It's long been thought that kids love nothing better for dinner than unhealthy fast food like sausages and chips. Yet it seems that we have misjudged them, and the times have changed – children have now developed a much more sophisticated palate. In a recent survey conducted by Birds Eye, more than 50% of adults questioned said that their children would eat salmon and 37% would eat Feta cheese. Other surprises were aubergines (27%), asparagus (33%) and lentils (36%).

This comes as a welcome surprise. After a long, busy day who wants to spend hours slaving in the kitchen to prepare different meals that satisfies everyone's tastes? Now family meals can be just that, a meal that is eaten by all the family and one that is both enjoyable and healthy.

Someone who knows a thing or two about feeding children in a nutritious way to keep them healthy and happy is Dr Sarah Schenker. She will be coming into the studio to talk about how you can become more inventive when it comes to mealtimes, and how incorporating children's favourite foods into your own old favourites – such as a feta cheese sandwich or a fish finger sandwich with Salmon fish fingers – can make all the difference. Making meal times fun, tasty and with foods that are better both for you and the whole family.

So if you want to know how to create easy dishes that are both nutritious and delicious, log on to our webchat and join in the discussion.

Dr Sarah Schenker joins us live online to discuss how to enjoy a healthy meal with your children.

For more information visit www.birdseye.co.uk

H: Host, Lis Speight
S: Dr Sarah Schenker

H: Hello and welcome to the Food and Drink Show, I’m Lis Speight. Now it's long been thought that kids love nothing better for dinner than unhealthy fast food like sausages and chips. Yet it seems that we may have misjudged them, and the times have changed – children have now developed a much more sophisticated palate. Well, someone who knows a thing or two about feeding children in a nutritious way to keep them healthy and happy is Dr Sarah Schenker. Welcome to the show Sarah, it’s really nice to see you today

S: Nice to see you

H: Now Sarah’s going to be giving us some top tips on how to keep your kids tip top healthy, so if you’ve got any questions for her at all about how to get your kids to eat their greens then get them into us, all you have to do is type your name and where you’re from and your question in the box that’s on the screen, press submit, it will come through to us here in the studio and we’ll try to get through as many as we can during the course of the show. So Sarah, contrary to expectations is seems that our kids to want to eat well don’t they?

S: I know isn’t this fantastic news for once?

H: It is, hooray!

S: Usually all the news to do with children’s diets and children’s health is really depressing and it’s all about being unhealthy, and here’s some really good research from Birds Eye that has shown that actually our children are developing much more sophisticated palates. They like foods like salmon, they like these things like lentils, aubergines

H: Quite strong flavours actually

S: Yes they are

H: Because salmon’s a strong flavour isn’t it?

S: It’s really surprising but it’s so good for them and that’s why it’s such good news. I mean obviously something like salmon, good source of protein which helps them grow, good source of your Omega 3 fatty acids which is good for your heart health

H: And your brain as well they say don’t they?

S: Exactly yes, brain development and also behaviour, and cognitive abilities and that kind of thing. But the really good news is that by starting young they develop good habits young, and if you develop good habits young you’re much more likely to have a healthy diet as an adult. So that’s the best thing about it

H: And why do you think these changes are happening, because you tend to think kids just want to eat pizza all the time and that they won’t touch anything that’s a bit strange. Why do you think this is happening?

S: I think it’s just the explosion of information we have now about diet, health and nutrition, it’s everywhere, it’s in the media, it’s on the television, it’s on the web – we’ve got so many TV programs around food, about making food and celebrity chefs and do you know children buy into this –

H: That’s right

S: And they’re curious little souls and they see adults taking an interest in this kind of food and they see you know the big sort of celebrity status with the chefs, and they think – mm ok I might try some of this food, and so if – wherever it’s come from it’s a great thing!

H: Exactly! But it’s not always easy is it for mums and dads, you know you get in from work and the kids have just come in from school and you just want to get the tea on the table and get it down them don’t you? How do you sort of go about bringing more unusual foods into your children’s diets without making a real faff about it?

S: I think introduce them one at a time, so I think you know you’re heading for disaster if you try to do something completely new, with lots of new ingredients that they’ve never seen or never tried before. But one at a time, so you just do it, you know, step by step. So where –the best way is just to adapt a favourite recipe, so if you know a recipe works and everybody likes it, just throw in an extra vegetable, use something different

H: So sort of cottage pie or something, put something, sneak something – bit of aubergine or something

S: Exactly, bit of aubergine in there or –

H: what’s this mum? Well you try it, you might like it

S: If you cut it up small they probably wouldn’t even notice. But yes, that kind of thing. So just experiment with your – the recipe, tried and tested recipes that you know work and do it that way. So for instance, you know we’ve got these new salmon fish fingers, they’re great because children know about fish fingers, they know they like them

H: Right

S: And it’s not until they bite into them that they think oh that’s different! Ok the fish is different, and hopefully they’ll be, you know, willing to try the salmon type as well as the white type

H: Yes

S: and that just expands the amount of food that they’re eating. Brilliant

H: Do you think there’s quite a lot of peer pressure as well though, because I mean if you go to someone else’s house and they’re having salmon fish fingers, or aubergine, and then your child might sort of try it because everyone else is having it

S: Oh definitely, yes, yes – definitely children like to copy their peers, they like to copy other adults. They might not copy their parents, but actually if they see lots of people sitting down and enjoying a meal together, they want to be part of that, so you know family meals or meals with extended family or friends or whatever, whenever you can, it’s not always possible, but when you can all get together, and sit round a table and share food, that’s a great experience for children, because they will see other people enjoying different foods and they’re much more willing to try it rather than you know the usual scenario where it’s just a big war zone at the table

H: Exactly well it can be can’t it?

S: Yes

H: Well we’ve had quite a few of your questions in actually, and one of them is from Laura. She said “my kids are really fussy eaters and they seem happy with chips, beans and burgers all the time. Help!” How do you get them off that, you know to try and try something new?

S: Well maybe one way is to get them into the kitchen and decide to make something together

H: That’s a good idea

S: Let them help, you know maybe sort of start from scratch say ok what shall we cook together, or what shall we cook for the rest of the family today? You choose some ingredients and I’ll help you put it together, and it’s probably quite surprising the concoctions they’ll come up with. Or of course if they’re – if pizza is one of the things that they love, make your own pizza and add lots of different toppings – so rather than the usual salami or sausages or whatever, try something different. Get as many vegetables on top as possible. And less cheese. And that’s a good way of getting children to eat more vegetables.

H: Some good tips then. And you don’t actually have to do this mid-week, because mid-week can be a bit of a nightmare. I mean weekends might be a good time to try something like that?

S: Yes weekends is a great time to sort of get them into the kitchen, put an apron on, let them get involved, let them make the mess

H: Yes well exactly, when I was making scrambled egg for my little girl, just yesterday and she said “I want to mix it, I want to mix it” and I thought oh for goodness sake, I just wanted to get it over with, but actually she did mix it, she had a lovely time doing it, and it only took a couple more minutes and then she –

S: That’s right

H: She’s more likely to eat it aren’t you if you’ve made it yourself?

S: Yes definitely, they love to eat things they’ve made themselves or that they’ve had some kind of hand in preparing or helping with, that’s really important, so if you – if you can stand the mess and you’ve got some quiet time, then that’s a good way to get started

H: Yes. And if you don’t have a go then you never know do you? You might surprise – they might surprise you, you might have a Jamie Oliver in the making

S: They might well surprise you yes!

H: Now we’ve got a question in from Kate Wallace and she says “I find it really hard to get my kids to eat greens. Do you have any bright ideas?” I’m sure that’s a same argument from lots of parents, isn’t it, trying to get your kids – you put them on the plate and they just don’t want them

S: It’s very difficult with the greens, but you know the thing about children is we don’t have to be as healthy maybe as adults, so one of the ways to make greens more interesting is to add that little bit of butter, maybe add something like some pine nuts –

H: Right, yes

S: Maybe something that goes with them, so wilted spinach and pine nuts with a bit of butter, pinch of nutmeg goes really nicely together. I know again it’s a little bit more effort but it’s worth it, and you know don’t worry about the extra butter or the extra fat that you’re adding because it’s just introducing the taste

H: Yes

S: And children often need those extra calories –

H: Exactly

S: Because they run around much more than adults and –

H: It’s not so important is it?

S: They’re still growing

H: For kids, the low fat diet –

S: Yes so they can have that. Another way would be maybe to make it a bit more interesting, so you could talk about broccoli trees, and you know do the whole creative thing. Or you can just chop them up small and throw them into stews, casseroles, cottage pies, like you said

H: Or blitz it down and put it in spaghetti sauce or something

S: Yes, yes that’s another good way to get it in. But I think that they should – it shouldn’t always be hidden vegetables

H: No

S: They should have the chance to experiment and you know pick things up, try it. If they really don’t like it and obviously you know some green vegetables do have that kind of very sharp, strong taste, then just keep on introducing it. Don’t make a big deal about it, try again later. Give it a couple of weeks, introduce it again. They might reject it for a second or third time but eventually they’ll come round

H: And it’s just getting their brains into the fact that everyone eats these things and it’s healthy and it’s good for you, and even if they don’t like broccoli now, when they’re 15, when they’re 20, they might come round to it then

S: Exactly

H: You know ,so it’s just getting it in to their head that this is all part of a balanced diet

S: Yes it’s all part of what we need to keep ourselves healthy and fit and you know use incentives like that so you know, footballers eat broccoli –

H: Yes – and so should you!

S: So should you

H: We’ve got a question in on – from Sophie – sort of polar opposite actually, she says “my kids like veg but they won’t eat fruit. Should I be worried?” About the whole nutritious thing – can you get only certain things from fruit that you can’t get from veg?

S: Well no I wouldn’t be too worried at the moment, I mean obviously they’re still young and they’ll probably develop a taste for fruit as they get a little bit older, that is quite unusual to like vegetables before fruit, but I’m sure the fact that they are eating some vegetables means that they are getting a good spectrum of nutrients, so they’re still getting vitamin c and potassium, and folate and all the things we know are important for children’s diets and children’s health, and obviously you know there’s some kind of fruit, or fruits and vegetables that span the two groups

H: Right

S: So things like cherry tomatoes

H: Yes, yes

S: So introduce some of those. Avocados again, it’s actually –

H: I love avocados

S: A fruit, but most people see it as more of a savoury vegetable-type thing

H: Yes

S: And you know you can start to, when you’re making salads, you can start to put in little bits of fruit, so cut them up. Sometimes with fruit it’s just the way it’s presented

H: Right, yes – it’s like a big apple is sort of, oh, what do I do with this?

S: A sliced apple is always more appealing, somebody’s done the hard work for you than maybe having just an apple in your hand. Even as simple as peeling and segmenting a Satsuma or something can help a little bit

H: Just make a fruit salad or something. Or even smoothies as well, they’re quite a good idea

S: Smoothie’s a great way to have fruit, yes definitely. So just crush up and mix with either some milk or some yoghurt or some juice, and you’ve got a – again get the child involved, ask them what they want to put into their smoothie

H: And all – you can get frozen fruit as well now can’t you which is absolutely fantastic, I love that, you can just have all your stuff in the bottom of the freezer and it’s just there ready to go

S: Yes that’s right,

H: Bit of this, bit of that, shove it in –

S: Handful of each

H: Whoosh, bit of ice cream – delicious

S: And off you go

H: Well good luck with that! Well we are live of course and so if you’ve got any questions at all on your troublesome kids, how to get some fruit and veg down them, how to get some healthy food down them, then get them in to us and Sarah would love to answer them I’m sure. Now Sarah do you think it is easier these days though, because mums and dads, they’ve got much more choice – I mean when we were growing up, I’d never even heard of an aubergine never mind tried one – I mean do you think it’s sort of easier to get things now?

S: Yes I think the access we’ve got to fruit and vegetables and different types of foods such as the salmon and such as the lentils and those kind of things do make it much more – much easier for parents and for families to experience all this food, and obviously as long as you know what you’re doing with it, so when it comes to something like lentils, you can just throw them into sort of soups, stews, casseroles, that sort of thing – they’re not difficult to use, and it just helps children acquire a taste for these different types of foods

H: Yes exactly, give them a range then there’s got to be something that they like hasn’t there?

S: Yes definitely

H: Now we’re talking about making soups and stews and what have you, and it all sounds very homely and lovely, but when you get in at half past 5 at night, how do you start making things like that? I suppose you’ve got to be quite organised haven’t you?

S: Yes – I mean it does help to be organised. I mean you can do the – the whole make a batch at the weekend and freeze little portions so that they’re ready to go during the week, but of course you I know there are some processed foods that you can use, such as the salmon fish fingers for instance, and then – but you can still have a healthy meal if you put them with some frozen peas for instance and maybe some sweet potato wedges

H: Ooh yummy

S: Yes – delicious

H: And then that’s – they’re ready and waiting to go isn’t it?

S: Exactly

H: Also you made a – I don’t know like a spaghetti bolognaise at the weekend and then you could save it and have it as a chilli later in the week couldn’t you?

S: Yes that’s right – so you’ve got the sauce

H: The freezer’s great for that isn’t it?

S: So you could just throw in some kidney beans and maybe a little bit of chilli powder, not too much, depending on what your children like, and serve it with rice

H: And how important do you think it is that parents and children eat together?

S: Oh I think it’s really important, I’m a real advocate of you know, going into a different room, turning off the television, sitting down and just talking together as a family. And you know have – don’t have rushed meal times if you can help it. I mean sometimes it’s difficult you’ve got to get out for Brownies and Cubs and swimming lessons and all sorts

H: I know it’s so busy in everyone’s household isn’t it? It’s just mad

S: Everyone’s busy, but where you can if you’ve got more of a relaxed evening and you can sit down and somebody’s made one thing and somebody else has helped with the preparation of something else, you can all sit down and just take your time. It’s very much what they do in Europe –

H: Well that’s right, we’re a bit rubbish actually –

S: Yes I know

H: On that subject actually I’ve had a question in from Sylvia, or a statement really. She says “I’m finding it really hard to get my kids away from the telly when they get home from school and get them to the dinner table.” In the end I imagine they end up eating their dinner in front of the telly, on a tray or something which is not really the way to go is it?

S: No, I mean sometimes we all resort to it when we just have to for a quiet life but –

H: How can you stop that on a sort of – how do you get your kids away from the telly into the dinner table?

S: I think you have to make some deals, you have to say – say for instance Friday night or Thursday night is family night, you know, we haven’t – we’re not going anywhere, we’re in for the evening and everyone’s going to help mummy that night, so –

H: And daddy

S: Yes and daddy, and daddy can help as well. So it’s – so that everybody has a part and everybody has their role to play

H: Yes

S: Whether it’s setting the table, or, or chopping up a carrot, or something

H: Yes so that –

S: Everyone’s got a part in that

H: Yes

S: So everybody feels that they’re contributing and – that’s really important as well that children don’t grow up with this notion that food just appears as if by magic

H: Yes as if by magic through the kitchen hatch

S: Yes that’s’ right

H: And poor mother is sweating in the kitchen. And tidying up as well – get them into the good habits with that. Now we’ve had a question in from Selena talking about sort of having things in the freezer and ready to go. She says “are frozen foods as good as fresh?” Nutritionally I suppose she means

S: Well in some cases they can actually be more nutritious, because a lot of vegetables for instance like peas are frozen almost as soon as they’re picked, it retains that nutrient value

H: Right

S: There’s a little bit of nutrient lost during the freezing process itself, but then they’re locked in, and they’ll stay in that kind of state of nutrition, nutritious state until they’re ready to eat

H: Right

S: Sometimes say with fresh vegetables it’s a long time between picking them and actually eating them

H: Yes you’re not quite sure where they’ve been hanging around

S: No that’s right

H: I mean some of them come from goodness knows where don’t they?

S: They come from the other side of the world maybe

H: Yes exactly

S: A lot of time in storage, and the longer that they’re in storage, especially if they’re not in perfect conditions, they will start to deplete some of their nutrients

H: Right

S: Don’t be too alarmed, it’s not as if they lose every single nutrient that they contain

H: No

S: It’s only certain vitamins that are liable to this loss. So in some respects frozen vegetables can actually be more nutritious, but the most important thing is to remember that all fruit and vegetables count towards your five a day target, so not to worry too much about which kind you’re buying ,and in these times of credit crunch and

H: Well that’s right yes

S: And difficult budget and everything else, even if you buy cans or frozen, don’t always think you have to go out and buy super expensive organic produce

H: No

S: You don’t. It’s just about eating the vegetables themselves

H: Maybe grow some of your own as well!

S: Well yes that’s a very good option

H: It’s always worth having a go isn’t it? Now we’re almost out of time actually, last question in from Anna and she said “any tips, top tips on how to make food and meal times more fun?” I don’t know whether her kids aren’t very good at eating, but top tips?

S: Well I think part of the problem is that you know very often it’s – you know it can be a bit of a battle zone

H: Yes

S: So I think to diffuse the situation and to make it relaxed and to make it – get them to choose what they want. Have some deals, can’t choose a take-away and they can’t just choose you know fast food like – fast foods – but they can choose a recipe, and again get them involved, get them – even if they don’t actually help in the kitchen, get them involved in the choice, maybe give them a sort of selection – ok I can make this, this, this or this – what should we all eat tonight?

H: Yes

S: and then everyone –

H: Like a restaurant menu! Almost

S: Almost. And it can just be a variation on a theme. So – and I think you know turn off the distractions. No TV in the background

H: Get together as a family, make it an event

S: Yes. Don’t answer the phone, don’t have one person leaving or – as one person comes in kind of thing, try and get together, and even if you do it once a week, that will hopefully – people will enjoy it and it will filter through and it will become a more regular – more regular occurrence

H: Yes and it’s laying down the foundations for later life isn’t it?

S: Yes

H: Well look Sarah thank you very much for coming in and good luck with your new arrival

S: Oh thank you

H: Sarah’s pregnant if you hadn’t noticed! It’s going to be the healthiest baby on the planet. Well thanks very much for coming in Sarah, and thanks for all your questions as ell, we hope we’ve given you some inspiration. Now if you need any more inspiration you can go to the website which is www.birdseye.co.uk and there’s lots of top tips there on how to make tea time a bit more tasty. And you know pizza and chips – you can give your kids that once in a while, but why not try something different, salmon fish fingers for example – you never know, they might like them! Thanks for watching the Food and Drink Show and we’ll see you next time. Bye bye

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