Fun and Healthy Foods Kids WILL Eat!

Summer’s finally here and we’re on vacation! How do we make eating fun and healthy? Try adding some colour at meal time. This might be a scary thought for some of us as we try and find ways to make healthy and nutritious meals for our kids on the go. The challenge is even more daunting when we travel away from home for vacation.   

Picky Eaters

Many kids are picky eaters and tend to only want to eat bland coloured foods such as the colour white, and they are unlikely to eat foods with bright colours. Here are the reasons why:

1. It looks non-threatening - bland coloured foods look very safe to them. 
    
2. Its the colour of lots of kid’s favourite processed foods like bread, crackers, chicken nuggets, applesauce, peeled apple slices, French fries, white mac and cheese and mozza sticks.
    
3. Subconsciously they trust the colour because it doesn’t hurt their tummies.
   (source: www.yourkidstable.com)

Trying to come up with different ways of introducing new and nutritious foods into our finicky chidrens’ stomaches can be a challenge. A fun way to do this is by adding some fun and colour into the mealtime routine.

How Does Colour Affect The Way We Eat?

Colour has shown to influence how we feel about a product, how we make decisions and how we interpret messages. Just as colour theory applies to marketing a product, it can also apply to how we perceive the food we place in front of us.

Make meals this Summer that are full of all the colours of the rainbow for a multi-coloured flavourful experience that’s sure to put smiles on your childrens’ faces. Let's start by breaking down a little bit of colour theory for you with a little help from Adobe.

Colour Your Food Fun

Red
Red is a very strong colour with associations both positive and negative. On the positive side, red symbolizes strength, passion, and confidence. Choose a varied mix of red foods in your kid’s mealtime such as apples, strawberries, tomatoes, grapes, mini sweet peppers, cherries, pomegranate, Babybel cheese, grass-fed beef sticks. (source: blog.workman.com)

Orange
Orange is bright and full of energy. Happy, playful, fun, powerful and attention-grabbing are all attributes that you can infuse into your kids meals with the colour orange. Tasty orange treats for kids include oranges, cantaloupes, clementines, tangerines, papaya, carrots, orange peppers, squash, orange juice, and cheddar cheese.

Yellow
Yellow signals cheerfulness and adds a pop of refreshment to your palette. Yellow foods for kids include bananas, pineapple, corn, hard boiled eggs, yellow peppers, pasta, Goldfish snacks, yellow raisins and lemons. Cool down with some thirst-quenching lemonade!

Green
Green is one of the most versatile colours in the colour wheel as it lends an organic feel when a darker colour, and a brighter hue is seen as more refreshing and energetic. Why not try a green smoothie! Green foods include grapes, cucumber, sweet peas, broccoli, kale, lettuce, lime, honeydew melon and avocado to name a few.

Blue
Blue is calming, soothing and friendly and denotes a sense of trustworthiness. Capitalize on this by adding some blue into your kids lunch box to help build trust when adding new foods into their diet. Blue foods include blueberries, red cabbage, purple/blue potatoes, and blue cheese.

Purple
Purple is an elegant colour. It’s richness also signifies loyalty. Purple is traditionally feminine and also has ancient ties to royalty and luxury. Purple foods include eggplant, purple corn, grapes, purple cabbage, blackberries, purple potatoes, purple cauliflower and elderberries.

Pink
Pink is a powerful colour that makes people think of passion, love and youth. Hot pink packs more of a punch, while dusty pink is more calming and neutral. Pink treats include watermelon, peaches, radishes, plums, pink salmon, red dragon fruit, pink grapefruit, raspberries, strawberries (when mixed with other ingredients in a smoothie), rhubarb, pink lemonade and more!

Brown
Neutral and natural, brown has a warm feeling associated with it as it’s an earthy colour that’s organic in feel. Wholesome in nature, brown is an excellent colour to add in your kids mealtime palette. Brown foods include hamburger, dates, brown rice, pecans, walnuts, chocolate, and oatmeal. Consider introducing high-fiber whole-grain foods into your kids diets such as whole-wheat bread, tortillas, pasta, and brown rice.

Gray and Black
Lets face it - nobody really wants to eat food that’s either gray and black in colour so we won’t even entertain this idea!

Healthy and Colourful Recipe Ideas

By focusing on colorful foods that are both nutritious and appealing, you can create a healthy mealtime experience that not only promotes healthy eating habits for kids but also makes mealtime more enjoyable and exciting. Here are some colorful food ideas that are both nutritious and appealing to children.

• Cook up some colourful omelettes by adding diced veggies like spinach, bell peppers, tomatoes and broccoli for a colourful and nutritious breakfast that starts the day off on the right foot (recipe below).
   
• Frozen Yogurt Bark is a tasty treat kids love. Simply mix yogurt with colourful fruits and pour over some parchment paper on a flat baking sheet and freeze for a healthy snack (recipe below).
   
• Cool down with some colourful fruit and yogurt smoothies. They are so easy to make. Simply mix together some fruit juice, yogurt, pieces of the kids’ favourite fruit, ice and mix it all up in a blender for some tasty goodness! (recipe below)
   
• Prepare some rainbow veggie wraps with colourful vegetables like bell peppers (red, yellow and orange), spinach leaves, carrots and cucumbers in whole wheat wraps with hummus or cream cheese and cut into bite sized pieces for snacking (recipe below).
   
• Add colour to ice cubes by adding fruit juice! Make them extra special by placing some fruit pieces into the trays before freezing for a fruity surprise once the ice cube melts.
   
• Change up a boring salad by adding Quinoa! Mix cooked quinoa with diced colourful veggies like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, sweet peas and corn kernels for a bowl of rainbow coloured fun! (recipe below)
   
• Turn Friday pizza night into an art contest by letting the kids be creative when adding their favourite colourful toppings to make it their own. Use whole wheat pita bread or tortillas as pizza crusts for a tasty crispy crust.  Choose the most creative and colourful winner — everyone wins!

All Aboard the Healthy Eating Train

Colorful foods aren’t just visually appealing; they also pack a nutritional punch! From vibrant red tomatoes bursting with antioxidants to leafy greens teeming with vitamins, and golden oranges rich in vitamin C, each color signifies a unique array of nutrients. Embrace the rainbow on your chidren’s plates by introducing healthy foods in a fun, colourful and entertaining way. It’s a strategic way to add healthy foods into your kids meals anytime - not just Summertime! 

Five Flavourful Recipes with Colour

Explore a world of fun and colorful foods that will make every meal an adventure for kids! Here are five tasty meals from Eating Well Health and Lifestyle Magazine that are sure to make their eyes light up with excitement. Eating healthy has never been so much fun! 

Fruit Yogurt Smoothie

Rainbow Veggie Wrap

Broccoli Cheese Omelet

Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

Rainbow Chopped Salad