{"id":430,"date":"2022-02-21T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-21T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/?p=430"},"modified":"2022-02-21T18:40:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T02:40:17","slug":"cook-with-preschoolers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/2022\/02\/21\/cook-with-preschoolers\/","title":{"rendered":"Cook with Preschoolers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Lihua Ma, CSUN Dietetic Intern Cohort 2020-2021<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Family cooking can be stressful! So many parents don\u2019t like to cook while their lovely little ones are around. However, parents might often find themselves in a situation where they have to look after their kids and do housework at the same time. When I tell people that I enjoy teaching my 3-year-old and 5-year-old daughters how to cook as I prep meals, they look at me like I have a superpower. For many caretakers, meal prep is already a tedious and overwhelming task. Knowing how your children can help and the benefits of involving children in the kitchen may give you the confidence to cook with preschoolers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Multiple studies have stated that\u00a0children’s diets do not meet nutrition guidelines in the United States.1-3<\/sup><\/sub> Vegetable intake is generally low among children, who appear to be especially fussy during the pre-school years.1-3<\/sup><\/sub>\u00a0With increasing rates of childhood obesity, research has shown that lack of culinary knowledge and infrequent home cooking can contribute to unhealthy eating habits.4<\/sup><\/sub>\u00a0Food intake and dietary habits developed in early childhood affect the physical and mental development of school-aged children. Furthermore, their food choices will affect their health and nutritional status in adulthood, and their onset of lifestyle-related diseases.2,5<\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, researchers also found that involving children in the cooking process is seen as a good health promotion strategy by helping them build up healthier diet behavior and decrease prevalence of obesity in children.6<\/sup> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Benefits of Cooking with Kids:<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • Kids can learn the name, smell, taste, appearance and other sensory aspects of whole foods <\/li>
  • Kids can learn basic math, like numbers, measurements, and time <\/li>
  • Kids can learn basic nutrition knowledge, like food groups and nutrients from foods <\/li>
  • Kids can learn about food safety, storage and hands-on food presentation <\/li>
  • Kids can actively engage and practice critical thinking skills <\/li>
  • Family works cooperatively. Families who eat together are closer <\/li>
  • Kids are more confident and have an improved vocabulary <\/li>
  • Kids can positively associate with healthier eating and potentially lower their risk for childhood obesity.7<\/sup> <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    When Can Kids Help in the Kitchen?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    0-18 Months Old<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    • Children can observe from a safe place (e.g., highchair, playpen) the cooking process at this age<\/li>
    • Talk them through what you’re doing<\/li>
    • Let them touch and smell the ingredients and make it a fun experience for them! <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      18 Months Old to 3 Years Old<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
      • Dump & Pour (pre-measured ingredients)<\/li>
      • Wash & Scrub (fruits and vegetables)<\/li>
      • Pick herbs off of stems<\/li>
      • Tear (lettuce for salad)<\/li>
      • Brush oil or butter with pastry brush<\/li>
      • Mix & Stir (with hands or stirrer)<\/li>
      • Mash vegetables<\/li>
      • Sprinkle (salt and herbs)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        4-5 Years Old<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
        • Dump & Pour (pre-measured ingredients)<\/li>
        • Wash & Scrub (fruits and vegetables) <\/li>
        • Tear (lettuce for salad) <\/li>
        • Mix & Stir (with hands or stirrer)<\/li>
        • Sprinkle & Spread (ingredients)<\/li>
        • Knead (dough)<\/li>
        • Cut (with plastic knife)<\/li>
        • Set up table<\/li>
        • Clean up (wipe, collect leftovers)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

          Recipe Inspiration Using WIC Benefits:<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          • Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Cheddar <\/li>
          • Mini Eggplant Pizza <\/li>
          • Cauliflower Mac ‘n’ Cheese <\/li>
          • Spring Pasta with Salmon, Peas, and Dill <\/li>
          • Heirloom Tomato- Basil Salad <\/li>
          • Veggie Omelet <\/li>
          • Ants on a Log <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            References: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            1. Caton SJ, Blundell P, Ahern SM, et al. Learning to eat vegetables in early life: the role of timing, age and individual eating traits. PLoS One<\/em>. 2014;9(5):e97609. Published 2014 May 30. doi:10.1371\/journal.pone.0097609 <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              1. Metcalfe JJ, Fiese BH; STRONG Kids 1 Research Team. Family food involvement is related to healthier dietary intake in preschool-aged children. Appetite<\/em>. 2018;126:195-200. doi:10.1016\/j.appet.2018.03.021 <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                1. Rasmussen M, Kr\u00f8lner R, Klepp KI, et al. Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among children and adolescents: a review of the literature. Part I: Quantitative studies. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act<\/em>. 2006;3:22. Published 2006 Aug 11. doi:10.1186\/1479-5868-3-22 <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  1. Nelson SA, Corbin MA, Nickols-Richardson SM. A call for culinary skills education in childhood obesity-prevention interventions: current status and peer influences. J Acad Nutr Diet<\/em>. 2013;113(8):1031-1036. doi:10.1016\/j.jand.2013.05.002<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    1. Ogata BN, Hayes D. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: nutrition guidance for healthy children ages 2 to 11 years. J Acad Nutr Diet<\/em>. 2014;114(8):1257-1276. doi:10.1016\/j.jand.2014.06.001 <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      1. Chu YL, Storey KE, Veugelers PJ. Involvement in meal preparation at home is associated with better diet quality among Canadian children. J Nutr Educ Behav<\/em>. 2014;46(4):304-308. doi:10.1016\/j.jneb.2013.10.003 <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        1. Allirot X, da Quinta N, Chokupermal K, Urdaneta E. Involving children in cooking activities: A potential strategy for directing food choices toward novel foods containing vegetables. Appetite<\/em>. 2016;103:275-285. doi:10.1016\/j.appet.2016.04.031<\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                          By: Lihua Ma, CSUN Dietetic Intern Cohort 2020-2021 Family cooking can be stressful! So many parents don\u2019t like to cook while their lovely little ones are around. However, parents might often find themselves in a situation where they have to look after their kids and do housework at the same time. When I tell people that I enjoy teaching my 3-year-old and 5-year-old daughters how […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":247,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-healthy-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/247"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.csun.edu\/nutritionexperts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}