Dessert is one course of the meal that is probably enjoyed the most by children as sweetness is something that is most appreciated by young taste buds. Ask children what their favorite foods are and most likely they’re going to mention something sweet like chocolate cake, apple pie or ice cream sundaes. Other foods that make the list include fast food favorites like pizza, fried chicken or comfort foods that mom used to make.
With desserts, parents should be careful not to overindulge their children and give in to their every whim. In typical American families, parents scolding children when they’re naughty would send them to bed without any dessert. It would be wise for parents to feed their children sensibly while they’re still young so they don’t have any difficulties in training them later on in life.
When all you know to make are decadent desserts like sugary and buttery pastries, then limit the portions into reasonably sized servings. The reason why a lot of people become obese is the excessive consumption of fattening foods, including dessert. A solution to this is not to make it available in your house all the time and instead have more fruits.
Should you be open to modifying traditional recipes, then by all means make some simple yet high impact substitutions that make the dish a lot healthier. Replace refined white sugar with natural sweeteners like coconut sugar, raw sugar, honey, muscovado, stevia and agave extract. Other tips include replacing a portion of flour with fiber rich wheat flour. Incorporate fresh or dried fruits, nuts and even some vegetables (like carrots, beetroot and yams) into certain recipes to boost nutrition and fiber content. Sneak in super food like fiber rich chia seed for added digestive health benefits aside from energy.
Presentation is the key as visual appeal is also an important factor for a child to eat something. Cutting cookies into fun shapes or sprinkling with colorful candy sprinkles or dried fruit is a great way of making something more appealing.
Overall menu planning for families should likewise include desserts. Serve more fresh fruits in season as opposed to baking rich desserts. Not only is it cheaper, it’s a lot economical as well. For restaurants, consider having a dessert selection for kids that are healthy as well. A great option could be carrot cake muffins, banana bread slices with vanilla sauce or fresh fruit skewers.
