Kids' menu grows up

Toddlers will nosh on global flavors, if you introduce them now. Hold the burger and fries.

By JANET K. KEELER
Published May 30, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Scott Keeler] Moroccan couscous and chickpea stew with flatbread and dipping sauce is a good meal to introduce your child to global flavors.

Can't imagine your toddler eating olive and butter sandwiches?

Little kids in Israel do.

No mushy lentils and rice for your wee one?

That's a standard meal for Indian children.

Greek kids learn early in life to pull apart the leaves of cooked artichokes. Chickpea fritters, otherwise known as falafels, are popular with Lebanese children. In Singapore and Malaysia, noodles in coconut milk with shrimp is special fare for adults and youngsters.

The world is full of children eating interesting food, and if you want yours to be among them, you need to start early. Any 2-year-old who will eat spaghetti can be offered buttered whole-wheat bow-tie pasta with cooked winter squash chunks and ricotta cheese.

"Kids are picky eaters as long as parents let them be," writes Frances Boswell in Food Adventures: Introducing Your Child to Flavors from Around the World Kyle Books, 2007. "When you say your toddler won't eat anything but white bread, the reality is that you, the parent, cannot tolerate the storm."

Unfortunately, that storm gathers strength when kids reach school age. "Once independence is established, every unknown food is likely to be rejected," writes Elisabeth Luard, Boswell's co-author.

Introducing global flavors early has several advantages, especially if the adults in the house are sophisticated eaters. There's less preparation if everyone eats the same thing. The kids can eat what the parents are having in smaller amounts.

Also, widening a young child's notion of meals can lead to healthier eating. Variety is not only the spice of life, it's also the sustainer. Yes, white rice is appealing and easy, but there are so many other, sometimes more nutritious, grains, such as brown rice, bulgur, barley and couscous.

The same is true with noodles (try udon or soba) and fruits (offer mango, papaya and kiwi). Most children love cheese, so don't limit them to slices of processed product wrapped in plastic. Mild cheese such as German butterkase or Dutch gouda are good for nibbling. Crumbles of Italian ricotta salata or Mexican queso blanco are yummy over refried beans. Most grocery stores these days have a selection of cheeses beyond American.

And the adults have to be role models. Children pattern their eating habits after their parents. Do you have a steady diet of fast food burgers? So will your children.

"I always told the mothers, you have to make the food interesting and tasty. The thing that you would not take, how could the child take that? If you cannot eat it, you cannot expect your children to eat it, " says Dr. S.P. Nanda, a retired pediatrician from New Delhi now living in Pinellas Park. He is the author of the self-published Everyday Indian Cooking, a collection of home recipes that's available for $15.99 on Amazon.com.

Though Indian food can be spicy-hot, Nanda says food prepared for young palates should be generally free of heat.

"Anything that hurts their mouth, they will resent it and won't take it again," he says.

But spice, which Indian cooks are masters of, is not the same thing as spicy. Coriander, cumin, nutmeg and cinnamon, perhaps not all together, can entertain a toddler's taste buds just as much as they do an adult's. It's common for Indian children to eat ground chicken kebabs that contain myriad flavorings including cilantro, cumin and ginger.

"My grandson used to call them Indian hot dogs," Nanda says.

Imagine a high-chair tray smeared with chickpeas and couscous or yellow rice with coconut milk. Imagine a meal beyond chicken nuggets and PB&J.

Start the revolution, before they can revolt.

Janet K. Keeler can be reached at (727) 893-8586 or e-mail jkeeler@sptimes.com Read her recipe blog, Stir Crazy, at www.blogs.tampabay.com/food.

Tips for parents

Toddlers are curious so they are at a perfect age to sample a variety of foods. Just like adults, they will enjoy some offerings and reject others. Do not force them to eat.

Some ways to give them a taste of what the world eats:

- Bread: Keep them away from white as long as possible; offer whole-grain instead. Consider alternatives: tortillas, focaccia, pita, naan, as well as Wasa and other hearty crackers.

- Grains and pasta: Pasta comes in many shapes, including Greek orzo and Middle Eastern couscous. Offer brown rice over white. Use pearl barley in soups.

- Vegetables: Give them finger food, which little hands love. Asparagus spears, green beans, broccoli florets and grape tomatoes (halved) are easy to eat.

- Meat: A little goes a long way, and shredded or minced is probably best. Avoid steak or anything that has to be chewed a lot.

- Spice and herbs: Don't shy away from flavorings to brighten bland foods.

Other suggestions

- A toddler's stomach is only about as big as his fist. Offer small amounts.

- Eat with your youngster and eat the same thing.

- Toddlers love to graze. Serve food in small bowls, rather than mixed together on one large plate.

- Some dishes that taste bland to adults are interesting to kids. Don't oversalt the food to make it more palatable to grownups.

- They love to dip, too. Get them to try small meatballs with a side of marinara or mini-falafels with tzatziki sauce (yogurt, cucumber and mint; go easy on the raw garlic).

- Test your child's palate with takeout food. Chinese pot stickers, matzo ball soup and Indian samosas are good places to start.

- Talk to your pediatrician about dietery concerns, including possible allergic reactions or when to introduce certain foods. For instance, nuts are not usually offered to children until they are at least 2.

[Last modified May 29, 2007, 20:39:48]