at the thought of trading it for carrot sticks and water. Do any of these scenarios sound familiar?

Chances are at least one does. In speaking to my friends, I have found that an alarming number of adult males are what we refer to as "carnivores." They eat meat and potatoes and shirk any semblence of vegetable. I, for one, want to make sure that my husband doesn't pass this unhealthy trait along to my son and furthermore am devoted to forcing my husband himself to eat more vegetables to ensure that he lives a longer life.

Here in the United States, circumstances like these are constantly being exploited by reality television shows such as Honey, We're Killing the Kids. The fortunate thing is that shows like that are drawing attention to the growing problem of childhood obesity here. But the United States isn't alone. According to the Daily Mail (UK), experts believe that children are being manipulated into making poor eating choices through massive amounts of food advertisements and that is contributing the increased amount of overweight children.

A leading academic says there is evidence that children eat more after being bombarded with food advertisements. Meanwhile food choices are being skewed towards unhealthy products which are high in fat, sugar and salt. Youngsters watching more television are also likely to have a higher Body Mass Index, which means they are more likely to be overweight or obese. Professor Sonia Livingstone says the mass of evidence from the UK, the USA and around the world leads her to conclude that TV advertising has a "modest direct effect on children's food choices".

So what is a parent to do? You want your family to eat well, but there is so much negative energy working against you. There are tons of great hints and tips on sites all around the Internet like Club Mom, Creative Homemaking, and She Knows.

Here are a few ideas from my home:

1) You can make fun foods at home like pizza and turn up the nutrition by topping it with vitamin-rich veggies such as tomatoes, broccoli, artichoke hearts, spinach or peppers. Or you could even put onions (any variety), mushrooms, or eggplant on it. Using fresh mozzarella will really make it extra special, too.

2) Before going grocery shopping, sit down and plan your meals for the week. This will give you a solid idea as to what you need, and how much. Not only will it ensure that you have enough nutritious food for the week, but also will be kinder on your wallet. I've found the best way for this to work is to plan three meals a day for seven non-specific days. You can decide which is eaten each day based on what you are in the mood for.

3) A very easy way to get extra nutrients into sauces is to use a small amount of pureed vegetables. This may sound crazy, but as a mom who made tons of baby food for my infant but never got a chance to use it all, I found that the compacted purees made great flavorings. If you don't have leftover purees lying around your freezer, they are easy enough to make and store for long periods. To learn how to make and store them, visit Wholesome Baby Food. Don't be afraid to toss a little peach into a vinaigrette or a touch of spinach into a marinara.

4) Start every dinner off with a salad. It's simple and easy, but it guarantees that bit of roughage we all need. Better yet, you can throw some baby spinach into the mix for a little extra punch.

5) Trade junk snacks for healthy alternatives - homemade potato chips (for extra nutrition use sweet potatoes), vegetable sticks, and hummus, etc.

6) Start small. Don't inundate your veggie-resistant family with new foods all at once. Instead, introduce one every few weeks. Once they are used to one, try another. Sooner than later, you will have a new repetoire to work from.