Question:

My teenage daughter has never liked or eaten fruit or vegies. We have pulled our hair out trying and even been to see doctors. Can you help suggest any foods or recipe ideas that we can conceal fruit and vegies inside other food to help us ensure she's getting a balanced diet?

Response:

It can be a real worry for parents when their children are fussy eaters. The more you force kids to eat certain foods the more they kick their heels in. Most probably your daughter will grow out of this fussy stage, but in the meantime getting a little sneaky in the kitchen and hiding some extra nutrients in her meals is a good idea.

You could try adding banana, berries, pear or apple to smoothies. Give your daughter fresh fruit juice combos if she will drink juice, or try freezing them into ice blocks. Add pureed berries, banana, mango or any other fruit through yoghurt. Porridge is a good way to disguise fruit — try adding mashed banana, pureed pear or apple. Try making some banana bread or apple or pear muffins (make sure you grate or mash fruit).

Pasta sauce is an easy way to sneak in some extra vegies; try adding pureed carrot, capsicum, spinach, pumpkin or zucchini through a tomato sauce. Mash some cauliflower through mashed potato, or finely grate up vegies through meat, chicken or fish patties. Fresh pesto is a great way to get extra green leafy vegies into the diet. You could also try making some homemade sweet potato chips. Giving your daughter some hummus or other dips such as beetroot, baba ganoush or tzatziki with some crackers might be another winner.

Fruits and vegies are good sources of vitamin C and A and antioxidants. I would recommend your daughter take a good multivitamin, along with some vitamin C daily, to make sure she is getting enough of these important nutrients. Keep offering your daughter fruits and vegies, but try not to make a big deal of it if she refuses to eat them.

For more information visit Lisa's website, Art of healing.