RALEIGH, N.C. The nutrition majors from the University of North Carolina sounded as if they were conducting an anthropological study of a primitive culture.
"One parent said her kid hadn't eaten a veggie in years."
"I had a kid ask if the carrots were real. I'm not sure she had ever seen one."
"One kid told me, 'I only like sugar.' And I said, 'Well, look. These are sugar snap peas.'"
But Mia Chabot, Michelle Tulley, Becca Wright and Stephanie Lu, all with UNC's Nutrition Coalition, weren't in a Third World nation studying undernourished youth. They were in Durham, N.C., volunteering with the second annual Kids in the Kitchen exhibition. About 450 kids -- and some of their parents -- got a chance to examine such exotic foods as carrots and snap peas close up. They even got a chance to taste them and, at various mini-kitchens in the museum, to discover ways to turn nourishing flora into tasty treats.
In the ongoing battle to get kids to eat better food, teaching them to make their own snacks and meals using healthful ingredients is a popular strategy. The Kids in the Kitchen event, like many aimed at getting kids to eat more healthfully, targeted the consumer.
recap of the declining state of our children's health:
Ten percent of 2to 5-year-olds and more than 15 percent of children between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.
For the first time in more than 100 years, the life expectancy of U.S. kids is declining, according to a 2005 study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
It's a nationally recognized problem, this alarming growth of our youths' waistlines.
Tips for avoiding food traps:
Have a snack drawer or snack shelf with preassembled bags of healthful snacks.
Keep a pitcher of cold water or water bottles in the fridge (provides an immediate, attractive alternative to soda). Stick with water and milk (1 percent or less).
Supermarkets tend to put sugary cereals at the eye level of kids. Healthier choices are usually found near the top of the shelf or near the floor. Look for cereals with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving. Avoid cereals that are colored.
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where fresher products are.
A lot of cereals claim to have whole grains. And they might -- but maybe not enough to do you much good. Instead, look for cereals high in fiber. "They should have 3 to 7 grams of fiber per serving," says WakeMed pediatric dietitian Julie Paul. "It will be on the nutrition label."
Don't put too much stock in the "sugar free" label. We derive a lot of our sugar from carbohydrates. So while a product may have few sugar additives, it may have plenty of sugar in the form of carbs.
Tasty snacks:
Kids may be more apt to try something healthful if they have a hand in making it, but to keep them coming back it has to be tasty as well. Here are some proven crowd pleasers from a panel of nutritionists.
Mini pizza. Take a whole-wheat English muffin (high in fiber), add low-fat cheese (good source of calcium) and marinara sauce (contains lycopene, a cancer fighter). "For best results, toss it in a relatively kid-friendly toaster oven.
Strawberry parfait. Spring/summer is the perfect time to get kids eating healthy because of the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables. Especially tantalizing right now: fresh strawberries. Combine with yogurt (calcium), low-fat-granola (fiber) and you have a balanced protein and carb dessert with about half the calories of ice cream.
Smoothies. Tasty, nutritious and you get to use a kitchen appliance with a loud motor. Use frozen berries (their nutritional value isn't affected) and 100 percent fruit juice.
Wrap sandwiches. Chicken, turkey or canned tuna married with veggies in a whole grain wrap work well. Or even lunch meat and low-fat cheese with lettuce and tomatoes thrown in for vegetable effect. And remember: mustard is fat-free.
Hummus. A good source of protein, contains heart-healthy fats and it has a way of making even celery tasty.
Peanut butter and celery. Another way to sell celery to kids is slathered with peanut butter. Make that "natural" peanut butter, made from little more than peanuts, oil and salt (check the label).
Veggie dip. Take some low-fat plain yogurt or sour cream and weave in a seasoning of your choice (garlic or onion powder, perhaps). Best if used for dipping veggies, though nutritionists are OK with baked potato chips, which have 1 to 2 grams of fat per serving compared to 9 to 10 grams for regular chips.
Trail mix consisting of a high-fiber cereal (Cheerios are good), dried fruit and nuts.
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