Making Hispanic Recipes Healthy For Kids

As a parent, you want your children to eat healthy meals so they can be their best today and grow up strong and healthy. However oftentimes kids can be picky eaters, which can make it tough to find something they will eat. Fortunately, Hispanic foods such as tacos, burritos, fajitas and nachos (which seem to be especially popular with children) can easily be made healthier. While anyone who is knowledgeable about health care  would be quick to point out that the popular fast-food and packaged versions are far from nutritional, these foods are not too far removed from their healthy roots.

These foods were traditionally made with whole grains, dried beans and plenty of vegetables. As such, you just need to tweak them a little to return them to the fiber-packed nutritional powerhouses that they once were. In fact, these original recipes fit very well into the latest government guidelines for healthy eating. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in order to stay healthy, people should fill half their plates with fruit and vegetables, make sure half the grains they eat are whole grains and switch to fat-free or low-fat dairy products. These may sound like lofty goals, but foods with Hispanic roots can easily be adapted to meet these requirements.

Healthy Hispanic Recipes for Kids

It's hard to find a child who doesn't love tacos. The great news is that your child won't even notice the difference when youserveone that's a healthier than normal. Start by using a taco shells  made out of whole-grain corn, which is the rough equivalent of the whole wheat bread you'd find on a sandwich. To create such a shell, just spray soft corn tortillas with cooking spray and crisp them in the oven. Then drape the hot tortillas over the handle of a wooden spoon to cool before you fill them.

A healthier filling is a snap, too. Use very lean ground beef, grilled chicken breast strips or ground turkey in place of the hamburger called for in the recipe. If you want to be even healthier, you can also try replacing some of the meat with cooked dried beans. If your child balks at beans, use lentils instead. They are smaller and even children who are sure they hate beans will sometimes eat them in a recipe without batting an eye. Use the same vegetables you normally would when preparing tacos (such as lettuce, tomatoes and peppers) but tuck a few more of them than usual in the shell, then top it off with shredded reduced-fat cheese.

Nachos are another childhood favorite that easily transforms from junk food to healthy snack. Begin with whole-gra

in tortilla chips. Arrange the chips on a baking sheet, then sprinkle shredded reduced-fat cheese on top of the chips. You don't want to cover the chips entirely, but you do want to add enough cheese so that each bite includes some cheese. Lightly sprinkle taco seasoning over the cheese. Heat the cheese under the broiler, checking it every 30 seconds until the cheese shreds lose their shape and look shiny. Once the nachos are done cooking, let your kids help decorate them with toppings. Salsa, fat-free sour cream, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, carrot shreds, onions and lettuce all have high kid-appeal as well as plenty of nutrients. If you think your children might balk at any changes to their nachos, try serving them at a special time or as part of a special celebration, when children expect things to be a little different and won't be as likely to say no to these "fancy" nachos.

You can make healthier burritos, fajitas and enchiladas just as easily as tacos and nachos. Choose whole-wheat tortillas and substitute chicken, lean steak or ground turkey for the ground beef in the recipe, or use a very lean ground beef. Use cooked beans or lentils in place of up to a quarter of the meat. Lightly sautéed firm tofu strips also work well as a healthy substitute for meat in these recipes. Switch to low-fat and fat-free cheese. If your recipe doesn't contain enough vegetables to meet the USDA recommendation, fill a quarter of the plate with cut-up raw carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery or bell peppers and your child's favorite low-fat dip. Fill the rest of the plate with fresh fruit.

Besides being an excellent side dish, fresh fruits make terrific deserts. Yet many Hispanic favorites can also be made healthier. For instance, flan can be made lighter by using fat-free milk and egg substitute in place of the traditional ingredients. As final step in creating a healthier meal, try replacing sugary drinks with water. Small children usually won't object to water, especially if it is served in an attractive new cup, but older children may take longer to adjust. Some ideas to encourage children to drink more water are to place a pitcher of ice water on the table at meals,  avoid having sugary drinks in the house or giving children their own cool refillable water bottles.

As a parent, you know how important it is for your children to eat right. These tips can help you give your little ones the tastes and textures they love while keeping them healthy. For more ideas, as well as nutrition tips, menus, shopping guides, check out Latino Nutrition. ¡Buen apetito!

Guest Blogger:   Patricia Walling is a web content designer for several healthcare-related sites. She self-identifies as a perpetual student of medicine, and can be found most of the time researching anything related to the field.