21 February 2024 , 15:54
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A mum has shared her unique method to get children to eat vegetables but her idea has left parents questioning if it would really work on their own kids. Cooking pro Kathleen Ashmore tells her more than 2.2 million followers that the answer is 'lettuce chips'.
In her TikTok video, which has been viewed more than two million times, she explains how she uses cut-up pieces of romaine lettuce dipped in her homemade red pepper salad dressing and says this is a sure-fire way to get your little darlings to eat more greens. The recipe developer turned food blogger, who boasts millions of followers across social media platforms where she regularly posts her recipes, swears that fellow parents will be “shocked” at the sheer amount of lettuce their kids will get through if they serve up this dish.
In the video Ashmore says: "This is how I get my kids to eat an entire head of lettuce," she said in a viral video posted to both Instagram and TikTok, showing how she cuts up a head of lettuce into bite-sized "chips" that make it enjoyable for her kids to eat salad. She shows how the romaine lettuce pieces act as a scoop for the red pepper dressing.
And talking to the New York Post, she added: "It seemed like a natural way to serve lettuce to my small children, frankly. Everything feels more fun to eat when you can use your fingers, especially for kids. Since I make lots of homemade salad dressings, I thought I’d cut the romaine lettuce up into chip-sized pieces and let them scoop the dressing up. When I cleared the plate away, there wasn’t a lettuce 'chip' left, and yet they had refused salad with a fork in the past."
Many parents praised Ashmore for being creative in the way she tried to ensure her kids got vegetables – of which they need anywhere from one to four cups per day, with one saying: "So many people thinking iceberg is the only lettuce, she's using romaine which has better nutrients. Doesn't matter what dip, they're eating veggies," and another said: "We have been doing this since the last time you posted, my kids love it. Salsa, ranch, hot sauce, yogurt. it's great."
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But others were not convinced, with one saying: "Really? How much nutrients are in a head of lettuce? Maybe broccoli or another vegetable but not lettuce!" And another moaned: "I don’t think anyone’s offended by the lettuce. It’s just calling it chips that sounds ridiculous," and a third said: "You mean water and dressing with sugar and c*** in it. Has to be a joke."
However, the doubters should know that Romaine lettuce has been touted as a "dieter’s dream" due to its low-calorie content, it is also full of vitamins A, C and K plus folate, potassium, magnesium and calcium.