Trick your kid to eat veg

GETTING your child to eat healthy or nutritious food can be a mission.

More alarming is that the World Health Organisation reported that about 13.3% of

South African children under the age of 5 are overweight. Pick n

Pay’s resident dietitian Leanne Kiezer says this is particularly worrying as overweight children run a high risk of remaining overweight into adulthood, fuelling the country’s already high obesity levels.

While a sugar tax has been imposed to decrease obesity levels in South Africa, this problem will not be solved unless consumers make better choices.

Kiezer, provides creative ways for parents to sneak extra veggies and fruits into their child’s meals:

Add veggies to their favourite meal: Mix peas in mac and cheese, add shredded carrots to the spaghetti bolognaise sauce, or stir colourful beetroot and zucchini noodles into a pasta.

Make it interesting: Blitz or purée vegetables and add them to rice and mashed potato.

“Fortify” all your saucy meals.

Offer raw finger foods: Children often prefer uncooked vegetables.

Use bright colours: To keep veggies appealing, steam or stir fry them.

Start a veggie club: Try to taste vegetables from A to Z. Let the veggie journey be an adventure.

Make it fun: Find a book which features vegetables as characters, then as you read the story, also taste the vegetables.