FOOD WITH A LITTLE TWIST

How can you change your child’s food habits to make sure that it has a healthy intake?



HEALTHY AND WISE: Just a little experimentation
and your unhealthy food can turn out to be healthy yet interesting

A DILEMMA many mommas face these days is how to keep the food healthy and interesting for their children. Kids throwing a fit when they are served something they dislike is a common sight. Many a time, you give in to their ‘unhealthy’ wishes and take them to their favourite burger joint, half-heartedly. Even when you go to a restaurant, your child ends up choosing the dish which isn’t good for his health. And you wonder why did we come out? Pastas, pizzas and burgers top their list of favourite foods. But, what if you could make these very food items healthy? Nutritionist Naini Setalvad suggests, “A simple bhel can be made with loads of tomatoes, potatoes and onions for the crunch and you can replace the sev and puri with cucumber. The deep-friend and oily veg pattice can be grilled. Stock whole wheat burger buns, pastas and sandwiches instead of the ones made with maida. The mayonnaise of the burger can be made with hum curd. Use lots of vegetables and, if you are stir frying a dish, make sure you do it just before serving it.”

Just a few changes in the items you stock at home, and you have a healthy platter. Mother Krishna Dalal says, “When I go for grocery shopping, I look for healthier versions of every thing. I buy a whole wheat bread, or rice noodles. I make sure I have loads of green vegetables at home and keep experimenting with them to make a tempting dish for my children. I might have failed once or twice. But most of the time my kids have loved them.” Cheese and butter are a child's weaknesses. They love the toast with butter, garlic bread with cheese, sandwiches should have cheese, wraps with cheese, pizza with extra cheese, and the list is endless. So, how do we make it healthy? “We all love cheese and, for children, any dish with a topup of cheese is too good to resist. But, you could use paneer instead or if they just can’t do without it, try the cheese made from cow's milk or skimmed milk,” says Anuradha Inamdar, a nutritionist.

It does not come as a surprise that kids love Chinese food. The noodles are one of their most liked items. Dietician Amita Mistry tells, “Replace the maida noodles with rice noodles or wheat noodles which are easily available in the market. Add loads of vegetables and cook it with minimal oil.” Make your child’s favourite dishes at home. The pizzas and pastas when made at home are better than the ones you eat at a food joint. “You can always work on making it healthy. Using chopped spinach while you make pasta will give your child his dose of green vegetables. And when you make pizza, add all kinds of veggies and use a generous spoon of sauce,” says Sangeeta Pillai, nutritionist.

You could always have an alternative for ‘unhealthy’ food, and create a healthier and nutrition-rich meal. Try turning the boring roti and sabzi into a vegetable wrap with loads of salad leaves, tomatoes and onions for the crunchiness. Your kids will love it. It’s all about giving the regular food a twist, making it look interesting and giving your old recipes a new look. Just a few changes here and there, and you have a healthy version of fast food. Moms are the best cooks after all!