Jessica Turner Balancing career, family and work can be challenging at the best of times and during school term, pressure to make healthy, child-friendly meals intensifies.
There’s an endless list of wellness dos and don’ts: Does fruit have too much sugar? What are “good” carbs? What does “low GI” mean and how will that help kids concentrate in the afternoon? What’s an appropriate portion size for evening meals?
While these are all important questions, some evidence-based answers would be great.
Australian nutrition scientist and dietician Dr Joanna McMillan has released a book that addresses key questions. Get Lean Stay Lean is designed to help people cut through the wealth of healthy “advice” and provide a practical, commonsense approach to family food.
It’s packed with recipes, tips and tricks to ease families back into a healthy, happy routine.
S+C: Have there been any recent discoveries in the world of children’s health and nutrition?
JM: One of the most interesting recent research findings is an association between a high protein intake in infancy and the risk of being overweight both in infancy and up to at least school age. Many parents may be inadvertently be giving their children more protein than necessary, thinking this a good thing. Only more research will illuminate the relationships.
There is also research on the role of iodine deficiency and the impact of this on brain development and IQ. Iodine is low in Australian diets.
In general, people don’t eat enough seafood, seaweed or use iodised salt. Kids in general are just eating too much junk food and not enough whole plant foods.
What healthy food appeals to infants?
Younger children have more sensitive taste buds compared to adults and that helps to explain why they may not like some foods. Many veggies, for example, taste bitter to them.
We are all born with a preference for sweet tastes. This is evolutionary as, in nature, sweet signifies a good energy source of important glucose (fuels the brain) while bitter may signify a poisonous food.
So, to create meals that appeal to them we can take these things into account and add sweeter veggies such as carrot or sweet potato to a mix that includes more bitter ones, such as broccoli.
Foods that are colourful will often appeal, although some kids will prefer their food to be separate rather than mixed together.
Try using different textures, too, as some kids will like cooked soft foods and others, crunchy raw veggies.
Including them in the family meal as often as possible is the best means of encouraging younger children to sample new foods as they will ultimately copy what you do.
How does one appease older children while catering to the needs of younger ones?
Get teenagers involved in the kitchen! If they have had a hand in cooking the meal they will almost certainly be more interested in eating it. (Plus it’s essential they learn how to cook over the coming years so that they can capably look after themselves once they leave home.)
I’m a firm believer in the family meal and not cooking different meals for everyone. No wonder cooking becomes a chore if you’re having to produce several different meals every night!
Meals can be adapted to suit everyone. For example, you may make steak and salad, but make some extra sweet potato chips for the kids and pick out a few of the raw veggies such as cucumber, carrot and cherry tomatoes from the salad to give to the younger kids.
Most of the recipes in my book Get Lean, Stay Lean are suitable for the whole family with these kinds of adaptations where necessary.
Finally don’t underestimate what kids will eat. If you pander to their fussiness constantly how do they ever learn to eat a more adult palate of foods? Let them taste, serve them different recipes.
If they don’t eat that particular meal, rest assured they will not starve overnight!
What are your tips for busy person hoping to strike a healthy balance between family/life and career?
Give some priority to meal times, even if it’s just the evening meal. Try to sit around the table and spend at least 20 minutes together without distractions, such as the TV.
I also think it’s a matter of being prepared and having a few easy recipes you can throw together quickly. I can get a meal on the table in less than half an hour, provided I have the right ingredients on hand.
Joanna shares one of the most-loved recipes from her book: Slow-roasted tomato and scrambled egg breakfast wrap
“I’ve used a sandwich press to toast the wraps, but if you don’t have one you can do this in a large non-stick frying pan instead,” she says.
INGREDIENTS
12 cherry tomatoes, halved
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 garlic clove
Crushed 8 button mushrooms, sliced (see note)
70 g (21/2 oz) rocket (arugula) leaves
8 free-range or organic eggs
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) light milk
4 thin wholegrain wraps 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Pinch of salt flakes
METHOD
Preheat the oven to fan-forced 160°C (315°F/Gas 2–3). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Put the tomatoes on the tray, drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the extra virgin olive oil and the balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
Roast for 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and slightly caramelised. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Preheat a sandwich press, if using.
Heat a teaspoon of the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté for 3–4 minutes or until browned.
Meanwhile, break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together with the milk.
Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
Wipe the pan with paper towel and place over medium heat. Drizzle the pan with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and pour in the egg mixture.
Cook gently, moving the eggs with a wooden spoon until just set (they should still be slightly wet as the mixture will continue to cook off the heat). Remove from the heat and set aside.
Lay out the wraps on your work surface. Divide the rocket between the wraps and place in the centre of each one, then top with the sautéed mushrooms, slow-roasted tomatoes and the scrambled eggs. Fold the bottom of the wrap up into the centre, then fold each side over the other to enclose the filling and form a parcel, open only at the top.
Place in the preheated sandwich press or in a frying pan over medium heat and cook for 1–2 minutes until sealed and heated
Dr Joanna McMillan is a nutrition scientist, accredited practising dietitian and a former fitness instructor – all this giving her sound credentials that help us make our way through the increasingly confusing nutrition and health messages. From her new book Get Lean Stay Lean (Murdoch Books RRP $35).
