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As parents and caregivers, many of us struggle to make our kids eat right especially when it is BEANS! Apart from the usual flatulence after eating beans, the appearance is usually not inviting at all and kids don’t just get WHY. Here’s my five tips on how to make your kids fall in love with this lovely and nutritious meal.
Eat Beans: More often than not kids learn by what they see. They see their parents do stuff and they want to copy or try out because they saw mommy doing that. In most homes, the motivating factor to cook generally is because the parents love that particular meal not necessarily because it is a nutritious and heathy meal which isn’t the right thing to do. Except you are allergic to a certain type of food or some ingredients, as long as it is a nutritious meal, parents should prepare and encourage their kids to eat all kinds of foods including beans. If parents have a healthy attitude towards beans and kids see their parents eat beans, the probability of them eating beans will be high.
Variety is the spice of life: There are so many ways of preparing beans; beans and rice (jollof or separately), beans and corn, beans and plantain (fried or boiled plantain), beans and sweet potatoes, beans and yam, beans soup and Irish potatoes, plain beans and stew and so on. Kids love plantain, potatoes and corn and a clever way of encouraging them to eat beans is to sneak it into the meals they love to eat. Preparing varieties of beans and presenting them well is key to success.
Success stories: A lot of times when I give my kids meals that are nutritious but they do not really enjoy, I tell them stories about how strong, big and beautiful they’ll be when they grow, the nutrients and vitamins that these foods contain and how lucky they are to have a mom like me who makes sure they are properly fed…hehhehehe. And then you need to see their faces after my sermon.
Punishment: As a parent, you should never use food as a punishment because it can backfire. For example, when a child does something wrong, you give the child beans as a punishment for that wrong act. The child begins to hate that food even when he/she doesn’t do wrong, and the food is being presented, the child will hate to eat that food.
Partners at Work: Involving your child in the preparation of the meal is an amazing way of encouraging a child to eat beans. Picking the dirts and stones from the beans should be a partnership and we all know how kids love to help out in the kitchen. Encouraging them to take part in the preparation process makes it easier for them to appreciate the outcome.
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