When someone mentions the phrase “Mediterranean diet,” what comes to mind for you?
What about salmon, oranges, tomatoes, and olive oil?
You won’t believe it when I tell you that it’s not just for adults.
In addition to being the tastiest diet in the world, the Mediterranean diet also happens to be the healthiest diet in the world.
Fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains (breads), legumes (beans), fish, and nuts are the primary components of this diet.
With a generous amount of herbs and spices instead of salt or butter for a more nutritious option.
Instead of using cheese or yoghurt as primary components of dishes, smaller servings of these dairy products are offered alongside meals.
There is a large variety of salad veggies that are dressed with a flavorful vinaigrette that is made using oil rather than mayonnaise.
During supper, fish takes the place of red meat as the first course, and it is all washed down with a judicious amount of red wine.
Now, I am not proposing that you get your children to drink wine instead of the sugary drinks that they enjoy drinking, but there is no reason why your children can’t consume any of the other components of this diet that is beneficial for the heart.
To begin, let there be no confusion about the fact that this eating plan is not intended to be used for the purpose of weight loss when it is administered to children.
It is a diet that can be followed for an entire lifetime.
Making the Mediterranean Diet Kid Friendly
When you think of the word “diet,” you could think of how the diet of a lion consists of meat, the food of a giraffe consists of leaves and grasses, and the diet of a hen consists of corn.
And the diet that should be followed by humans is the Mediterranean way of eating.
The earlier in life that a person begins following this diet, the better off they will be.
It is now time for the younger generation to start enjoying the benefits of this nutritious and delectable way of life.
You can begin them on this diet as soon as they begin weaning, before they develop a taste for processed foods, fast food, or candy, and you will be able to prevent them from being addicted to these types of foods.
Foods that are known to cause children to gain excess weight and develop diabetes, putting them at risk for a lifetime of illness and disease.
The World Health Organization estimates that there are 340 million children around the world who are considered to be obese.
Even worse, 38 million of those are children under the age of 5! Do you wish for your child to be a part of those troubling statistical averages?
If you haven’t already, the cuisine of the Mediterranean is an excellent way to begin.
Plant foods, such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, form the foundation of the diet that is known as the Mediterranean diet.
It is not a good idea to offer very young children nuts and seeds since there is a risk that they will choke on them and there is also a possibility that they will be allergic to them.
The best way to introduce these meals is gradually.
However, there is not the slightest reason why you cannot begin introducing your child to veggies at a young age.
Choose organic or home-grown vegetables wherever possible, as the chemicals on conventionally produced vegetables have the potential to irritate young stomachs, induce disease, and even damage the development of children.
To begin, you have the option of either puréeing the vegetables or making soup.
You can make them healthier by seasoning them with herbs rather than salt, and this will also help keep your youngster from acquiring a preference for foods that are high in salt.
Once they have been weaned, there is no reason why children cannot eat the same foods as their parents while adhering to the principles of the Mediterranean diet.
If your child already enjoys foods like burgers, chicken nuggets, fish fingers, chips/fries, sweet desserts, and beverages, it may be more difficult to convince them to consume the healthy choices that are part of the Mediterranean diet.
Making stealth swaps is one of the easiest ways to get kids on board with this style of eating without them even realising it.
For instance, you should avoid purchasing spaghetti sauce that is high in both salt and sugar.
Create your own own.
Even better, enlist the assistance of your child.
Unfortunately, students no longer receive instruction on how to cook in school, which contributes to the problem of obesity.
When it comes to food, children are considerably more likely to consume something that their parents have prepared for them.
In addition, one reason why people in the Mediterranean live longer is that they place a high importance on the quality time they spend with their families.
A trip to McDonald’s is not nearly as meaningful as the memories you may create with your kid in the kitchen by teaching them how to cook.
Sitting down to a meal with your children at a table, as opposed to dining in front of the television with food on your lap, is another approach to familiarise them with the eating style of the Mediterranean region.
Not only is this more sociable and beneficial to your digestion, but it also promotes conversation, interaction among family members, and the development of stronger ties.
It is imperative that you do not forget to instruct everyone to leave their mobile phones in another room.
Every week, you should provide your youngster a different type of vegetable.
Encourage them to give it a try multiple times so that their taste receptors can become accustomed to it.
They can always be disguised as something else by being put to soups and stews to begin with.
Another type of food that youngsters may have difficulty eating because of its intense flavour is oily salmon.
They will gladly consume fish fingers coated in ketchup, so you should probably begin by preparing your own, using white fish but omitting the breadcrumbs (which are fluorescent orange).
You can also prepare your own flavorful tomato ketchup on your own.
White fish is not nearly as good as oily fish, therefore you should begin serving oily fish with a more delicate flavour, such as salmon.
The earlier in life that young children are exposed to oily fish like mackerel and sardines, the higher the likelihood that they will desire to continue eating them.
Additionally, observing one’s parents consume them and take pleasure in doing so models positive behaviour for the child.
Children take great delight in acting out their parents’ roles.
Kids go crazy for sweets and candies, but kids should know that fruit is just as tasty and carries a powerful nutritional punch.
Candies can be replaced with delicious fruits like berries, grapes, or chunks of other fruits like apple, pineapple, or banana.
You may also make ice cream by freezing low-fat natural yoghurt or mashed bananas that have been flavoured with fresh fruit puree.
Sugary fruit syrups are not required for this method of preparation.
The consumption of dairy products is significantly lower in the Mediterranean diet in comparison to a typical diet in the United Kingdom or the United States.
Because milk contains calcium, which growing children need for their developing bones and teeth, you should probably continue to include it in their diet until they are completely grown.
However, it does not have to be cow’s milk, which, after all, is created to develop a calf and not a human being.
Other types of milk could be used instead.
Almond milk is another excellent learning activity that you can do with your child.
All you need is some almonds and some water.
However, you shouldn’t forget that there are many additional sources of calcium, such as small oily fish like sardines (where the bones are consumed), and leafy green vegetables like spinach, cress, and kale.
Cut up some sweet potatoes instead of ordinary potatoes if you’re having trouble convincing children to give up their french fries.
Sweet potatoes are packed with Vitamin A and other nutrients, but conventional potatoes only contain a large amount of carbs and not much else.
Bake them after first coating them in olive oil, then seasoning them with salt and pepper.
They will have a deliciously crispy surface and a soft interior, but without all of the fat and salt that is typically included in traditional methods.
Smoothies, or milk shakes as they are more often known, are another excellent method for introducing new flavours.
Most of the time, your youngster will try anything simply because of the name of it.
And once they do, they can’t get enough of it.
You may give your child’s favourite nut milk a tropical flavour by smuggling in some pineapple or mango after adding banana to the milk.
Better yet, add some spinach; the finished product will have a vivid green colour, but you can still call it monster juice.
I have no doubt that your kid will be interested in giving it a shot.
Another method to encourage youngsters to try new meals is to lay out a variety of foods on a table and let everyone pick and mix what they want to eat from that spread.
Make it sound like a joyful and exciting journey to discover new flavours by requiring everyone to sample at least one bite of everything.
Say that everyone is required to try at least one bite of everything.
Then, once that is done, they are free to select anything they wish.
Children might feel more in control of their own lives when they are given the opportunity to make choices.
They might even select something that you would have originally provided for them to have.
There are a lot of grownups I know who won’t eat certain kinds of vegetables. Take broccoli rabe and cauliflower as two examples.
You need only break out of your routine when it comes to preparing them, and you will be able to win over even the most picky eaters.
Try roasting them instead of boiling them, with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar sprinkled over the top before serving.
They will acquire a delectable caramelization as a result, which will completely alter the flavour.
The most important thing to take away from this is the fact that the key to having the greatest amount of success is teaching children about healthy eating in general and the Mediterranean diet in particular at the earliest possible age.
It will protect children from getting a wide variety of diseases that shorten people’s lifespans and, perhaps more importantly, it will teach them skills that they may pass on to future generations.
There is not the slightest reason why youngsters should not be able to take advantage of the numerous benefits that the Mediterranean diet offers.
The earlier they get started, the more rewards they will receive.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy our future posts
References
Processed Foods and Health: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/processed-foods/
Obesity and overweight: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight/
Pesticides and human health: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aaron-Blair-4/publication/270003458_Pesticides_and_human_health/links/54ca31d90cf2c70ce52192fa/Pesticides-and-human-health.pdf
Food education at Schools Today https://www.royalacademyofculinaryarts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HALM-2008-Hospitality-and-Leisure-Manpower1.pdf.
Family Meals, Conviviality, and the Mediterranean Diet among Families with Adolescents: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7967627/
Young children learn by copying you!: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/young_children_learn_by_copying_you
Lifestyle Approaches to Promote Bone Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK45523/
Calcium content of common foods: https://www.osteoporosis.foundation/patients/prevention/calcium-content-of-common-foods
10 Top Tips To Empower Kids: https://e2epublishing.info/blog/2016/9/13/10-top-tips-to-empower-kids
A quick note about the articles on this site: All posts and reviews are done as honestly as possible and I make no promises to the reader that they will lose weight, improve there health and well being or will cure any problems which the post talks about. That being said I have studied the topics on my website and have personally found them to be most helpful. Should you click a link on this site that takes you to a paid product this link will be an affiliate link and I will be paid a percentage of the sales price should you decide to purchase that product.