Think your kids won't eat salmon? Can't get them to put broccoli past their lips? Maybe it's all in the presentation! I never heard of "plating" until I started to watch "Hell's Kitchen." While I'm not a gourmet chef, it might be one of the most practical things Gordon Ramsey passed on to me as a parent. It turns out that researchers have found one way to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables is to make them more attractive on the plate. Kids aren't little adults, and their preferences in plating vary greatly from ours. For example, most adults prefer a plate with three colors on it, but kids preferred six colors, with seven different components.

Honestly, I don't think I could come up with six different colors of food for each meal. But I'll definitely try harder! And the research also proves something that parents have known for a while. When it comes to kids and eating, presentation is everything. It's one of the tips in Piedmont Parent’s article "How to Get Kids to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables," and it's something parents have been practicing for years, from cutting sandwiches into shapes with cookie cutters to adding raisin faces to peanut butter toast.

This research just gives us a nudge to be a little more creative on an everyday basis, with some of the less desirable foods. Planning salmon and broccoli for supper? Maybe the broccoli could serve as hair for their little hunk of salmon. Draw a face with the tartar sauce, and voilà! Appealing. Add a few carrot sticks for a little more color, a lemon wedge to squirt on the fish, and all of a sudden you're up to five colors.

For some out-of-this-world inspiration, check out "45 Ways to Arrange Food to Entertain Kids," from the Curious Funny Photos blogger.

To get kids excited about eating more colors, you can check out the Sesame Street monsters' puzzle book, "Eat Your Colors!"

Another helpful hint: Give your kids a big plate like yours. That gives you a little more room for creativity, as well as space to make sure foods can be kept separate if needed.

So get a little creative, start thinking in colors, and have fun with dinner!

— Provided by Karen Alley, Web Editor, Piedmont Parent Magazine. This blog was first published on Monday, Jan. 9, in the “Daily Post.”
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