THERE ARE HUNDREDS of reasons children don’t enjoy healthy food to the fullest, the primary problem being it can’t deliver the same hit as sugary, fatty treats. However many times you may try and dress up carrots and peas, a slice of chocolate cake will always win out.
This is the dilemma children’s chef Annabel Karmel has been addressing since releasing her first cookbook, The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Planner especially for kids in 1991.
“I was never really supposed to be a chef,” Annabel told us during a recent visit to Dubai for a signing of her latest book. “I was a trained musician, but fate had a different calling for me.”
Tragically, in the late ’80s, Annabel lost her first child, Natasha aged just three months, to a brain abnormality. Unable to continue playing music as a result of her bereavement, Annabel decided to dedicate her life to children’s welfare. Shortly after the birth of her first son a year later, she ran a playgroup.
“It was there that I began to cook for the kids,” Annabel said. “Parents would always come to me asking how I got them to eat everything I made. I started to write recipes and eventually decided to put them in a book.”
The first edition of Annabel’s cookbook took two-and-a-half years to complete.
“I had a job and had young kids to look after – more followed after my son. I wrote in the evening when they were asleep. I felt it was a great legacy for Natasha and it was therapeutic for me.”
The main hurdle Annabel hoped to overcome with her initial foray into recipe writing was to dispel the myths and conflicting information around at the time regarding children’s nutrition. Consulting the Institute of Child Health and seeking the advice of its scientists, she looked to publish a definitive guide to keeping newborns through to infants satisfied and healthy.
“That was 23-years ago and so far I have sold four million copies. I sell more books in a year than Shakespeare!
“I think it gave mums a choice when it came to feeding their children. Up until then it was just baby food, or very bland foods. People at that time thought the only thing that could make meals tasty were salt and fat, which are not good for young ones. I think that’s why it became so popular.”
Including dishes such as curries made The Complete Baby and Toddler Meal Plan stand out. Capitalising on the globalisation of ingredients - employing coconut milk, garam masala and a variety of herbs for example - Annabel claims she constantly receives letters from adults telling her of their enjoyment of her creations. This has led to the chef’s current project – penning a recipe book for the whole family.
When it comes to the thorny issue of food allergies – most likely the bane of every cook’s existence – Annabel’s stance is surprisingly forthright.
“We tend to wrap kids up in cotton wool,” she said. “We need to stop sterilising everything. Only a bottle needs to be sterilised or children will not be able to build their immune systems.
“Only six per cent of children have allergies. If it is in the family, the child has eczema, asthma, or hay fever then proceed with caution. But if none of those ailments are present then it should be fine to try a little peanut butter, for example. Eating a tiny amount shouldn’t cause any damage. I would say only about one third of children who supposedly have allergies actually have them.”
Her views on childhood obesity are equally as cut and dry. Visiting Dubai for the first time two years ago, it was while at the literary festival she discovered the UAE’s staggering rates of diet related illness.
“In this country it seems children are given anything they want. You have to educate them early. Prevention is better than a cure. Fill the bottom fridge shelf with healthy choices.
“Kids are fussy. Mine were! They need variety but you also need to be firm. They will soon come back to the table if they are hungry enough. Don’t give in if they don’t want to eat what you have prepared.”