12 Sep 2024

Play with your food, and don't disguise vegetables

From Nine To Noon, 11:30 am on 12 September 2024
Close up family eating at dining table. (Photo by Paul Bradbury/Caia image/SCIENCE / NEW / Science Photo Library via AFP)

Photo: Paul Bradbury/Caia image/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

When Jennifer Anderson became a mother, she - like many new parents - realised the uphill battle that can be mealtimes.

Getting young kids to eat their greens, voluntarily, isn't always straightforward - and advice on how to encourage them is polarising.

Do you force them to sit and finish their plate, bribe them with dessert... and at what point, do you just give up on the brussel sprouts?

But Ms Anderson, a registered dietician, took that angst, and honed in on a specialty in feeding children and picky eating.

She founded Kids Eat in Color - a resource to help families feed their children, from their first bite of solid food right through to elementary-aged nutrition needs.