As a parent, your life can become almost constantly busy. Trying to look after children, run a house, work a job, etc. all means that your days can become one big blur. This is why days turn into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years – all in the blink of an eye. With so much to do, it is easy to see why so many flustered parents stick to things like quick meals, fast food, and the ‘easy stuff that can be cooked in a set-and-forget fashion. As a parent, though, passing on this kind of culinary planning to your children is going to hamper them in future life.
Teaching your children how to cook from scratch is so important. Your children can work out how to throw a ready meal in the oven or how to phone a takeout meal themselves; this is easy stuff. Showing them how to make foods they like from scratch, though, can be an immensely rewarding experience.
Show your children the challenge of cooking
A big part of food waste and selective eating comes from a lack of appreciation of the craft involved. If your children think that food just goes into the oven and appears magically cooked, they will have less respect for the food itself. Show them how much work and effort goes into crafting meals, though, and they are much more likely to appreciate and value their food.
Show them the challenges involved, and they are far less likely to be wasteful with their food.
Show your children that effort creates quality
If your children are growing up on a diet of ready meals and fast food, they will think all food just appears ready at the click of their fingers. Show your children that by working hard on a meal and adding in the little extra touches you can take a dish from standard quality to restaurant quality, and they will be impressed.
By taking the time to show your kids the benefit of cooking from scratch, they can understand the little touches that turn a meal from a 7/10 into a 10/10 masterpiece.
Create a healthy relationship with food
By showing your children the importance of mixing the right kinds of food for nutritional balance and the right flavor, you encourage their food relationship to be less toxic. Many children become reliant on eating foods that are ‘tasty’ in a conventional sense i.e. they are likely loaded with additives, salt, and more.
By showing your children how vegetables, herbs, spices, and more can all come together to create something tasty, they will become less likely to see ‘food’ as merely junk food and treats.