Washington, DC – New kid-friendly recipes that use delicious prepared beef products to encourage children to consume more fruits and vegetables were unveiled today by the North American Meat Institute (Meat Institute), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff.
Encouraging healthy eating among children is a significant challenge for many moms, but research shows that pairing well-liked and familiar foods with vegetables and preparing them in interesting ways can encourage children to try vegetables and lead to lifelong healthy habits. Developed by a Culinary Institute of American-trained chef and veteran mom, the Kid Pleaser recipes are available, along with strategies for feeding kids on MeatPoutlryNutrition.org.
According to researchers, “neophobia” or “the fear of something new” plays a major role in children’s eating habits. Pediatricians say that frequent, repeated exposure to a new food, may be needed before a child willingly samples it. Pairing fruits and vegetables with foods that they enjoy, however – something called “associative conditioning” – can encourage children to try the new food.
In addition to pairing with a familiar food, researchers say Moms can use a variety of strategies to influence children’s eating, like enhancing the visual appeal of foods by piercing with a pretty toothpick, offering a variety of colorful foods on a plate, creating color contrasts with the plate or bowl, arranging foods in an orderly way and involving kids in meal preparation, which increases their “buy-in” to the foods they prepare.
The Kid Pleaser recipes include: Barber’s Pole, Bologna Roll-Ups, Green Bean Twists, Fried Bologna Cups,Salami Babs, Jerky Trail Mix, Doggie Babs and Beefy Lettuce Cups.
About The Beef Checkoff:
The Beef Checkoff Program (www.MyBeefCheckoff.com) was established as part of the 1985 Farm Bill. The checkoff assesses $1 per head on the sale of live domestic and imported cattle, in addition to a comparable assessment on imported beef and beef products. In states with qualified beef councils, states may retain up to 50 cents of the dollar and forward the other 50 cents per head to the Cattlemen’s Beef Promotion and Research Board, which administers the national checkoff program, subject to USDA approval.
ABOUT NAMI
The North American Meat Institute (NAMI), a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, is the leading voice for the meat and poultry industry. Formed from the 2015 merger of the American Meat Institute (AMI) and North American Meat Association (NAMA), the Institute has a rich, century-long history and provides essential member services including legislative, regulatory, scientific, international and public affairs representation. NAMI’s mission is to shape a public policy environment in which the meat and poultry industry can produce wholesome products safely, efficiently and profitably. Together, the Institute’s members produce the vast majority of U.S. beef, pork, lamb and poultry and the equipment, ingredients and services needed for the highest quality products.
"Internal links within this document are funded and maintained by the Beef Checkoff. All other outgoing links are to websites maintained by third parties."
Source: The North American Meat Institute (NAMI)
