Getting Kids Involved In Cooking Can Lead To Healthier Eating

BOSTON (CBS) - Whipping up a quick tomato soup or black bean hummus is a breeze for long-time Watertown cook Sally Sampson.

But she says it can be just as easy for kids.

"You don't have to make a super-duper amazing lunch. Involve the children, let them make their own choices," says Sampson, the founder of Chop Chop magazine.

The magazine is on a mission to improve kids' health.

"What we find is that kids who cook and kids who have choices around cooking and eating have wider palettes. And wider palettes result in better eating in general," she says.

That wider palette means even more options when it comes to packing that daily school lunch.

"One thing I think is important is to fill a lunch box with a lot of options. Even if they are not eating it at first they probably will get curious."

Parents can get kids cooking early with very simple tasks,

"It can start really small. 'I'm making salad, can you count out ten cherry tomatoes?' " explains Sampson.

And the early encouragement could really pay off.

Sampson says, eventually, the kids will want to make you dinner instead of the other way around.

Here's the recipe for Sampson's Tomato Soup with Cheddar Cheese and her Black Bean Hummus.

For even more ideas to get your kids cooking click here.

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