Supersize me
Text: Annabel Karmel. Photography supplied. Article from the September 2012 issue of Living and Loving Magazine.
Obesity in children all over the world is on the rise. But what can we do to avoid it? Annabel Karmel has some tips and recipes.
Technology-enslaved children lazing on the couch, snacking on junk food and rarely going outside, are in danger of being outlived by their parents. But how do we stop this from happening?
Parents often worry about how much food they should be giving their baby. However, each child is different and therefore has a different appetite or uses more or less energy than other babies. If you’re worried about your baby being too large for his age, seek medical advice before putting him on a diet, as this may do more harm than good.
When your child is a year or older, there are a few things you can do to keep him on a healthy diet.
Start the day well
It’s not good for a child to go to school on an empty stomach. He needs energy and concentration until lunchtime, and the best way to deliver a steady supply of energy to the brain is to give him complex carbohydrates like porridge or muesli, or scrambled eggs on wholewheat toast.
Pack healthy lunchboxes
Giving your child a healthy but delicious selection of foods can make a real difference. Avoid everything coming back uneaten by being a bit more inventive in what you offer. Instead of giving him a plain sandwich and an apple, make pasta salads or wraps with different fillings, and make muffins or flapjacks instead of giving him chocolate bars.
When your kids are little, peel a naartjie and wrap it in cling film; children don’t like making an effort with food, and therefore whole fruits are often left uneaten.
Supposedly healthy snacks
Check yoghurts and cereal bars for high sugar content, and check the labelling on juice drinks – these often have more sugar than fruit juice.
Smart snacking
To prevent obesity in children, don’t allow grazing on unhealthy snacks between meals. Children generally arrive home starving, so cut up fresh fruit or raw vegetables, and serve them with a dip like hummus. Pitta pockets or tortilla wraps filled with tuna or chicken and salad are also good, and it’s quick and easy to make salads with tasty dressings.
Hide the veggies
What children can’t see, they can’t pick out. Create meals in which vegetables can be blended into, such as a tomato and vegetable sauce for pasta, or a creamy tomato soup made with carrots, onions and celery.
Don’t pander to fussy eaters
The more you give in to your child by offering only a few favourites like chicken nuggets, chips and pizza, the more fussy he’ll become. Make food fun to eat. Thread beef, chicken or salmon pieces onto skewers, or provide child-friendly chopsticks with a vegetable and noodle stir-fry.
Encourage your child to be active
This is as important as feeding him healthy and tasty meals. Buy a trampoline or climbing frame for the garden, or why not invest in some bicycles and go for family bike rides?
Cook with your kids
Most children love to cook, and a good way to get them to try new foods is to let them have a hand in preparing it. It’s also a great way of bonding with your child, and at the same time, they’re learning lots of skills like weighing, measuring and telling the time.
Set a good example
You can’t expect your child to eat healthily if you yourself graze in front of the TV and live off junk food – this can lead to obesity in children and can set a habit for unhealthy living that they may have for the rest of their lives.
Ban soft drinks
Most soft drinks contain the equivalent of several lollipops or a pack or two of sweets. Freshly squeezed orange juice is good, but dilute it for younger toddlers, as fresh fruit juice contains a lot of fruit sugars and acid, which aren’t good for their teeth.
Long-lasting energy
Give your kids more complex carbohydrates like baked potato, pasta, wholewheat bread and vegetables. These are absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream than simple carbohydrates like white rice, sugary refined breakfast cereals, cakes and biscuits, so they provide a more constant supply of energy and keep hunger at bay.
Sweet Potato & Butternut Soup with Cheesy Croutons
Makes 4 portions suitable for freezing
Soup
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
- 200g peeled butternut, diced
- 150g peeled sweet potato, diced
- 450ml chicken stock
Croutons
- 2 slices white bread
- A little olive oil
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and ginger and fry for 3 minutes. Add the potato and squash and coat the mixture in the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, and add the stock.
- Bring to the boil, and then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Blend, using a hand blender until smooth.
- To make the croutons, stamp 4 star shapes out of the white bread using a star cutter. Lightly brush the bread with a little oil on both sides. Place the croutons on a baking sheet. Grill on one side, and then sprinkle with cheese and grill on the other side until golden.
- Serve on top of the soup.
Chinese fried rice
If you don’t want a vegetarian version, you can stir in 170g cooked prawns or chicken with the rice.
Makes 4-6 portions
- 200g rice
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce plus 1 tsp for the egg
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
- 50g baby corn, cut into small disks
- 1/4 red pepper, diced
- 100g frozen peas
- Cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet. Allow to cool.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan (approx. 28cm diameter).
- Beat the eggs with 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp water. Cook the eggs in the pan and swirl to make a thin omelette. Cook until just set, and then flip it over and cook for a few seconds on the other side. Roll it up in the pan like a Swiss roll, remove from the pan, place it on a board, and cut into thin slices.
- Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry the onions for 2 to 3 minutes until they start to brown.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute, and then stir in the sugar and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring until the sugar has melted.
- Add the pepper and corn, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the corn is starting to soften.
- Add the cooled rice and peas, and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the rice is hot and the peas are cooked.
Home-made Strawberry Jelly
It’s easy to make your own delicious jelly using fruit juice, gelatine and fresh berries. Use these fun moulds or make the jelly in little ramekins that can be easily taken out of the fridge when needed.
Makes 4 glasses
- 150ml strawberry Ribena cordial (or similar strawberry flavoured cordial)
- 200ml clear apple juice
- 4-5 leaves gelatin (swap with vegetarian alternative if you wish)
- 150ml water
- 75g raspberries
- 75g fresh strawberries, quartered
- Handful of blueberries
- Pour the strawberry cordial, apple juice and water into a saucepan, and heat gently until hot to the touch. Set aside.
- Place the gelatine in a bowl of cold water. Leave to soak for about 5 minutes, and then squeeze out the liquid and add to the warm strawberry mixture. Stir until dissolved and leave to cool.
- Divide the fruits between the glasses, pour over the jelly, transfer to the fridge, and leave to set for about 6 hours or overnight if possible.
Salmon Lollipops
Makes 8 skewers
For the glaze
Lollipops
- 2 x 150g salmon fillets, with the skin removed
- 8 bamboo skewers soaked in water for 30 minutes
- Pour the orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce and vinegar into a saucepan. Boil for 2½ to 3 minutes until syrupy (the bubbles will become quite large, so check how much it reduces).
- Pour into a shallow bowl and leave to cool.
- Preheat the grill. Cut salmon into 4 pieces each.
- Toss the salmon in the glaze, and then thread onto skewers.
- Grill for 2 minutes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Turn them over and spoon over remaining glaze. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes until cooked through.
- Cool slightly before serving.
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