Superfood - Avocado

Avocados are unique. There is nothing really quite like them in terms of their texture, flavour, colour and properties.

They are very high in monounsaturated fats that help with healthy development in children. Seeing as they are a tropical food, an excess is not recommended in comparison to eating a diet based on local, seasonal produce, however including avocados once or twice a week to children's diets can give them some great quality fats.

If you havent tried the avocado pate on this blog you can find the recipe in the recipe page here delicious served with lightly salted corn chips.

Mmmm!

100th Post!

We have reached our 100th post here at My Fruit and Vegetable Friends!

 

A big thank you to all of the followers out there whether you are on Google+, Bloglovin or Twitter. You are very much appreciated! Thank you for spreading the word and contributing to make positive changes towards the health and well being of our future generation.

 

Together we can make a difference!

Superfood - Sweet Potato

Sweet Potatoes are wonderful for the autumn. Not only for their wonderful warm, orange colour and natural sweetness but also for their ´superfood´ qualities.

It has been noted that they contain huge amounts of Beta Carotene that the body converts into vitamin A, essential for healthy eyes, strong immune system as well as acting as a powerful antioxidant. Good stuff!

They are especially great for children as they are naturally sweet, helping to nourish the spleen and pancreas, relaxing the body and helping to reduce cravings for sweets and candy in between meals.

Try out the sweet vegetable bake recipe here

Enjoy!

Superfood - Broccoli

Broccoli is great, full of chlorophyll (if lightly boiled for 3-4minutes) and vitamin C, bringing a wonderful freshness to help cleanse the liver. Especially useful to include in daily meals if you find your kids are grumpy in the mornings (can sometimes be a sign of a liver trying hard to process too much fatty, salty foods).

Children love the sweet and sour taste too so if you are struggling to get them to eat broccoli, try serving it with the following dressing...

• 1 teaspoon of umeboshi paste, few drops of toasted sesame oil, 1-2 teaspoons of rice syrup, a little water and some orange or lemon zest.

Broccoli can also be added to minestrone soups (add in the last 3 minutes before serving so to retain the green colour, ie the vitamins).

Enjoy!

Superfoods

What are superfoods, and should we be feeding our children superfoods daily?

 

The term Superfood has been used over the past few years to describe foods that contains high levels of certain properties that are considered beneficial to our health. It has in some respects become a little bit of a trend, with a new superfood being hailed as the latest must have in shops and the media every year, resulting in a huge increase in sales for that product.

 

While certain foods contain higher levels of vitamins etc than others, it is important to remember that our body needs a wide range of nutrients, even those small amounts of trace elements are important for a healthy body. A varied, balanced diet based on natural wholefoods is ideal rather than overdosing on one particular superfood.

 

I also believe that sustainability and the care of our planet is so important at this moment in time. Therefore focusing the majority of our diet on local, seasonal produce is ideal rather than importing Goji berries all the way from Tibet for daily consumption.

 

I am not saying that we cant try new foods and get to know other products, however focusing our daily consumption on local, seasonal produce is not only great for the environment but also our health. Particular plants and dishes originate from certain countries for a reason...hotter foods traditionally come from hotter climates as spices such as chili help to cool the body down in the long term. As well as hearty rich stews with root vegetables tend to originate from colder climates as they help to warm and ground the body.

 

However saying that over the next month I will post some information on a few vegetables that have been classed as superfoods. These can be included in your children's diets for added health benefits.

 

If you have any questions about a particular superfood do post your comments here and I will answer any queries :-)

Coming up...

Seems like superfoods is a popular topic! Many parents have been asking me what superfoods they should be feeding their children. Information will be coming very soon with all the answers!

Food Types

What should we be feeding our children?

Here are a few essential food types to be included in children’s diets for overall health and well being…

Complex Carbohydrates: Help nourish the nervous system, strengthen the brain, stabilise blood sugar levels and provide long lasting energy. Essential for studying school children.

Examples are…wholegrain brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, rye, barley and wholegrain oats.

Fats and Oils: Good quality fats and oils are essential for overall health, helping to keep joints supple, provide insulation and protection around vital organs as well as improving brain function. Good quality fats and oils provide nourishment and warmth to the body especially during winter months and colder climates.

Examples are…omega oils found in oily fish, as well as nuts and seeds.

Vitamins: Found in fresh fruit and vegetables. Green vegetables that have been lightly cooked for 3-4 minutes retaining the rich green colour have large amounts of chlorophyll and vitamins essential for overall health and healthy liver function. Light, freshly cooked vegetables help to bring balance to the body when consumed alongside cooked proteins especially during the spring and summer months and warmer climates.

Examples are…broccoli, asparagus, cabbage, spring greens, and green beans.

Minerals: One of the food groups with the highest amount of minerals is sea vegetables. Widely consumed for centuries in Asia where some of the lowest osteoporosis levels in the world are found. Minerals are essential for bone growth and creating good quality blood. This helps to strengthen and nourish the body, especially during winter months and colder climates.

Examples are…sea vegetables such as Wakame, Dulse, Kombu and sea salt.

Protein: The building blocks of the body. Essential for growing children to help build body mass, strong muscles. This provides nourishment, helping to feel fuller and satisfied for longer, helping to reduce some food cravings.

Examples are…eggs, fish, vegetable proteins such as tofu and beans.

Natural Sugars: Sweet foods needn’t be sugary sweets or deserts. Naturally sweet vegetables can help relax the body and nourish the spleen and pancreas. Root and round vegetables strengthen and ground the body providing ´roots´ which are often much needed in hectic modern lifestyles.

Examples are…sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin.

 

Top Tips

Top tips on helping children to try a new food… 
 

1) Stay calm and relaxed: Children can be very sensitive to what is going on around them and they will sense when there is pressure and tension around them about eating fruits and vegetables. Trying something new can be daunting and scary; in a relaxed atmosphere this can be easier.

2) Introduce new foods gently & consistently: Avoid pressuring, bribing, demanding…instead introduce a new vegetable in small amounts repeatedly with their favourite meals until they are willing to try it.

3) Make food appealing and fun: How can you present it in a fun, interesting way for your children? Pay attention to colour, cutting styles, flavour and texture.

4) Get them involved: Getting children involved with the prep work will make them more interested in eating it. They can help mix, cut (with a child safe knife), wash, peel fruits and vegetables.

5) Cut down on junk food snacks and fizzy drinks, especially in between meals: Not only is this harmful to children’s health, it can also affect their appetite for main meals.

6) Be Flexible and think outside the box: Just because your child doesn’t like carrots sliced and boiled doesn’t mean they won’t like grated carrot in a salad or carrot soup. Be inventive, creative and persevere.

Share your successes here...do you have any top tips that have worked for you and your family?

Mmm Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes offer great natural sweetness which children of all ages love. Not only do they taste great, they help nourish the spleen and pancreas, helping to stabilise blood sugar levels.

 

Check out the delicious sweet potato recipes on this blog (more to follow)...

Sweet Potato Wedges

Sweet Potato Treats

Sweet Potato and Apple Cake

Sweet Vegetable Bake

Oven Baked and Delicious

Other sweet potato recipe ideas include sweet potato and red lentil soup, sweet potato and beetroot soup, mashed sweet potato with orange rind, mashed sweet potato with suede, and jacket sweet potato with various fillings.

Weaning off the Junk Food...

I have had many requests regarding this topic, how to wean children off junk food. It can be daunting at first to make the change however in the long run that change can be invaluable to the health and well being of all the family.

So often I have been in restaurants to be amazed at the difference between the children and adult menus. Whilst the main menu is filled with fresh produce, homemade dishes full of variety and colour, the children’s menu is usually a monotonous brown full of oily, breaded and overly seasoned produce – the majority of which has only travelled from the freezer to the deep fat fryer.

 

Is this really what we want our children to grown up with?

Will this provide them with the nutritional benefits that they need at this important stage in their lives?

 

If children have never been given junk food on a regular basis, they will not have anything to compare freshly prepared meals to. They will therefore be more willing to try new fruits and vegetables and consume a varied, healthy diet.

Starting children off from the beginning is easy, however once children have acquired the taste for junk foods it can be a little bit more difficult to make the switch – that is not to say it isn’t possible. As Audrey Hepburn once said, ‘Nothing is impossible, even the word says I’m Possible’. With kind perseverance, creativity and communication you can make that shift for the highest good of all the family.

 

So how do we go from chicken nuggets to freshly prepared home cooked meals?

 

Communicate: Talking to children about the importance of good food can help them to understand why rather than them reacting to the ‘because I said so’. Explain why a particular food is good for them in a way that they can relate. For example…whole grains can give you lots of energy and strengthen your brain power when you are at school. Notice how that will provoke a different reaction compared to ‘eat your porridge because I said so’.

Slowly Does It: Start to create home cooked versions of the junk food favourites. Not only will you reduce the salt and sugar intake, you can be in control, slowly making the junk food versions less childlike and introducing children to home cooked meals that can be enjoyed by all the family. Making your own fish fingers can be quicker than you think. Simply cut some skinned and boned Cod or Haddock into long strips and coat with a beaten egg and bread crumbs. This can be placed on a greased baking tray and cooked until crispy and golden brown. A great way to serve this can be with sweet potato wedges and peas or in wraps with salad and avocado dip (see Recipe section of blog for dip recipe).

Get them Involved: There is no greater way to get children interested in food than with getting them involved with the preparation process. Make it a fun game, for example you may pretend to all be sailors on a ship making your own fish and chips as the pirates have stolen all the fish fingers. Think outside the box and be creative. If it doesn’t work be flexible and try something else! This also helps children to become aware of where food comes from and how it is prepared which can prove invaluable when they are old enough to cook for themselves.

Experiment, have fun and get them involved. Notice what changes and keep persevering. If they don’t like it one day it doesn’t mean they will never like it for the rest of their lives. Continue without bribery or force whilst remaining kind to yourself in the process. It is never too late to make a change and sooner or later you will see results.

Homemade Lemonade!

Due to a Lemonade flash mob with Good Vibrations Barcelona I found myself in the kitchen full of lemons, lemon juice, lemon zest making up batches of homemade lemonade mmmm!

 

Very easy to make and wonderfully refreshing drink for the summer, especially for picnics, BBQ's and children's parties. Simply take a 1.5l bottle of water and empty the water into a saucepan or container to use later on. Add the juice of 5-6 lemons and the zest of half a lemon, water and agave syrup to taste (roughly 1/2 a cup), place the lid on the bottle and shake well. Before serving, use a strainer to remove the lemon zest. Can be enjoyed as it is, chilled or with some added mint leaves for an added extra.

 

Enjoy and do let me know how your kids respond to this recipe, especially in comparison to Lemonade with sugar. Notice what is different with their behaviour...

(For more health details on sugar see the post on this blog´A spoonful of sugar...´)

100% Fruit Juice

Fruit juices are great for making home made ice lollies and children will love this refreshing treat in the summer. Choose 100% pure fruit juice if you can, without any added sweeteners or sugar (see previous post on this blog ´A spoonful of sugar...´ for more information about the side effects of sugar). Fruit juice is also prefered to squash as quite often squash is full of refined sugars and artificial sweetners.

 

You can use orange juice, peach juice, apple juice, apple and blackcurrant juice...the list is endless. Simply pour the juice into ice lolly moulds and freeze!

 

YUM!

Smoothies And Juices

Why not try a few of these out this summer? All you need appliance wise is either a hand held blender for the smoothies or a smaller juicer for the juices.

 

You may notice that I don't use ice in juices and smoothies, not only does this water down the flavour, it can also put more strain on the body (especially the kidneys) if excessive amounts of ice cold drinks are consumed. A freshly made juice or smoothie is perfect and the sooner it is drunk once made, the more vitamins you and your family will be able to absorb. Also see a previous post on this blog called ´The White Stuff´ for more information about dairy foods.

 

Smoothie Ideas

Using banana and rice milk as a base you can create very creamy 100% dairy free smoothies. Rice Milk is preferred to soya as it is easier for the body to digest as raw soya products can cause inflammation and bloating. By adding a  few grains of sea salt you can also bring out the natural sweetness of the fruit and help balance the acidity thus making it easier to digest.

• Banana, Rice Milk, Strawberry
• Banana and Rice Milk with Almonds
• Banana, Rice Milk and Blackberries
• Kiwi, Apple, Banana and Orange
• Banana, Rice Milk and Pineapple
• Banana, Rice Milk and Peach
• Fruit Salad: Banana, Kiwi, Orange, Strawberry and Rice Milk
• Peach, Orange and Apple Juice
• Banana, Rice Milk and Cinnamon
• ?? (Experiment and enjoy creating your own flavours!)

 

Juice Ideas

MMmm fresh carrot juice! If you haven’t tried it, add it to your to do list this summer. Children will love the natural sweetness.

• Carrot and Apple
• Carrot and Pear
• Celery, Apple and Mint
• Pear and Apple
• Carrot, Orange, Apple and Beetroot
• Carrot, Apple and Celery
• Apple, Orange, Cucumber and Mint
• Apple, Cherry, Orange
• ?? (Experiment and enjoy creating your own flavours!)

 

Hot Hot Hot!

How is everyones summer starting off so far? Enjoying the sunshine and all that summer has to offer?

So what is summer all about for you and your family? More outdoor time, camping, walks, swimming, reducing the amount of TV or simply having the opportunity to have some quality family time a after a busy year working or at school?

Whatever summer may represent for you and your family, it can also be a time to enjoy the fresh seasonal produce that is now available. Sugar snap peas, golden corn on the cob, fresh beetroot, green runner beans, crisp radishes and not forgetting sweet, juicy strawberries. Summer is a great time to incorporate a few smoothies, juices, salads and fruit to balance the warmth that the sunshine brings.

When children arrive home after a long day at school, feeling hot and bothered and often irritable as they are hungry, a small juice or smoothie can be great whilst dinner is being prepared. This needn't be a XL super sized juice as obviously that will affect their appetite. However a small juice can keep them going until dinner, helping them to cool down after a hot day.

Juice and smoothie recipe ideas to follow...

Have A Good One!

Is it just me or has this year flown by?! July already, things are hotting up and what a perfect way to enjoy some summertime treats.

Ideas and recipes to follow soon...if you have any thing you wish to share with other followers too, do post your comments on this blog.

Bring on a fun filled summer, full of new experiences, ideas, great food and joy!