{"id":448,"date":"2015-04-05T22:00:07","date_gmt":"2015-04-05T22:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/?p=448"},"modified":"2015-05-21T05:56:42","modified_gmt":"2015-05-21T05:56:42","slug":"6-preschool-lunch-tips-dark-side","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.carelulu.com\/resources\/parents\/6-preschool-lunch-tips-dark-side\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Preschool Lunch Tips From The \u201cDark Side\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

H ow the heck did your child find the cookies aisle in the supermarket? And why that particular package? Is there a subsonic kid-only whistle attached to it or something?<\/p>\n

The fact is that professional food marketers, especially children\u2019s food marketers, put the \u201cfiendishly\u201d in fiendishly clever. They have done the research on that particular color scheme and advised the store to put it at that particular eye level. In a lot of ways they know (statistically anyway) your child\u2019s visual cues and what presses her psychological buttons better than you do.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If you are trying to get your preschooler to eat better, whether you are preparing foods yourself or shopping for wholesome readymade choices, the chances are that the healthy choice does not<\/em> taste as good as the unhealthy one. Your child will obviously be less inclined to eat it. What can you do?<\/p>\n

Well, taste is important for everyone, especially kids who do not appreciate the finer points of scientific arguments for healthy diets. But taste is not the only \u201ctool\u201d at your disposal. Let\u2019s take a look at some tricks the pros have up their sleeves that you can borrow for your own much loftier purposes.<\/p>\n

1. Shapes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"CutestFood_com_tumblr_l7xbjginaq1qzey0co1_4001\"<\/a>Food moulds in kids\u2019 shapes have been around for a long time (animals and faces are crowd favorites.) You can use them as visual \u201csweeteners\u201d for most homemade baked items like cookies or muffins. You can also try them on some types of store-bought bread to make interestingly shaped sandwiches. Generally keep an eye out for any uniquely shaped healthy products when shopping. (Your child may spot it on the shelf before you do!)<\/p>\n

<\/h6>\n

2. Size<\/strong><\/p>\n

Small is beautiful. Apart from having smaller mouths and hands, kids seem to have reasons for liking small (often individually wrapped) items. Maybe it\u2019s the small victories of eating each portion or just the novelty of having something \u201cdifferent\u201d with each bite. The food marketers probably have a theory why. We just know from watching.<\/p>\n

Try to prepare food in smaller portions (e.g. cut the sandwich into small squares) or keep an eye out for healthy store-bought options will smaller unit sizes. Never settle for a larger portion when two smaller ones will do.<\/p>\n

3. Color<\/strong><\/p>\n

So let\u2019s say you are a children\u2019s food marketer. You have interesting shapes and small sizes. What do you do to put the icing on the cake for your product, so to speak? Make them in a bunch of colors! Gummi bears, M & M\u2019s\u2026. there are many examples of wildly popular snacks following this formula.<\/p>\n

Healthy and colorful food choices are all about fruits and vegetables. Fruit salad, tomatoes in sandwiches, and mixed vegetables are all good choices.<\/p>\n

Hmmm\u2026 my child hates vegetables, you may say. Fair enough, children\u2019s taste buds are more sensitive than those of adults. Be patient, don\u2019t give up, and be creative. If you need some inspiration you can check out this video<\/a> that redefines the boundaries of \u201cvegetable marketing.\u201d<\/p>\n

4. Packaging <\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a hunch that as much money is spent on designing children\u2019s food packaging as is on the actual food itself. From a business perspective, it probably makes sense: it attracts who really wears the diapers<\/span> pants when it comes to making purchase decisions in the store. You know the drill; if you don\u2019t want random extra items with \u201ckid magnetized\u201d packaging, don\u2019t take your kid shopping!<\/p>\n

In the store, keep an eye out for healthy food manufacturers who \u201cget it\u201d and have their version of attractive packaging. If you are packing your child\u2019s lunch, avoid \u201cboring\u201d containers or wrapping where possible. Think about plastic or paper bags with special designs as well as lunch boxes or drink containers with your child\u2019s favorite things on them such as, for example, cartoon characters.<\/p>\n

5. Sweeteners<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you read food labels, a question that comes up often is \u201cwhy the heck did they need to put sugar in this?\u201d You know the answer: because it makes it taste better, especially for kids. It is not a new subject and manufacturers have come under political pressure at various times and in various places for making foods too sugary.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s face it: the overwhelming majority of kids (and adults) like sweet foods. Sugar is not the only sweetener, though, and you can check out natural alternatives like Stevia, or even just honey. They are a little pricier than sugar but generally considered to be healthier.<\/p>\n

6. \u201cSurprise inside\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Have you heard of Kinder Surprise Eggs? They are chocolate \u201ceggs\u201d with special surprises inside and are wildly popular among kids of all ages mainly in Europe. A legal brouhaha has kept them out of the USA until only recently when an American company threaded the regulatory needle and launched an American version.<\/p>\n

If you are cooking yourself, you can copy the strategy with \u201csurprise inside\u201d recipes such as muffins with a piece of fruit inside, soup with an egg yolk at the bottom, and so on. But unfortunately we haven\u2019t seen any healthy snacks available in stores that are capitalizing on that idea yet. Have you seen any?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

H ow the heck did your child find the cookies aisle in the supermarket? And why that particular package? Is there a subsonic kid-only whistle attached to it or something? The fact is that professional food marketers, especially children\u2019s food marketers, put the \u201cfiendishly\u201d in fiendishly clever. They have done the research on that particular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":670,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[229],"tags":[255,258,257,256,259],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n