When precocious cartoon character Lisa Simpson persuades her family to eat an all-vegetable meal, everyone except Lisa gets sick. Her brother Bart's reaction: "From now on, I'm only eating food that I know had a soul!"
While Bart thinks he's funny, in the real world, it's important — for both body and soul — for kids to eat more vegetables.
A third of North American children are overweight or obese by age 9! Eating a healthy amount of vegetables daily is an effective weapon in the fight against obesity and premature health problems, like elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately, 93 percent of kids don't get the daily recommended amount of vegetables.
We might learn a trick or two from the French, where the rate of obesity is one of the lowest in the developed world. (France was ranked No. 128 by World Health Organization; America is No. 9; Mexico No. 19 and Canada No. 35.)
It seems that when French moms wean children from breast to bottle, they introduce produce to their kids by adding vegetable puree to milk. New North American moms may want to make that part of their game plans.
But if you've missed the window, it's not too late to increase kids' veggie intake. Here’s what you do:
Step 1: Eat YOUR veggies, and eventually your kids may be curious enough to try them.
Step 2: Get kids cooking those green beans and baked apples! They love to taste the results of their hard work.
Step 3: Even for older kids, sneak pureed veggies into spaghetti sauces, stews and soups.
C'est magnifique!
© 2023 NewsmaxHealth. All rights reserved.