When the pandemic first hit the U.S. last March, and we found ourselves working and learning from home and had a lot more time on our hands, many of us made our way to the kitchen to bake sourdough bread and sweet treats and make homemade meals from scratch. Many of us also brought our kids into the kitchen to teach them how to cook, to spend quality time together, and to bond. In fact, according to Guelph Family Health Study, 50% of parents involved their kids in cooking more often during the pandemic.
While cooking can often feel like a chore, or something you don’t have time for, cooking with your kids is one of the best ways to get them out of their picky eating habits, encourage them to eat their vegetables, and become healthy, adventurous eaters. Although it may be messy, it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or stressful and you can use it as an opportunity to teach a life skill, spark creativity and build a stronger relationship with your kids.
In this episode, I’m talking with Katie Kimball, founder of KitchenStewarship.com and the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse about where the idea of “kid-friendly food” and kids menus came from, the many benefits of cooking with kids, and why it’s more important than ever that we do. Plus, Katie serves up easy, practical tips to teach your kids how to cook—and even make dinner on their own.
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Be sure to sign up for the free video course, Turn Your Picky Eaters Into Little Foodies: https://www.julierevelant.com/free-video-email-course/.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 42:49 — 29.4MB)
Welcome
2:30 Why is there this misplaced belief that kids will only eat “kid-friendly foods?”
6:37 Where did the idea for kid’s menus come from?
11:20 Why, now more than ever, is it vital that we re-think how we feed our kids?
19:30 What does research tell us about when we can have the greatest impact on kids’ eating habits?
21:35 What are all of the benefits of teaching kids how to cook?
26:33 For parents who don’t know how to cook or don’t like to cook, what are some easy steps they can take?
39:35 How do we redefine play, how we spend our time, and dinner?
33:07 What are some simple, practical tips for parents to teach kids to cook for the family?
39:30 What is the #KidsMealRevolution and how can parents get involved?
LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW
Katie talked about a 2019 study in the journal Pediatrics which showed influencers marketing unhealthy foods to kids are effective but marketing healthy foods had no effect.
Katie is the founder of KitchenStewardship.com.
Katie is the creator of the Kids Cook Real Food ecourse.
Watch a video with Katie talking about the #KidsMealRevolution.
Watch the Knife Skills for Kids video for Food Issues listeners.
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