This Week
Welcome
Ever notice how kids know they won’t like a certain food without ever having tasted it? Although kids eat with their mouth, they also eat with their eyes, ears, and nose. If something has an unappetizing appearance or funny name, my daughter will immediately declare that she does not like it, even without tasting it. While sometimes I would like to gently tell her “hush up and eat what’s on your plate,” I choose not to because I think dinner time should be about joy and togetherness, not negativity.
The way my daughter, Tori, and I have worked it out is pretty simple: she agreed to try a new vegetables from time to time to find her favorites. Once we found a few she enjoyed, they became routine staples at dinner time. This was a great solution to the constant “eat your vegetables” battle. By taking the extra time to work together to find foods she liked that were also nutritious, I was able to teach her the importance of eating healthier and learn a little about what makes her tick.
Of course there are still times where I have to use less-than-admirable tactics to get her to eat her dinner. One is LYING. I know it sounds horrible, but sometimes lying to your kiddo about food is okay. Tori likes chicken, but thinks she does not like turkey. She thinks turkey only comes in round sandwich slices and she will not eat it any other way. So when I make a turkey dish, I tell her it’s chicken, she eats it and never knows the difference.
My favorite way to “trick” my picky kid is to simply add vegetables on the sly so she never knows. For example, when I make spaghetti sauce I basically add any vegetables I can find to the base and simply puree them all, or when I make pot roast I will load down the Crock-Pot with carrots and celery then simply puree the cooked veggies into a gravy and serve it over the roast. Chili and soups are also great recipes to “trick” up with veggies.
The important thing to remember is that your kids need you to teach them healthy eating habits like portion control and consuming lots of veggies. You wouldn’t let them watch R-rated movies because of what it would put in their minds, so why let them put R-rated food in their bodies? Kids don’t always know what’s best for them, that is our job. It’s not always easy, but your child’s health is important.
RECIPE FOR THE DAY:
Take: 2 parts unselfishness
1 part patience
and work together
Add: Plenty of Industry
Lighten: With good spirits
Sweeten: With kindness
Put in smiles as thickening with raisins in plum pudding and bake in warmth, which stems from a loving heart. If this fails to make a good day, the fault is not with the recipe, but with the cook.
Author Unknown
As always,
Stay hungry my friends.
photo kidsownplanet.com
I love the idea of “sneaking” the veggies into the dishes!! It works on husbands too!!
Awesome piece. Good ideas and it is always good to be reminded that you don’t always have to fight the kids on some stuff.
I agree – healthy eating habits start early, and a lot of damage can be done if we wait for kids to grow up and begin making healthy decisions on their own! I also love your point about keeping meals about togetherness and not negativity. We all have the memory of having to stay at the table longer than everyone to finish our meal
I was just talking about this yesterday! My Anderson is SO picky and I have resolved to just give him tofu and avocado… his FAVORITES! Gross to me but it’s what he likes and we don’t have a fight!
I love the speghetti sauce idea! Thanks!
The rule in my house was that I had to try everything once before I decided if I liked it or not. It was the simplest rule, impossible to argue with, and I became an incredibly adventurous and easy-to-please eater because of it. There was only one thing that I didn’t like (and still struggle with): onions, especially raw onions. But that’s pretty good in the scheme of things.
Great article by the way. It is definitely important to make mealtime about togetherness.
great idea for using it on the husbands too! I totally agree, dinner should not be a battle it such be a celebration.
I’ve used the “hide the veggies in the soup/chili/pasta sauce” with my husband for years! It’s genius! But admit it’s even harder with my 2-year-old. Can we agree to consider ketchup a vegetable?
Thank you all so much for the comments. So far the consensus is: 1. Husbands are big kids when it comes to eating veggies.
2. Having a stress free meal time is important.
3. I agree with Beth, Avocado and Tofu sounds gross.
4. And sorry Tracey, Ketchup as a veggie might be a reach.
So many great points have been made. Thanks again.
Outstanding that you have made meal time with a picky eater harmonious. Love and respect for your childs feelings have helped you attain this goal. Feelings associated with food and meal time can lead to a lifetime of bad eating habits when it is a constant battle. I love the thought of pureed brocolli and carrots in Spaghetti Sauce.
What tool do you use for this??
I generally cook all the vegetables down together then put them in the blender, puree, and add back to the pot.
I wonder how lying could help you to get a kid who only likes carb-related foods into eating meat and vegetables??
Try mashing cauliflower instead of potatoes. If you bake a butternut squash you can mash that as well. Remember Kids don’t buy it, cook it, or put it on there plates. So sometimes the only option is to not give them what they don’t need, whether they like it or not.
brilliant- so glad someone else has a picky one we need to be ‘tricky’ with -ie tell a slight fib to! chicken and turkey DO basically look the same! our littlest audrey completely believes she ‘does not ever eat bananas’ as she’s munching on a banana muffin or ‘tomatoes’ as she is eating pasta with pureed tomatoes and parmesan- she’s lovely and just 5- but you’re right -i do know whats best…
thanks for the thoughts…
melissa