How to get your picky Child to Eat more vegetables



12/12/2013

DFM 655

Cassie Miller

|[How to Get Your Picky Child to Eat More Vegetables] |

| |

Table of Contents

I. Background and Introduction…………………. Page 3-6

II. Materials and Supplies…………………………. Page 7

III. Lesson Plan……………………………………... Page 8

IV. Content Outline…………………………………. Page 8-13

V. Evaluation Strategies……………………………. Page 13

VI. YouTube Link…………………………………… Page 14

VII. Oral Self-Evaluation……………………………... Page 14-15

VIII. Bibliography……………………………………... Page 16

IX. Appendices………………………………………. Page 17

Background/Introduction

Less than 25% of school age children in the United States consume the daily recommended amount of vegetables. (Beth D, Albright J, Andersen K, Bates T, Dunn C, et. al.).Considering the fact that most children cannot cook or decide what their meals will consist of, this issue is the direct result of parents not knowing or understanding how to incorporate vegetables into a meal. It is a child’s responsibility to decide how much they eat, but it is the parent’s to decide what they eat. It is true that many children do not like the taste of certain vegetables. Oftentimes this issue begins with parental responsibility. Parents may unknowingly create food stigmas with children by either forcing them to eat it by threatening some kind of punishment, or by being too lax and cooking something else and sometimes allowing their child not to taste something at all. However difficult this task may be, it is important to incorporate vegetables into a child’s diet so they can grow physically and mentally. It is unfortunately that parents are often uneducated on the daily amount of vegetables recommended for a young child as well as examples of flavorful, healthy recipes their child will enjoy. Just by providing parents with nutrition information and getting them involved, the amount of school age children receiving proper nutrition could improve.

Many parents do not know how many cups of vegetables their child should be consuming per day. This lack of knowledge can be contributed to the fact that they do not know how many they should consume themselves. Additionally, parents may be unaware of the amount of food a child that age should eat per meal. In fact, most young children should only consume about ½ of an adult sized portion. (“Size-Wise Nutrition for Young Children.”) When considering the amount a child should eat per meal, the amount of vegetables should be ½ of an adult’s as well. According to the USDA, children between the ages of 4-8 should be consuming about 1 ½ cups to 2 cups of vegetables per day, depending on their level of activity whereas adults should have about 3 cups. (How Many Vegetables Are Needed Daily or Weekly?.) One serving size of a vegetable consists of about ½ of a cup of chopped vegetables or 1 cup of leafy greens. This can be a difficult concept to visualize for children and adults alike, by providing examples of visual aids this concept can be applied at home. For example, a ½ cup of chopped vegetables is approximately the size of a lightbulb or half of a man’s fist. One cup of leafy greens can be compared to a tennis ball or two, cupped open hands. (Marshall S, and O’Brien R.) (“Serving Size Visuals.”) These examples are easy to use at home given that they use normal, everyday objects and hands.

Most parents are concerned with their family eating enough vegetables because they believe vitamins, minerals and fiber are important for their love ones’ health. Vegetables are a good source of soluble fiber which is good for lowering cholesterol by binding bile acids and excreting them through waste. Soluble fiber is also good for preventing cancer (specifically colon cancer), and satiety which can help maintain concentration and prevent obesity. (Anderson J, Perryman S, Young L, and Prior S.) Additionally, vegetables provide nearly all vitamins and minerals children and adults need to stay healthy, with the exception of vitamin B12 found in animal products and D found in dairy product and mushrooms. This can be achieved by combining all the different colors of the rainbow in vegetable form. By doing this, it is almost guaranteed that a person will receive the vitamins and minerals necessary for their health. (Seibert MD, Andrew) It is important for parents to understand that a child’s lack of interest in vegetables can cause deficits in certain vitamins and cause digestive problems as well.

A pre-assessment was given to subjects prior to class to determine what areas needed focus. Several questions were asked regarding the audience’s knowledge of vegetables along with a few personal questions on picky eaters. The lesson was planned based on the answers given. For example, the most missed questions were regarding serving sizes of vegetables. 14 out of 30 responders believed that children, ages 4-8 needed 2 ½ to 3 cups of vegetables per day where they actually only need 1 ½ to 2 servings. (How Many Vegetables Are Needed Daily or Weekly?) Additionally, the more opinionated questions asked in the survey proved that there was a need for a lecture on incorporating vegetables. Most of the audience stated that their family does not get enough vegetables in their diet and the picky eaters they know complain of the taste or texture of vegetables. It seemed important to let the audience know not only how to incorporate more vegetables but also how to make them taste better. Because the lecture was focused on speaking to parents with young children, it was necessary to also focus on how to make vegetables look more fun and appetizing to a child. Once the pre-assessment was completed and analyzed for the audience’s needs, the lesson plan could be completed and designed.

When creating the lesson plan, it was important to decide what type of learning theory and teaching style would be used. The lesson is designed for a large class consisting of around 50 parents from varying socio-economic backgrounds. Because the class is too large to break into discussion groups, a mixture of Behavioral and Cognitive Theories were adopted. The combination of the two theories allows the teacher to arrange the presentation, giving information but also allowing minimal audience participation by asking questions. Additionally, Behavioral Theory is designed based on modeling and reward. The beginning and end of the presentation are designed with this learning theory in mind through rewarding with a prize and demonstrating a recipe. By combining the two theories, the lesson plan is broken up and not just providing knowledge through lecture. This should captivate the audience and maintain their attention. Furthermore, my teaching style combined lecture, demonstration and visual style. Again, this should peak the audience’s interest and break up the monotony of a lesson. The combination of learning theories and teaching styles used during this teaching module should provide an effective environment for a class of this size and diversity.

Materials and Supplies

• Projector

• Projector Screen

• Computer

• Demo station

• Power point (slides provided in appendix.)

• 50 fliers with pancake recipe printed on the back (provided in appendix)

• 50 Napkins

• 50 small pieces of prepared allergy friendly carrot pancake (made previously by following recipe in appendix)

• One medium sized mixing bowl

• 1 cup measuring cup

• ½ cup measuring cup

• A large spoon or spatula

• 1 cup of milk or water

• 1 cup of allergy friendly pancake mix

• ½ cup of pureed carrot

• Ground cinnamon spice

• Two t-shirts with an iron-on design, one for wearing and one for a prize (design in appendix)

• Iron-on fabric paper from Michael’s

• A printer

Lesson Plan

Duration: 6-10 minutes

Target Group: Parents of young children with varying socio-economic statuses

Overall goal: Parents should understand how to incorporate more vegetables in their child’s diet and should additionally understand why it is important.

Major Concepts:

• How many cups of vegetables should an average child between the ages of 4-8 have per day?

• What does one serving size of vegetables look like?

• Why are vegetables important?

• Different ways to incorporate vegetables in a meal for a child

• Understand why vegetables are important. I.e. they contain soluble fiber, vitamins and minerals.

Icebreaker or Attention Grabber:

• Begin by introducing yourself and the concept by stating, “My name is ____. Today we are going to talk about how to get your picky child to eat more vegetables, and how to get you to eat more too!”

• Ask the audience to then taste the previously prepared pancake placed in front of them and ask what vegetable is in it, explaining to raise their hand once they know what it is.  

• When a member of the audience answers correctly, give them a t-shirt that says “I . vegetables.”

Objectives

1. Parents will be able to demonstrate knowledge of how many cups a child between the ages of 4-8 should consume on a daily basis and provide examples of one serving size in a post assessment.

2. Parents will be able to demonstrate knowledge of why vegetables are important in a post test.

3. Parents will be able to apply different ways to incorporate more vegetables in their child’s or children’s meals at home by writing an example in a post assessment.

4. Parents will be able to combine previous cooking knowledge and new ways of incorporating vegetables by re-creating carrot pancakes at home with their child or children.

Content Outline

Prior to class:

• Provide each seat with a small piece of carrot pancake (recipe located in appendix) and the informative flier (located in the appendix) and recipe for pancakes printed on the back.

Objective #1: Parents will be able to demonstrate knowledge of how many cups a child between the ages of 4-8 should consume on a daily basis and provide examples of one serving size.

Domain: Cognitive- information/knowledge

Learning Experiences:

1. Ask “Who knows how many cups a child between the ages of 4-8 should receive on a daily basis?” Once the question is answered proceed.

2. Provide a Power Point Presentation with the following information:

• USDA’s chart on cups of vegetables required daily per age and sex:

[pic]

▪ Explain that children eat about ½ of what adults eat and have smaller portions per meal.

• Serving sizes for vegetables

▪ ½ cup of chopped raw or cooked vegetables

o Provide pictures of visual examples, one an object and the other using hands. (i.e. a light bulb or half of a fist)

▪ 1 cup of leafy greens

o Provide pictures of visual examples, one an object and the other using hands. (I.e. a tennis ball or two cupped open hands.)

Objective 2#: Parents will be able to demonstrate knowledge of why vegetables are important.

Domain: Affective-Values

Learning Experiences: Provide a Power Point with the following information:

• Why are vegetables important?

▪ Fiber

o Vegetables are rich in SOLUBLE fiber

❖ Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol by binding bile acids and excreting it through waste

o Helps prevent cancer

o Keeps you full longer

❖ This way your child will have enough energy to concentrate and do well in school!

❖ Good for adults because it will keep your waist trim!

▪ Vitamins and Minerals

o Vegetables provide most vitamins and minerals needed by adults and children

❖ Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, C, D, E and K are found in most vegetables.

❖ B12 is primarily found in animal products

❖ Vitamin D is normally found in animal products but can be found in mushrooms

❖ calcium, iodine, copper, magnesium, manganese, zinc, sodium, potassium, selenium and phosphorous are found in most vegetables.

• Taste the colors of the rainbow!

▪ (provide a picture exemplifying all the colors of vegetables and how they provide proper nutrients like this one found here: )

▪ Discuss that by combining all the different colors of vegetables a person can receive nearly all the vitamins and minerals they need to stay healthy.

Objective #3: Parents will be able to apply different ways to incorporate more vegetables in their child’s or children’s meals at home.

Domain: Cognitive-information

Learning Experiences: Provide a Power Point Presentation with the following information and explain or give examples of each:

• How to get your picky eater to actually eat vegetables

o Be encouraging!

▪ Explanation/example to provide:

❖ Do not force your child to eat something they don’t like.

❖ Instead: Suggest they try at least one or two bites.

❖ Instead: Use their heroes to help them out, “Spiderman loves broccoli, that’s why he’s so strong.” “Barbie has pretty skin because she eats her carrots.”

o Change it up!

▪ Explanation/example to provide:

❖ Try: New recipes! A new recipe can help change a child’s outlook on a boring vegetable. We don’t like boring, so why would they?

o Get them Involved!

▪ Explanation/example to provide:

❖ Try: Have your child help pick out the recipe or ask them to stir and measure. It makes them feel like they helped make dinner which makes them more apt to try it.

o Mix it in!

▪ Explanation/example to provide:

❖ Mixing in pureed vegetables in something like pancake batter or banana bread dough is a good way to sneak vegetables into something a child likes.

❖ Grating vegetables and sneaking them into ground meat is another good example. (Grated zucchini in hamburger is delicious!)

❖ Be sure to explain that a parent does not have to be deceptive if a child asks what is in the food. They can be honest and gently ask them to try it because they might like it.

o Make it look interesting!

▪ Explanation/example to provide:

❖ Make a plate full of colorful vegetables or cut out shapes and make it look fun. Kids are attracted to colors and shapes, this will make them more interested in the food

▪ Be sure to also explain: It takes a child 8-10 exposures to a new food before they accept it. Parents should be patient and allow their child to explore the food. If they reject it at first, they just need to try it a few more times.

• Which one looks more interesting?

o Provide a slide with two pictures side by side, one with colorful vegetables cut into shapes (like this one here: ) and another with plain vegetables on a plate (like this one here: .)

▪ (Allow the audience to look at it and make some remarks.)

• Did you know?

o Almost 76% of school age children eat less than 3 servings (1 ½ cups – the minimum recommendation) of vegetables per day.

o How does that make you feel?

▪ (Allow the audience to absorb the statement before proceeding to the demonstration.)

Objective #4: Parents will be able to combine previous cooking knowledge and new ways of incorporating vegetables by re-creating carrot pancakes at home with their child or children.

Domain: Psychomotor-performance

Learning Experiences:

• A volunteer will demonstrate the role of a child in assisting with cooking in the kitchen.

• A demonstration will be made at a demo-station with an overhead mirror so the audience can observe.

• A recipe for carrot pancakes will be provided and explained as follows:

(~2-3 minutes)

All the equipment needed for the demonstration: a mixing bowl, 1 cup, ½ cup and a spoon for stirring.

All the ingredients needed for the demonstration: 1 c water or milk of your choice, pancake mix of your choice, pureed carrots, and cinnamon.

• Explain what equipment and ingredients are needed to make the recipe. Provide a further explanation that carrots are easy to puree, just cook them as they normally would and puree them in a blender or food processor.

• Explain that the volunteer is taking the role as the child so they can see how to make this at home with their children or child.

• Each step should be explained while it is being performed.

• Steps are as follows:

1. Ask the volunteer to hold the ½ cup over the mixing bowl while you use the spoon to scoop the carrot puree into the ½ c. Then tell the volunteer to dump it into the bowl when done.

2. Ask the volunteer to hold the 1 cup over the mixing bowl as you pour the water or milk and have them pour it into the bowl when done.

3. Tell the volunteer to stir the wet ingredients in the bowl while you sprinkle some cinnamon in.

4. Once wet ingredients are combined, tell the volunteer to hold the 1 cup over the bowl again. Pour the pancake mix into the 1 cup to measure, then as the volunteer to dump the mix into the bowl with the wet ingredients.

5. Ask the volunteer to please stir the mixture together.

6. Explain to the audience that while the child is stirring, you as the adult should be heating a pan with some oil in it to begin making the pancakes.

7. Once the volunteer is done stirring, explain that the mixture will be lumpy

8. Tell the audience they can make the pancakes into shapes to make it more fun for the child.

Memorable Ending: “Now you can try these tips I’ve given you at home with your families and hopefully you can get your picky eaters to eat more vegetables! (And maybe you will eat more too!)”

Evaluation Strategies:

• A pre-assessment was used prior to class to determine audience needs

• A post-assessment survey was given to the “parents” asking questions based on information provided for each learning objective to ensure all concepts were understood.

YouTube Video Link



Oral Self Evaluation

1. What was the topic or title of your presentation?

• How to Get Your Picky Child to Eat More Vegetables.

2. Describe one thing that you did well in this presentation.

• I was enthusiastic during the presentation and provided appropriate information to the audience (parents of young children from varying socio-economic statuses.)

3. Describe one thing that you would change about your preparation of this presentation.

• I would improve the ending of the presentation to make it more memorable. The second to last slide of the presentation: “Almost 76% of school age children eat less than 3 servings (1 ½ cups – the minimum recommendation) of vegetables per day. How does that make you feel?” would have been more effective at the end.

4. Comment on the content of your presentation: do you feel that you provided your

audience with information that they did not know prior to your presentation?

Explain.

• I believe that the information I provided was new to some dietetics students but would have been more useful for its intended audience. Many parents of varying socio-economic backgrounds may not know how many cups of vegetables a child needs to be healthy, or what consists of one serving size. The tips I provided also would have been helpful to frustrated parents who don’t know how to persuade their child to eat vegetables. However, I did provide a new, interesting recipe to the Dietetics students and according to the pre-assessment, many did not know the amount of cups a child should have and expressed that they and their families do not eat enough vegetables. I provided different and creative ways to incorporate them.

5. Comment on your eye contact: was it sufficient? Why or why not? If not, how do you

plan to improve your eye contact for your next presentation?

• My eye contact was sufficient, even given the Power Point. I made sure to just use the Power Point as a “place holder” to keep me on track and to ensure that I was providing the class with all the information I intended to. Additionally, I tried to make sure I was speaking to the audience and asking questions by maintaining eye contact.

•

6. Comment on your gestures and movement: were they effective? Why or why not? If

not, how do you plan to improve your gestures and movement for your next

presentation?

• I believe that my gestures were appropriate, i.e. pointing to the audience when making a statement about them. I used my hands to talk which showed my enthusiasm for the topic.

• Next time, to improve my movements, I would recommend and “clicker” to change the slides so I could walk around rather than stay behind a podium. The podium confines the speaker and restricts their movement.

7. Comment on your practice for this presentation: did you practice thoroughly? If you

feel that you did not practice thoroughly, how will you modify your practice for

your next presentation? Be specific.

• I practiced quite a bit for this presentation. Unfortunately, I was not in a classroom environment while practicing so I could not see how the presentation would look on a projector. However, I showed up to class with sufficient time to set up and make sure the Power Point looked as expected.

• Next time, I give a presentation, I will practice it by speaking to a couple of my peers so they can provide suggestions on content and movement.

8. Please provide an overall assessment of your presentation. Were you satisfied with

your presentation? Why or why not?

• I think this was my best presentation to date. I was most interested in this topic and it allowed me to have free reign on the content and material to be covered. I enjoy speaking about children; I love food and cooking as well. I enjoy imparting my personal knowledge to others and receiving feedback. Most feedback I received was positive and encouraging which showed my growth throughout the year.

Bibliography

Anderson J, Perryman S, Young L, and Prior S. “Dietary Fiber.” Colorado State University Extension, December 2010. .

Beth D, Albright J, Andersen K, Bates T, Dunn C, Ezzell J, Schneider L, Sullivan C, and Vodicka S. “Enjoy More Fruits and Vegetables: School-Age Children and Youth Trends, Effects, Solutions.” North Carolina School Nutrition Action Committee (February 2008).

How Many Vegetables Are Needed Daily or Weekly? USDA: , 2013.

Marshall S MD, and O’Brien R MS, RD, CDE. “Serving Size.” WebMD, February 4, 2011. .

Seibert MD, Andrew. “Vitamins and Minerals: Good Food Sources.” WebMD, October 6, 2012. .

“Serving Size Visuals.” American Heart Association: Nutrition Center, 2013. .

“Size-Wise Nutrition for Young Children.” Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, November 2012. .

“Visualize Your Portion Size.” University of Rochester Medical Center (December 1, 2009).

Appendices

I. Nutrition Handout/Flier

II. Pancake Recipe

III. Power Point Slides - Master Copy

IV. T-shirt design

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