Back to school is upon us. As we send our kids into classrooms, we can't watch over what they put in their mouths every minute of every day. (Who would even want to?) So we try to guide them toward healthy eating habits when we're not around and, ideally, for the rest of their lives. But how are we supposed to do that? Aliza J. Sokolow wrote This Is What I Eat to help parents and kids figure it out. The coloring and activity book celebrates fruits and veggies while helping kids explore their own palates.
While working as an assistant food stylist on the TV show Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, Sokolow started working with kids in underserved communities who didn't have access to healthy eating. "Working on that show changed my life," she says. "I decided that's what I wanted to do when I grow up."
KCRW: Texture can be an issue with kids and picky eaters. How should we entice kids with color and texture?
Aliza J. Sokolow: I've seen a lot of kids who have a lot of texture issues. I learned that when getting kids to eat different foods, if you cut it up and put it out, they're going to eat it. You're in charge, not your child. So if you want to take your kid grocery shopping or to the farmers market or your local bodega, have them be a part of [the experience]. Say "Let's search for red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables today. Then we'll cut them up and try them."
I think forcing your kids to try things doesn't always work. Keep putting it on their plate and eventually, they will try that carrot or that bell pepper. Keep having it as an option but don't force them into eating it.
This Is What I Eat encourages kids to explore, and hopefully expand, their palates. Photo credit: Laure Lowen/Random House
Are there any hands-on activities that you can recommend to get kids involved and interested in fruits and veggies?
There are a lot of really fun activities in This Is What I Eat. I've learned over the years — this is true of not only kids but adults — that if you grow or plant something yourself, you're going to be really excited to eat it. Growing an avocado from a pit, that's something you can watch happen. Even if you don't have a garden space, you can regrow basil or grow herbs in your window. Getting kids involved in growing their own food is major in getting them excited to eat.
We know that most kids really respond well to and love routine. With that in mind, how do you create routines around mindful eating?
I think routine is the best thing to get kids, and adults, into any sort of habit. I work with the Partnership For A Healthier America. They have a program called Veggies Early & Often. Getting kids between the ages of two and five into the habit of eating vegetables every day, whether that's at dinner or having a bag of vegetables in their lunchbox, that creates a longstanding love of vegetables and of being a healthy human.
Personally, when I was growing up, every night before dinner, our available option for snacking was always a crudité situation. Whether it was black olives that we would put on our fingers and eat with carrots, peppers, celery and cucumbers, it was the one thing I could count on every night to start dinner. A lot of people have their kid make a salad every night so they know, "This is what we do as a family." To have that one thing be consistent every single evening is something that creates a healthy eater long-term.
It brings so much joy. I really focus on "you are what you eat." So if you are eating a bunch of vegetables, you're probably going to feel great and your body is going to be really pleased with you.
The cover of This Is What I Eat, a coloring and activity book that celebrates fruits and veggies. Photo credit: Laure Lowen/Random House
It’s relatively easy to limit the sugary snacks for kids at home, but what about in the real world, where temptation and availability is omnipresent? How do you train kids to make healthy decisions?
In this culture, people talk about "cheat days" or they'll say, "Oh no, I broke my diet." But if you think about the week as a whole, you have 21 opportunities for meals (if you're doing three meals a day). So if you decide to eat an ice cream or whatever it is that you consider "unhealthy," it's not going to ruin your entire routine. I think it's okay to live a little. We're human. I love eating ice cream but I don't do it every day. So when I do, it's a real treat. I think you should allow yourself to indulge in those things. Have an ice cream or a piece of pie once in a while.
Where can we visit with children so they can better understand where food comes from and how it makes its way to the table?
Living in Los Angeles, we have the opportunity to go to a lot of farmers markets. A lot of cities have farmers markets but [if you don't], take your kids grocery shopping with you or to a local farm stand. Here, we have the capability to visit farms, which is awesome, and being able to pick your own [produce]. Or get lettuce to grow in your house with a vertical farm. If you get your kids involved in the process of purchasing or picking out what they're eating, they're going to be a lot more excited to eat it.
Aliza J. Sokolow, author of This Is What I Eat, urges parents to make their children part of the experience of grocery shopping. Photo credit: Izak Rappaport
Aside from raw fruits and vegetables, do you have any simple recipes that incorporate fresh ingredients into a healthy cooked meal that children would embrace?
I was private cheffing for a girl last year and we were very into doing stir fries (she was vegetarian). Taking onions, different color bell peppers, broccoli and other vegetables and quickly sauteing them in a pan goes a long way. I also love to do a lot of Israeli shirazi-type salads. I call it a confetti salad. I take whatever fun, raw, crunchy ingredients I find at the farmers market and chop them up. That's one of my favorite ways to eat vegetables.
Cooking does not need to be complicated, a lot of it is just assembling. When I cook vegetables, I'm very simple with them and usually just toss them in the oven or a pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. I let the vegetables speak for themselves.
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As kids, we all received at least one lecture about food scarcity and cleaning our plates. Do you have suggestions for teaching kids about food waste without it turning into dinner table dogma?
One of the things I like to talk about is composting. I think that most people have green bins now so potentially being able to turn your waste into soil... I've traveled around the world and seen scarcity. Even in our own city, people don't have access to healthy fruits and vegetables. I think that not putting too much on your plate is a really important thing. And also being able to give back, so volunteering or hosting a canned food drive at your school, that's also a major part.
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