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Appealing to Kids’ Senses

Features
03 November 2012

food4_nov12When teaching the development of successful children’s menus, emphasize to your students that all five human sensory perceptions (and an arguable sixth) must be put into play.

By Eric Stein, RD, MS, CCE

Getting kids to eat a nutritious meal doesn’t have to be a challenge. Just as there’s no one-size-fits-all learning style in the classroom, kids don’t respond to food stimuli the same way, either. Each child is born with a dominant sense that guides his or her food choices.

Appealing to the senses has a direct bearing on parents’ success getting kids to eat enough of the right foods. And while it is commonly perceived that we eat with our eyes first, aroma and sound also play vital roles in building hunger.

The following recipes are not only visually striking and flavorful, but also appeal to the senses of smell, touch (including texture and mouthfeel) and/or sound:

  • Elevating mac & cheese, a favorite food for kids of all ages, Veggie Confetti Mac & Cheese features a variety of textures, flavors and colors to delight the eyes and palate while providing key nutrients like vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
  • Parfaits of all kinds are more popular than ever at school lunches and breakfasts. This Fruit Rainbow Parfait delivers a balanced meal of muscle-building protein from dairy and complex carbohydrates for energy from the granola and fresh fruits.
  • Tactile children not only enjoy eating with their hands; they also like complementary textures of smooth and crunchy, as well as contrasting temperatures of hot and cold. DIY Steak Fajitas deliver on both counts while contributing to a “sixth sense”: the emotional one of “ownership” that results from assembling the dish.
  • Kids love foods in bowls! Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl with Crunchy “Worms” is a healthy salad and noodle bowl in one, as well as a delight to the ears and mouth thanks to crispy chow-mein noodles, carrot ribbons, vibrant bell pepper and a sweet-and-sour soy dressing.

Eric Stein, MS, RD, CCE, is an instructor in the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago.

Photo: Stein’s Grilled-Chicken Salad Bowl with Crunchy “Worms.” Courtesy of Kendall College/Eric Futran

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