Q. Dearest Paolo and Suzi,

Evelyn T. Gomez, Calamba, Laguna

Paolo says

Hi Mommy Eve! Sounds like you’ve got a “heavyweight” problem. Don’t worry. It’s a problem shared by many parents, including us: How to get our kids to eat healthier. Breads and chocolate drinks can be part of a kid’s diet but they lack the other nutrients that they need. But I won’t delve into that anymore because it sounds like you already know that. While kids have their preferences, it’s really up to us to persevere in trying to add some variety and healthy options to what they eat.

First off, I would suggest trying to puree very small amounts of fruits and/or veggies to add into what your little boy likes to eat. It’s a time consuming thing to do, but we’ve had some success with it. Our bunso likes tinola but refuses to have any of the papaya or malunggay that are part of the soup. So what we do is separate the papaya and some malunggay and puree it in a blender and mix it in with her rice and soup. Since your little boy likes bread, maybe you can try to make the most of it and introduce some healthy varieties. Maybe you can try to introduce him to things like lightly-sweetened carrot cake; maybe some kamote bread (made from kamote flour); or maybe some sweetbreads that have fruits added into it. Try to avoid too many refined-flour breads (typical white “tasty” loaf breads, and soft dinner rolls). Try and get him to eat more multi-grain breads and whole wheat breads, which have more fiber in them. You can buy these in groceries and bakeries. Just look for the label that says whole-grain or whole wheat.

We also had great luck with juices that have vegetables mixed in (Tipco brand is one). There’s broccoli, carrot-orange as well as orange with beets and mixed fruits and veggies. It tastes quite good actually. And kids get the fruits and fiber they need.

It’s easy to say but we really just have to keep trying to introduce them to other foods. It’s been said that kids need to see new dishes four to five times before they’re even willing to try it. And I know how difficult it can be because we have the same problem ourselves to a certain extent. It’s important to persevere. High protein diet (from the meats) and one with refined flours and sugars (from the breads) can lead to long-term digestion problems and could leave your child constipated. Keep trying Mommy Eve. A breakthrough is just around the corner!

Suzi says

Hi Mommy Eve! I think that more and more parents are finding it difficult to get their kids to eat healthy nowadays. With all the available fast food and packaged snacks, it’s really a tough decision to get our kids to even try healthy food. For one thing, I guess your son got used to liquids because he only recently stopped drinking from a bottle. He got used to getting full from milk rather than from solid food. And i can’t really blame him. It’s so much easier to sip food rather than to chew and swallow. Believe me, kids want to get mealtimes over with so they can continue playing.

Okay so here goes. The chocolate drink has got to be limited.  It is making him full (and it’s yummy too) so that’s why he does not have the appetite to even try other foods.  If he’s drinking four glasses a day, gradually reduce this until you are down to maybe one a day. But before making any changes, always talk to your child. At four years old, he will be able to understand the idea behind your efforts as long as you explain it simply.

Bread is also carbohydrates so it really should be able to replace rice.  However, I’m guessing that he eats white bread. Wheat bread is much better and provides fiber, so try to get him to eat that.  At first, he won’t like it because it’s tougher than white bread but try to make it interesting for him. You can use cookie cutters to make nice shapes before toasting and spreading each bread shape with his favorite jam or spread.  He might eventually prefer that over plain old rectangular white bread.

As for viands, try to introduce him to burgers. Here you will be able to “hide” veggies like carrots or squash. If you could also get him to try soups, that would also be great since it can be a complete meal already.  Sopas, for instance, has carbs (noodles), protein (chicken) and of course, veggies. You can also puree carrots and mix with the actual soup. It will also add color to the usually white sopas.

Also, aside from getting your child to eat healthier, do make sure that he gets the right amount of exercise. More and more kids are becoming obese nowadays from staying indoors and eating too much sugary food. It’s so much more difficult to lose weight as an adult if there are so many fat cells to begin with. So act now mommy Eve! Stay on track, for your son’s health. God bless!