Last Friday I was invited to do a workshop on healthy brigadeiros with children aged 3 to 6 years old at Educação Infantil Upuerê here in Vitória for a cooking project at the school. Children learned about all the ingredients and what benefits they have for each part of the body.

It was a relaxed morning where they also learned why sugar can be harmful and how important it is to eat healthy for them to grow strong and intelligent. They loved knowing the origin and history of foods such as chia, a seed consumed by Mayan warriors in Mexico, and cocoa, a native Amazonian fruit and a great source of energy, and we had a lot of fun while we were preparing the recipe together.

 

What little ones eat during childhood determines not only how their health is during that period but also reflects on adulthood. According to the World Health Organization - WHO, children who consume sugar and salt before one year of age are more likely to have obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in adulthood. Sugar not only causes weight gain, weakens immunity, causes cavities, it can also affect children's memory and behavior, leading to hyperactivity according to some studies¹.

If you have kids at home, chances are you've had a hard time trying to get them to eat vegetables, salads, fruits, or any other type of food. I know how difficult and challenging this can be, but don't give up.

Follow these 4 tips to start changing your diet at home and you'll be amazed by the results:

1- Create strategies to entertain children by telling stories, inventing fun ways to assemble and decorate the dish. Take advantage of the natural, vivid colors of food to create colorful and attractive meals.

2- Let them get their hands dirty. Greater interaction at the time of cooking makes them feel responsible for the food and this facilitates the introduction of new foods and acceptance of food. Explore the senses by stimulating them to smell each ingredient, touching and noticing the texture, etc.

3- Explain how it works and how a cooking recipe should be followed and take the opportunity to work your memory through the ingredients, math through the portions, be creative!

4- Be the example. Parental behavior is like a mirror in how children act. It is important that you be the inspiration and that they are encouraged by your habits. If you keep drinking soda, expect the same from your child.

Today I'm going to post the recipe we made from brigadeiros that the children sold at night to raise money for their graduation. They loved it and the sales were a success, with none left in the end. The brigadeiros also came with the recipe to be made at home. It is lactose free, gluten free and contains only natural sugar from dates and molasses, which are rich in vitamins and minerals. These brigadeiros are a great option for birthday parties or an afternoon snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup of unsweetened grated coconut

1 cup of almonds

1/2 dozen dates

4 tablespoons of cashew butter*

2 tablespoons of pure cocoa

1 tablespoon of coconut oil

1 tablespoon of molasses (optional,

 

Yields 20 to 22 units

Instructions:

1- Start by placing the almonds and coconut in a food processor and blend for a minute or two, until a flour begins to form. Then add the cashew butter, coconut oil, cocoa and mix for a few seconds before slowly adding the dates. Leave the processor on until it mixes well and you get a sticky mixture.

2- Roll the balls using approximately one tablespoon of the mixture for each unit. Spread the brigadeiros in grated coconut, chia, sesame, goji berries or whatever you prefer and refrigerate to set for an hour, or you can also eat directly with a spoon without rolling it.

3- Store in the refrigerator in a closed container for 4 to 5 days.

* Cashew nut butter can be found ready-made in health food stores or made at home. Click on here for the recipe it's very easy to make.

It was an amazing and very rewarding moment! I was very happy to see schools like Upuerê that encourage healthy eating. How is your children's school feeding? Have you been spending time together in the kitchen?

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1- Crook, W., Sugar and children's behavior. New England Journal of Medicine 1994 June 30;330(26):1901-1904.

See, eg, Aylsworth, J. Sugar and Hyperactivity. Winter 1990 Priorities; 31-33.

Behar, D., et al. Diet and Hyperactivity. Nutr Behav 1984; 1:279-288.

Rapoport, JL, et al. Behavioral Response to Sweeteners in Preschool Children. Presented at the International Conference on Nutrients and Brain Function, Scottsdale, Arizona, Feb 12, l986. Originally published in American Journal of Psychiatry, November 1987, Vol. 144, No. 11; http://www.cmer.org/class/articles/sugar1.html.

Prinz, R., et al. Associations Between Nutrition and Behavior in 5-Year-Old Children. May 1986 Nutr Rev. Rapoport, J. Diet and Hyperactivity. May 1989 Nutr Rev Supp 158-161.