Alexx Stuart is a best selling Real Food author and educator, getting people excited about delicious real food, low tox living and sustainability for our health and the planet. She says “Never feel guilty about what you didn’t know yesterday, focus on feeling excited about that change you’ll make today”. With a special passion for inclusive, allergy friendly cooking and preventative healthy living, her recipes nourish the mind and body with oodles of deliciousness and fun. Alexx is determined to make the journey of ‘losing the toxic weirdo products’ one of discovery, not deprivation.
What are your top 3 tricks to getting more fruit and vegetables into
your children’s diet?
- Love veggies yourself. Be the example who visibly chomps on raw carrot sticks and beet / guac dip and say how super yummy it is. Show as much if not MORE enthusiasm for veggies as ‘treats’. We tend to as a culture get our kids ballistically excited about ‘that special cupcake’ and then sternly say ‘eat your veg’. The messaging is all wrong and no wonder the result is that kids might turn their noses up at the food they’re supposed to eat and chase the thrill ride foods instead…
- Take your kids to a market and let them choose the veggies, then cook the veggies with them – taste some raw, talk about texture, then cooked, then letting them stir in the butter… We seem to mainly let our kids in the kitchen to cook with us when it’s cake making time. If they’re part of the every day cooking, they’ll be much more inclined to have a go at stuff they’ve made the effort to cook. No age is too young. My son used to stir (assisted by me, he’s no boy genius!) his purees from 4 months in the Bjorn.
- Purée isn’t just for babies – It’s a great way to break up the boring old 3 steamed veg texture at meal time. Invest in a good stick blender or vitamix / thermomix type tool that you’ll have for years and years and make ultra delicious, super smooth mashes and purées, packed with veggies. We sometimes do half cauliflower / half beet and then the little guy gets to swirl them in to make rainbow mash. Pumpkin, zucchini, fennel, sweet potato, broccoli… They all purée / mash really well when well cooked first. Just add butter and or coconut cream / additive free cream and a pinch or two of celtic sea salt and you get filling, luscious mashes and purées packed with vitamins and healthy fats to absorb them all.
I hope that provides a little inspiration for veggies to be the welcome stars at home. Alexx x
Also, check out this recipe: This powerhouse antioxidant salad is fun to make with little ones because there are so many interesting things to show them, teach them and ask them to help with. They can bash the pomegranate to release the arils, they can put in the grated beets or the seeds or herbs… Get them tasting along the way and saying what they’re favourite bits are and most importantly, enjoy! – Powerhouse Antioxidant Red Salad >>
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Sophia Eats – Out Now!
When I was pregnant I began thinking about how I could ensure my child also shared this passion. I simply couldn’t imagine raising a child who wouldn’t enjoy hours of cooking and meal times with me! If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you will know that Sophia is, indeed, a prolific eater which brings me so much joy.
I created Sophia Eats e-book is a result of everything I have learnt about toddler health, both professionally and personally over the last few years. I studied paediatric nutrition, implemented all my food knowledge and spent many hours in the kitchen. Find out more about my ebook and purchase your copy here >>
