 Eliminating your child's "Ketchup Diet"
Once children get to the age of eating "real" food (generally 12 months and beyond) there begins a trend that involves eating anything as long as it's covered in ketchup. You may notice this particularly with meats - it's their version of barbecue sauce. While there is noting inherently bad about wanting a little dipping sauce to go with your food this does speak to a food behavior: the Ketchup Diet, where they start to refuse eating certain foods without ketchup. TSF is here to help you take control, understand the behavior, and expand their horizons.
Ketchup is sweet and tangy. It has a structured texture that coats and stays with the food. Put simply, it fits your child's initial textural food needs. When children are first introduced to the food world at large their habits evolve with the rest of their developmental milestones. When they start to develop teeth - they want to use them. When they start using their hands more - they want a fork. When they start uttering words - they tell you what tastes good and what tastes bad. But throughout all of these phases texture and taste remain consistent. They tend to veer towards things that have a consistent texture and non-bland taste. This is why people stick with ketchup; to hide, or introduce, new foods into a child's diet and in doing so, we create the Ketchup Diet.
We can deconstruct what kids and adults like about Ketchup and re-create better food experiences for them. Ketchup is essentially tomato paste and sugar. The paste creates the smooth texture and the tomatoes combined with the sugar make the sweetness. Why not use tomato paste - and other pastes - as an ingredient in a recipe?
Chicken Salad is a dish that adults love. It traditionally has a creamy mayonnaise base to tie it all together. TSF has created Chicken Salad for kids that brings together the creaminess that adults love with the tomato-y sweetness that is delivered in Ketchup. We substitute avocado for mayo and we mix it with a touch of organic tomato paste for a combination that is creamy, sweet, and well textured. By adding the avocado and removing the added sugar, we create another layer of nutrition in your child's diet. Avocado is full of nutrients and good fats like Omega 3 and 6 to replace the unwanted fat in store-bought mayo. Trust me, this one is so good and it's not just for kids!
Bottom line - when we sense that our children are developing bad food behaviors, deconstruct them and reinvent them.
Expecting mothers - this one is for you too. Avocado is an amazing source of the Omega fats that are found in fish. Since you are on a limited fish diet, avocado is a great source of those nutrients.
Grilled Chicken & Avocado Salad - File Under: Protein, Omega 3 & 6, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6 *1.5 oz Grilled Chicken *1 TBSP Avocado (or guacamole) *1 TSP tomato paste *1 pinch dried basil *1 pinch salt to taste (unless using guacamole)
- Grill Chicken Breast
- After cooked and cooled, chop breast into bite size cubes
- In a separate bowl, mix the avocado, tomato paste, basil, and salt together to form the dressing
- Add chicken to the dressing and mix until evenly coated
- Serve while still warm (can also be served cold)
TSF Food Tip: *Can be made in advance in bulk and kept in the fridge. The avocado does not turn like it would on it's own. *Hey Mom and Dad - try it on bread, on tortilla chips, in a wrap. *Serve with black beans! |
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