Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei Hayeshua
Hospital
We'll take a break from our columns on the kidneys to answer
a letter from a beautiful place called Zichron Yaakov. I
wrote about eating healthy, and my correspondent requested
recipes. I will bli neder send some through email, but
I would like to make the following points about feeding
kids.
I mentioned that eating habits are established early. A fat
kid at age eight will remain so for life. An infant always
finds a bottle easier to use than to nurse, and will eat more
and often become too chubby. Some say -- I don't know if the
evidence is that good -- that if you eat, for example, a lot
of carrots during pregnancy the child will like carrots.
Also, fats taste good and are very filling. That's how Hashem
made it, and it protects us if there are times when no food
is available. Now, boruch Hashem we have plenty, but
there are diseases that come from overeating. So in a
nutshell, low fat is the way to go, as well as less starches
and eating less.
Some exceptions: Nuts and fish are fatty but very healthy.
Nuts and seeds should be eaten in moderation, but are a good
snack instead of Bamba. Be careful though with peanuts (in UK
called groundnuts). They are hard to digest, very fatty and
are the most common food allergy and the most common allergy
to cause death. Peanut butter is not a good food.
The goal is to get children to eat vegetables, fruit and
protein. Let's speak about vegetables first. Salads are
popular in Israel. Celery and carrots eaten in a salad or raw
are very popular finger foods and a good choice. A good salad
can be made with a little black pepper, lemon juice, and
vinegar with a touch of oil.
Canned vegetables are a turnoff to kids. The flavor is
horrible with the exception of pickles. Try taking fresh
cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, and beets (yes, beets)
and if you do not overcook them, they are sweet and a good
treat. I successfully weaned a child of mine off of pizza and
on to fresh steamed cauliflower. The key is to remove the
vegetable from the boiling water when you smell the aroma of
it. Beets need longer cooking. Buying a wok and stir frying
vegetables adds a new dimension.
Let's say the kids are hooked on borekas. Try this:
Cook boreka dough and make a crust. Then fill the pie
with pieces of chicken, frozen vegetables and add a mixture
of one cup of chicken soup (or one cup of water and two
heaping teaspoons of chicken soup mix) with one-and-a-half
tablespoons of flour. Cover the pie with boreka dough,
make holes and cook. You have created a chicken pot pie -- an
all time kid's favorite. Gradually reduce the amount of dough
-- first by serving without the upper crust.
Try the bait-and-switch game. One boreka in return for
four beet slices.
Here is another easy recipe and low fat. Slice a sweet potato
and put a very small amount of margarine with a touch of
garlic and dill (Mazzola makes it already made). Cook for a
good treat. Mixing soy sauce and chicken soup mix is the base
for chicken or vegetable chow mein. Get kids involved by
letting them help! Write me in care of the Yated. I
love cooking, so I could write more if you want!
A message from Glaxo, sponsor of this column. Allergy
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