Ideas To Get Children To Eat Legumes
Every mother needs, at some point in the upbringing of her children, ideas to get children to eat legumes. This way, you can make children feel comfortable with foods that, we know, are not their favorites.
Legumes are some of the foods with the highest content of vitamin B1, carotenoids, iron, copper, folic acid, calcium, proteins and many more nutrients that are essential to ensure the healthy growth of our children.
Therefore, below we will give you several ideas to make children eat legumes that are very simple and practical.
Ideas for getting kids to eat legumes
The good news regarding legumes is that they are very versatile and can be consumed in multiple presentations. The ideas that we will give you below are the most simple and pleasant to the palate of children.
1.- Lentil burgers
The so-called lentil burger replaces the traditional beef or chicken with a preparation with lentils, flour and egg. Lentils should be cooked in the traditional way; when they are ready, they are passed through a food processor and a little flour and an egg are added to them.
Next, flat spheres are prepared in the same way as other hamburgers. They can be fried or also baked. Finally, serve the hamburger accompanied by abundant vegetables.
This is a recipe that stands out for its high fiber content, a nutrient that has proven to be beneficial for the prevention of gastrointestinal problems.
2.- Burritos
The burrito is a typical dish of Mexican food that has become widely popular in the United States and the world. One of the advantages of its preparation are the few ingredients they require ; in addition, they prepare very quickly and the children can hardly see inside.
Burritos are ideal for making children eat legumes, as one of its ingredients is beans. You only need wheat or corn flour tortillas, meat or chicken, the vegetables that your child likes the most and, of course, the beans, whether they are red or black.
In addition, this type of preparation is ideal to introduce other vegetables, such as peppers. These stand out above all for their vitamin A content with antioxidant potential. According to research published in the journal Molecules , these nutrients are essential for the prevention of complex diseases.
3.- Hummus or chickpea cream to spread
This spreadable cream cannot be missing in almost all Arabic food preparations. Its flavor is very mild; in fact, children will hardly discover that it comes from chickpeas. They may think that it is some type of mayonnaise or tartar.
You can prepare it yourself or buy commercial presentations. You will see how good it is to have it on hand when preparing sandwiches, salads or any recipe.
4.- Pea cream
It is also a good option to prepare pea cream as a starter. Generally, the creams can be taken without having to chew the grain textures, which is what most creates displeasure in children.
You can soften the flavor of the cream by adding touches of heavy cream or cream cheese; then decorate it, if possible, with bread croutons in the shape of a smiley face.
5.- Alfalfa to replace lettuce
Many people are unaware that alfalfa belongs to the legume family. So, you can choose to substitute lettuce for alfalfa in recipes like burgers and sandwiches. As they do not have a particular flavor, most children do not feel displeasure when consuming it.
You can include it in the snack every day for school; its abundant consumption does not have any contraindication.
6.- Add small amounts of grains to your favorite preparations
A good option is to include small amounts of legumes in your favorite dishes or in the food you eat daily at home. Thus, you can add chickpeas or peas to salads, blend lentils with their vegetable creams, prepare beans with tuna or try any combination that you think your child can easily consume.
7.- Desserts with peanuts
Peanuts are a good option exclusively for children who are not allergic to this type of legume . It is important, therefore, that before preparing a dessert that contains peanuts you carry out their respective tests with an allergist.
If your child is indeed in a position to consume it, you are in luck. Peanuts are found in multiple desserts such as cakes, chocolates, ice creams and cookies, and can be consumed in its various presentations: covered with caramel, sesame, natural, covered with chocolate or with salt.
As a final fact, you should know that the consumption of peanuts is also intended for children over four years of age due to the risk of suffocation if they ingest this breath without chewing it.
Legumes are an essential food in the diet
The variables, as you may have noticed, are many. With just a little ingenuity, you can draw on these ideas to get kids to eat legumes to make a big contribution to their nutrition.
