Low-Fat Hummus with Raw Vegetables — Healthy Spin on Snacking!
First Lady Michelle Obama, TV chef Jamie Oliver and a host of others have arisen recently to urge us to teach our children healthier eating habits.
With childhood obesity at its highest and most alarming level ever, it is high time we focus on helping the next generation make smarter nutritional choices.Â
To the rescue come nutritional educators such as Mary Tafi, who teaches children in Southern California how to develop lifelong healthy eating habits, through her program called Eat a Rainbowâ˘.  She emphasizes the goal of 7-9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, whole grains, the right fats and not too much sugar.Â
Other lessons include being skeptical about advertising and claims on the front of the package, and how to interpret nutrition labels. âReading nutrition labels is huge for children. They need to be able to identify unhealthy ingredients. Basically I teach the kids the fewer the ingredients, the better. If you canât pronounce it and you donât know what it is, in general, itâs probably not good for you.â
In her own classroom, she urges parents to bring fresh fruit or fruit kebabs instead of cupcakes or cookies to celebrate birthdays. A fruit kebab is simple: thread grapes, strawberries, pineapple, cantaloupe, and firm watermelon onto a wooden skewer. âNobody ever asks, âWhere are the cupcakes? Where are the cookies?â Kids beg for more kebabs! It has now become our classroom culture,â she said. Â
She acknowledges that nutritional trends can seem difficult. âIt is easy to get overwhelmed, because there is so much data. In the end, though, it is so simple. Just eat foods as closely as they occur in nature. Have an apple instead of apple leather, apple pie or apple sauce. If you follow that â eating plant-based and lean proteins, whole grains, fruits and vegetables â it doesnât have to be that complicated.â
She also urges all of us to work together to change our communityâs culture, so that children are not presented with treats at every party, festival and sporting event. âEvery event doesnât have to be an opportunity to have a treat. We need to change the public venues for kids, so they are not confronted with these unhealthy choices every time they turn around. If we could make it a culture, it would be so beautiful for the kids.â
Kids are inveterate snackers, and thatâs where many nutritional bombs are buried. High-fat, high-sugar options abound, if youâre not careful.
Tafi has a healthier suggestion: Hummus with Raw Vegetables. âThis is a lower-fat version of hummus, where yogurt replaces the olive oil and some of the tahini. I serve it with thinly sliced beets and the crowd goes wild. Parents always ask, âHow did you get my kid to eat beets?!ââ
That might be just what the doctor ordered.
Lower-Fat Hummus with Raw Vegetables
Source: Mary Tafi / Eat a Rainbow⢠Â
- 1 large clove garlic
- 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
- 2 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
- 2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
- 1/2 a lemon, juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- For dipping: Toasted pita bread wedges or veggies (beet slices, broccoli florets, carrot sticks, cherry tomatoes)
Mince garlic in food processor. Add beans, yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, cumin and salt, and blend until a coarse puree forms, occasionally scraping down sides of work bowl. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead.) Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve hummus with fresh raw vegetables for dipping.
Serves 6.
