Healthy Family, Happy Family Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Success stories

  Five important reasons to dish up healthy food to your family

  Nutrition in a nutshell

  Marketing magic

  How to make healthy cooking happen

  Kitchen essentials

  Getting started

  Menus

  A healthy lunch box

  Recipes

  FAQS AND PROBLEM-SOLVING

  MY REWARD CHART

  WHAT’S IN SEASON RIGHT NOW?

  SHOPPING LISTS AND FURTHER RESOURCES

  Acknowledgments

  Endnotes

  Back Cover Material

  For Jack and Ayva.

  Thank you for being fussy eaters.

  You inspired me to try something new.

  Introduction

  My daughter was three when anything that resembled plant life suddenly became revolting. She also wouldn’t touch tuna, porridge, anything with a hint of spice (or flavour!) and she would suddenly be hungry, again, just before bed. I could have composted for the entire Royal Botanic Gardens with all the nutritious meals I had to throw out each week. Mealtime tantrums are just a part of life, I thought, as another vegetable frittata became destined for landfill. For the next two years I diligently chopped up the carrots, capsicum and anything green from the fridge and popped them on her plate. And later I’d scrape the vegies and half the rice and most of the meat into the bin.

  Then I read a few scientific studies that revealed how vegies can reduce a child’s risk of life-threatening diseases when they grow up. I began to panic. Oh dear, I thought. Was I being a bad parent? Or worse: was I a crap nutritionist? This was the catalyst that led me to discover effective ways to get children eating healthy foods.

  For those of you who’ve lost hope trying to convince your child to eat meals that include spinach, curry or grainy bread, grab a cuppa, head for the sofa and read on. If you worry your child is not eating enough nutritious foods or are wondering how to slot ‘healthy cooking’ into your hectic schedule, sigh loudly and sit down. This book is designed to help you. More than 90 per cent of parents face these common dilemmas each and every day. You may be the exception. Or you could be one of the majority who want to add a new dimension of fun to your daily activities (and do it while whipping up great family meals). These topics, and more, are covered in the three main sections of this book.

  ***

  Around 90 per cent of parents often have trouble convincing their kids to eat vegetables. However, even if your child consumes most foods, you might want to persuade them to dig your favourite fish curry or savour your nanna’s famous spinach salad (the meals you’ve banished since your child first pronounced ‘yuck’). Chapter 3, ‘Marketing magic’, gives you the tools to fix fussy eating habits, forever.

  Years ago when my daughter became a finicky eater I tried a range of strategies to persuade her to eat. I attempted puréeing vegetables and hiding them in more appealing foods such as muffins, but it just felt wrong. Ayva was five by this stage, not five months, and I wanted her to eat what I was eating. I didn’t want to cook all night so I also bribed her with sugar. I’d say, ‘You can have dessert if you eat all your dinner,’ then I’d hold my breath and anticipate the worst. Reluctantly she ate, complaining the whole time. Great. But then she held me to ransom each night, demanding to know what was on the dessert menu before she’d commit to eating her greens.

  I soon realised these tactics were sending her the wrong messages.

  Then one night I made up a fun story about the green beans and carrots on her plate. And guess what? She ate them. The whole bowl. She did not complain either and we actually laughed during that meal—the deep-bellied laughter, usually reserved for Funniest Home Videos, not carrot consumption.

  This event prompted me to do some investigating. Two years of research and writing, studying marketing books, talking to other parents, observing junk food advertising campaigns and sourcing articles about them, and hundreds of scientific studies later, it became clear what was missing in the battle to get our kids eating nutritious foods. These revelations are contained in Chapter 3.

  My daughter’s taste buds no longer rule our meal choices. She eats tomato, tuna, porridge, all things green and the curry recipes from this book. She is now nine years old and today we went to a play-centre café, lined with rows of tempting iceblock freezers, giant chocolate freckles and cookies in jars. At lunch she came to the counter with me and excitedly asked for the kid’s pizza option from a list of kids meals that were void of anything green and healthy. And being the optimistic (stubborn?) mother I am, I ordered her the adult-sized wholemeal chicken and salad sandwich (the type with tomato, lettuce, carrot, beetroot and sprouts). When the meal was served to my daughter she didn’t throw herself on the ground in protest. There were no ‘Aww muuuum’ complaints. She just ate it (excuse me for bragging with excitement). And since passing on these techniques to other parents, I’ve heard similar success stories over and over again, and you’ll read some of these soon.

  But getting your child to eat healthy foods is only one aspect of this book. Now that your family wants to eat healthy foods, the second half of this book solves that annoying problem called not enough time. Yes, it would be great to have more time. Time to cook a healthy dinner. Time to read the newspaper with your partner (time to shave the woolly mammoth off your legs?). As a busy parent, I’m guessing you need to feed your family quickly and without fuss. After all, your child is probably saying ‘Come and play with me— now.’

  Healthy Family, Happy Family was written after I had my second child, Jack. This is when it hit me that parents and guardians need as much support as possible in order to juggle household duties, work and raising healthy kids. I was a busy working mum with two children. ‘Arsenic hour’—5p.m.—often crept up without warning. Jack, who was seventeen months old at the time, would fish out the soup ladle from the middle drawer and make dinosaur sounds in front of the refrigerator. Ayva would start circling like a shark at dusk, whining ‘Muuum I’m hungry, what can I eat?’ Then it was a race against time to whip up a tasty meal. To be honest, I was really beginning to feel ungrateful for the family I had. The daily battle to 8p.m. was thankless.

  However, I decided that rather than wishing time away, I’d look for ways to make today okay. So I did some investigating to find out how to fix my new time-poor, cooking-anxiety problem. The solution, I found, did not involve seeing a therapist. I cancelled the acupuncturist and called off the kinesiologist. All I needed was six simple time-saving solutions. And then I redesigned my recipes so there was less traditional, time-consuming measuring and weighing of ingredients and more freehand measuring and using up leftovers. Now dinner is whipped up on schedule. And I look forward to cooking because it’s easier.

  In Chapter 4 you’ll also learn why making food preparation faster involves sitting and playing with your child, not standing in the kitchen. In chapters 7, 8 and 9 you’ll find out what to feed your child to give them the best start to life but you won’t have to weigh most of your ingredients or obsess about food choices. When you walk into the supermarket, you’ll never stand in front of the button mushrooms trying to guess how much 200 grams is—instead you’ll just grab three handfuls and be on your way. There are many simple ways to save time in and out of the kitchen so you can spend more quality time with your family.

  When I initially developed and tested the menus and set meal plans in this book I felt organised and relaxed for the first time in years. It was as though my brain had just experienced some sort of vacation (minus the sunb
urn and surprise mini-bar bill). I was so used to rushing each day. I’d go grocery shopping with only two planned meals and then grab the ‘usuals’ off the shelves. Then I’d run out of food mid week (but still have a fridge full of random items like a tonne of wilted silver beet). That’s why Chapter 7, ‘Menus’ and Appendix 4, ‘Shopping lists and further resources’ are my pride and joy. Who needs to meditate halfway up a mountain in order to feel free, when you have all your recipes, menus and shopping lists set out for you?

  You’ll never need to worry if you and your family are receiving the right nutrition for growth and development when using these healthy meal plans, recipes and the corresponding shopping lists. You don’t have to figure out if your child’s eating enough protein to grow properly or fret about food additives that can hamper your child’s concentration during class. There are weekly lunch box guides in Chapter 8 to take the guesswork out of packing school lunches so you’ll know your little ones are getting enough calcium, fibre and a range of cancer-busting nutrients each day.

  This book has a range of programs that you can either adhere to or use in part. You can follow the weekly menus and print out the shopping lists or you can simply try any of the numerous healthy ways to get your family eating vegies and other nutritious foods outlined in Chapter 3 (including the top 10 must do’s). You can also cook whatever recipes you like, in any order you like. Since I specialise in eczema and other skin conditions, I’ve also included recipes for people with special dietary requirements.

  I know at times you’re probably unmotivated to cook but I want you to give yourself a bit of credit when you do whip out the wok. Cooking for both yourself and your family is one of the most loving and kind things you can do for them (and for you). As a parent, eating healthy meals will help you to cope with the daily stressors of family life, you’ll have more energy to play with your children and you’re more likely to be around long enough to know your grandchildren. Food is nourishment and each time you dish up My Favourite Lamb Cutlets, your actions speak volumes about how much you love your family. Healthy foods eaten during childhood can decrease the risk of certain diseases later in life. They help your child to be strong and healthy, and far less moody or hyperactive. So they’re less likely to scream for chocolate or set fire to your garbage bins. Nourishing foods can also give your child energy to play and think properly at school. What could be more rewarding than that?

  Okay, mushy stuff aside. Let’s be honest. Family life does have its challenges (hello midnight nappy changes and that emo teen phase), but family meal time does not have to be one of them. A healthy and happy family is attainable and it’s much easier than you’d imagine. It is not reserved for the rich. God did not give out ‘healthy, agreeable family who eat their greens’ to some people and not others in some lotto-like draw that you didn’t buy a ticket for. You do not need a degree in psychology or a black belt in martial arts to get your family to sit calmly and enjoy their food. I believe this is great news as I’d like to think we could all have a healthy household if only we had some sort of guide that was written in plain English saying ‘Do this and your family will eat!’

  Healthy Family, Happy Family is that manual. I hope you enjoy feeding yourself and your family from now on, and if you do, be sure to spread the joy by letting your friends and relatives know your secret. Here’s to a happy life and a healthy future generation who eats their greens.

  Health and happiness,

  Karen

  Success stories

  Before you get started on you own family’s eating plan for health and wellbeing, I’d like to share with you some success stories from parents, to show you that even some of the fussiest eaters can be won over by using the techniques in this book.

  Hi Karen, my three-year-old has point blank refused any vegies unless she is unaware she’s eating them e.g. in a (very labour-intensive) pattie. When I read your paragraph about your girl eating a whole bowl of vegies once you marketed them the right way to her, I thought ‘Oh, I wish, but there’s no way Sophie would swallow that’. Well, today at lunch time I presented her with a bowl of stir-fried vegies with rice and sold it to her ... And, blow me down with a feather— she ate the entire bowl!!! After lunch she asked if we could have vegies at dinner too. I really hammed it up and made it funny and she laughed a lot but she was really taken by the ideas and then became really proud of herself for eating ‘like a big girl’. I’m just thrilled!

  Patricia Cope, mother of two

  For someone who struggles to read a page a month of any book I just gobbled down your book. Thankyou for taking the lolly argument out of my life! I love saying is ‘Is it lolly day?’. ‘Brainy’ bread has had a big impact. Ed, who is six, is very excited about the human brain and the rest of the body. Overnight he went from white bread to grain bread. We talk a lot about the brain and nerves getting together, sending out different messages to the different parts of the body. It’s lots of fun! Vegies are coming along slowly. Carrots, beans, peas and corn are the regulars. Bit by bit he is increasing the amount of lettuce on his home-cooked burgers. Now if you could work out a way to market ‘sleeping through the night’ to my eleven-month-old ... Thankyou thankyou thankyou.

  Robyn Bernstein, mother of two

  I am still laughing just thinking about when I told my four-year-old girl about power fruit. It was amazing, and we have been talking about it for weeks now! And she will come out with things like ‘Yeah, let’s have some power fruit so I can dance for a really long time’. And when we are at the markets, she picks the ‘power fruit’ that she would like to eat. And as for vegies, it is working well too. And for ‘sometimes food’, you made a lot of sense. I would constantly say no to certain foods, saying that we can only have them sometimes, but I never explained when that would be. So their ‘treat’ for the week is ‘Nutella sandwich Tuesday’, which is only to be on grain bread (white bread no longer exists in our house). No more ‘Can I have a Nutella sandwich today?’, which I was dealing with almost every lunchtime ... I am so glad that I was able to read your books.

  Jasmin Santosuosso, mother of three

  1

  Five important reasons to dish up healthy food to your family

  Me no carrot!’ your child cries in toddler English. ‘Yeah Mum,’ pipes up your eldest child as she passes you her plate of untouched roast vegies. ‘I’m full; I don’t want any more dinner; can we have dessert now?’

  How many times do they complain before you finally give up serving vegetables? Do you let them pick out each piece of spinach from their pasta? Do you revert back to white bread after the grainy sandwich comes home untouched in your child’s lunch box at the end of the day? We’ll get to the 95 healthy food marketing strategies later, which will help enormously. However, right now it’s time to get the scientific information which can boost your resolve to soldier on. It certainly gave me the panic stick I needed to get creative and persuade my eldest child to swap the junk for the ‘jewels’ in the fridge. And after you read this, you—the parent who is all-knowing and wise and stuff—will realise you know best. You always did. You just had cyclone Timothy at the table booming ‘Aww yuck, Mum’ without even sampling a spoonful.

  Reason 1: Kids who eat plenty of vegetables are less likely to have strokes during adulthood

  Picture having to help your child pull on their shirt and socks each day. When they eat, you have to lift the spoon to their mouth and wipe away the drips. You teach them to walk, one step at a time. They are learning to speak. You interpret what your child says so others can understand. Sounds like a typical one year old, but imagine it’s your child at 40 years of age. They’ve survived a stroke.

  What is a stroke? It is a cardiovascular problem that occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain haemorrhages or becomes blocked. It’s bad news as it can leave you partially paralysed, unable to speak properly and your vision and balance can be affected (and that’s if you survive the brain damage).

  According
to Professor Andy Ness from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, children who eat at least 100 grams (3 1⁄2oz) of vegetables per day have a 50 per cent lowered risk of strokes when they grow up.[1] This amount, 100 grams, is the equivalent of one small carrot, a child-sized handful of baby spinach, a small floret of broccoli and two thin slices of zucchini. Sounds like a lot? Well, this amount is recommended in the Australian Government dietary guidelines for children and adolescents as it can give your child the best start to life.[2]

  Reduced stroke risk is a really great reason to promote the peas, catch-cry the carrots and endorse the eggplant as you pop them on your family’s plates.

  Reason 2: People who eat dark leafy greens are less likely to get cancer

  I visited the Sydney Children’s Hospital today. As we were leaving I smiled at a little boy in the hospital corridors. He had a shaved head and looked pale and tired. Chemotherapy can do that. It is used to kill cancer cells but it also makes your hair fall out. You vomit lots and feel nauseous all the time but chemo can also save your life. This boy and his family probably spend a lot of weary moments at this hospital.

  I took my son home and fed him pesto chicken and baby spinach. And I said a dozen silent thankyous.

  I know genetics play a role in the formation of childhood cancers and often there’s nothing you can do to prevent illnesses. But research shows that you can decrease the risk of your child growing up and suffering from cancer during adulthood. And you can do this by feeding them a healthy diet during childhood.[3]

  But when it comes to cancer-busting, not any odd scrap of lettuce will do. Some vegies are much better for you than others. Namely, the dark leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, which are the gold standard in vegetables: both cancer-protective and great for your heart.[4], [5], [6], [7]