Nowadays, the food industry is stronger than never before in advertising processed food for kids. It causes our youngest ones a willingness to eat only that kind of food, which will contribute to the fat, sugar and salt addiction, causing the known obesity crisis that is hitting the world as we speak.
Vegetables
So the idea of plant-based food is to increase the intake of vegetables, but vegetables are the key problem when it comes to making kids eat healthier. There is probably no kid in the world that is capable of eating a broccoli without making a silly face!
Here is one raw vegan spread recipe you can use with the little ones:
- 1 cup of raw cashews
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup of lemon juice
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
- ¼ tsp of Himalayan pink salt
Mimic their favorite food
- 1 large bunch of kale leaves
- 3 tsp of extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 tsp of Himalayan salt
- Optional: ¾ tsp of a spice to give a different flavor
Wash the kale leaves and dry them well. Tear the leaves in a size larger than a regular crisp then toss them in a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, trying to coat all of the leaves. Spread the leaves on the dehydrator tray in single layers.
Dry the kale overnight (for about 6-8 hours) at 110F/43C.
Ready to eat or can also be stored in an air-sealed container. *In the case you don’t have a dehydrator, you can still make the recipe in the oven, but it will not be considered as raw food. In case of using the oven, use the lowest temperature you can and keep the door slightly open while “dehydrating” for 3-4 hours (less time).
You don’t need to put your kids into a strict raw vegan diet; this is just to give them more options of healthy plant-based food that also tastes delicious!
It is also important that you get involved and supervise what the school has to offer or what are they taking from home. It is a great idea to eat with them when you are at home, so you can guide them to eat healthy food and be a role model on this as well.