6 Ideas To Get Children To Eat Fish
Do you have a hard time getting children to eat fish? It is no secret that teaching our children to eat correctly is a difficult task. We will always find children who like one food a lot and another not, which ends up causing problems for us and for themselves, which could lead to poor nutrition.
Therefore, parents must have great ingenuity when it comes to mealtime. Especially before those dishes that are not usually very appetizing for our children. Fish is one of those ingredients that makes it difficult for us to eat; Let’s see how to get children to eat fish.
Benefits of fish in children’s nutrition
Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of childhood brain accidents or injuries, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology . Fish is a food with a high content of this nutrient; if it is included in the diet of our children, it will help them with their proper development.
Fish consumption helps lower triglyceride levels and significantly improves arterial health in adults. If we include it in our children’s diet, we will be strengthening them against these evils.
For that reason, we cannot eliminate it from your daily diet. It is a food with high nutritional value, which provides proteins, essential fatty acids (it is rich in omega-3), vitamins A, D, E, iron, calcium, and zinc.
All of this stimulates the growth and development of our children. For this reason, we will leave you some tricks that will be useful when the time of eating fish approaches.
6 ideas to get kids to eat fish
With the following tips you will be able to increase the consumption of fish in children.
1.- For the baby
When we go to prepare the fish for our baby, we must do it steamed, boiled or baked. It is advisable to start giving them at about 12 months, so that they begin to know new textures and flavors. Thus, when they are older, they will have a taste for this seafood.
2 .- fish flesh
It is a great ally, since you can make nuggets in the shape of sea animal figures (fish, starfish, octopus); so it will be fun for the children at mealtime. Also, they will find it fun to eat and you can propose this to them as if it were a game.
3.- Pizza or pasta with fish
With the intention of incorporating the new flavors that fish offers to our children’s palates, we can make a pizza and add anchovies or shrimp in a subtle way.
Pasta is surely one of our children’s favorite dishes. So, we must take advantage of this ingredient and combine it with a rich salmon; It should be cut into small pieces, sautéed and incorporated into the pasta. Without a doubt, you will love it.
So you can introduce omega 3 fatty acids into your diet. These nutrients have been shown to be able to modulate inflammation, thus being associated with better health.
4.- Avoid thorns
Keep this in mind every time you go to give fish to the smallest of the house; you can create trauma in them and have a hard time. Therefore, we advise you to buy fish that do not have bones (tuna, hake, among others) or, failing that, carefully remove them.
5.- Different cuisine
Let’s avoid cooking the same fish always in the same way. We must be creative when we are preparing the dish. Try it with sauces or combine it with your favorite food; use colors that you like. All these elements will help you make your dish more palatable.
6.- Taste and smell
This is of great importance, since some fish have strong smells and flavors, especially if you do it grilled or boiled. So we recommend that you marinate it with lemon, aromatic herbs and olive oil; You can also accompany it with garnishes that are the child’s favorites.
Remember that you should be a good example for your children, so you should avoid eating junk food. We recommend you organize the dishes that you are going to prepare during the week, so you will have everything under control and the imponderables will not be a problem.
Include fish in your children’s diet
Cooking with your children will stimulate their love of cooking. Explain to them in a simple way the benefits of food, such as: fish will help them to grow, carrots to see better, broccoli will make bones stronger.
Thus, they will see with passion and enthusiasm each of the foods that make up their diet. Nutrition models are easier to instill when our children are children, so make a good choice in their diet.
