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Nutrition Advice: Getting Your Five a Day
A shock new poll reveals many parents are less clued up than their kids about healthy eating.
Experts say teaching kids to eat healthily is a huge part of setting them up for a healthy later life, but it seems many adults are clueless when it comes to getting a balanced diet, according to the poll by www.iminseason.com.
The survey also found that the majority of children admitted to telling fibs about the amount of vegetables that they really did eat.
“Learning from an early age about where food comes from, seasonal eating and how different fruits and vegetables can benefit health is so important," says nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton.
Unknown to three quarters of the parents surveyed, vegetables in cooked meals such as sauces also count towards the daily target.
"Getting children involved in the cooking is a great way for parents and kids to learn about healthy eating together,” says Ruxton.
Getting Your Five a Day: Healthy Kids Recipe
If you're a parent looking to include more fruit and vegetables in your child's diet, try this celeb chef recipe by Amanda Grant.
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Hidden Veg Pasta with Parmesan by Amanda Grant
Serves 6
Ingredients:
• 30ml olive oil
• 1 leek, washed and finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 asparagus spears, chopped
• 200g broccoli, roughly chopped
• 200g cauliflower, roughly chopped
• 400g can plum tomatoes
• 6 ripe fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 500g tomato passatta
• Pinch of light soft brown sugar
• 5ml balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 500g penne pasta
• 4 handfuls grated Parmesan cheese
For the salad:
• 1 chicory head
• Approx 200g fresh lettuce leaves
• 1/2 cucumber cut in half, sliced
For the dressing:
• 60ml olive oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 5ml honey to taste
Method:
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, add chopped leek and garlic, cover and sweat
gently for 10 minutes or until soft. Add all other vegetables, cover and sweat for another 10 minutes or until soft.
• Add plum tomatoes, fresh tomatoes and tomato passatta and simmer uncovered
for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Season to taste with sugar and vinegar.
• Blend using a hand-held blender or food processor until smooth.
• Bring a pan of water to boil, cook pasta and drain.
• Meanwhile, finely slice the chicory and mix in a bowl with lettuce leaves
and cucumber.
• Mix together dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad.
• Add enough tomato vegetable sauce to coat the pasta and mix well, scatter
cheese over the top.
• Serve the pasta with salad.