Sneaking in veggies
One of the questions I get pretty frequently is if I plan for Liv to eat the same way I do. Tom and I have talked about this a little bit, but it’s always been understood that she’ll eat like he does: whatever we have or I cook at home, and whatever else we may enjoy while out and about or at friends’ houses. We want Liv to be surrounded by healthy foods to keep her active and thriving, but also have the chance to be a kid and enjoy “kid foods” like chicken nuggets, funfetti cupcakes, milkshakes, whatever she’d like. While we won’t be hitting up McDonald’s every single day, I don’t want any food to be “forbidden” to her. I want her to develop a healthy attitude about food from watching us and figure out her own palate. I’ve heard that usually kids want to eat what their parents eat, so if we’re eating salmon, sweet potato and veggies for dinner, she may want some, too.
She’ll eat red meat and dairy like her daddy does, but I’m not sure what to say if she gets to the point where she’s wondering why I’m not eating it, too. I was planning on telling her that I really wanted something else instead or I don’t really like the taste of them (which is true), but I could see her responding that she doesn’t like the taste of anything we try to put in front of her. Has anyone dealt with something like this when one partner eats meat and the other doesn’t?
I’ve also been wondering about sneaking in veggies if she decides she hates them. It’s a pretty popular tactic to puree veggies into cheese sauces, and add different fruits or veggies to baked goods for kids to up the nutritional value. Many friends have said it’s a great way to ensure that the kid is getting extra vitamins in their diet when they’re on the chicken nugget, pizza, mac n’ cheese diet.
When I was growing up, I didn’t eat any fruits or vegetables. Ok, scratch that, I ate fruit in the form of roll-ups and tomatoes in the form of enchilada sauce. My mom would buy fresh produce and none of us would eat it, so it would go bad and she eventually stopped buying it. I probably could have used some veggies snuck into my life.
On one hand, I can see how it would be awesome to know that a picky eater is getting in some extra nutrients, but on the other hand, how will they actually learn that they like the incognito fruit or veggie?
What do you think about sneaking in vegetables? Favorite surprise veggie recipe? My only request is no beans in desserts…. those two just will never go together in my brain 😉
If you could declare one thing “the food of your childhood,” what would it be? For me, it was nana’s homemade tortillas spread with strawberry jam and rolled up. We called them “jam things”
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I was never a fussy eater, but I can tell you one thing: presentation is everything. My mom would pack fruits and veggies in my lunch and cut them into flowers or stars. Not only would I eat them all, but my friends would be jealous too. Just goes to show you how visual we are! 😛
I seemed to eat tons of veggies as a kid, I think it’s because they were always around and my family always offered. Sure, there were birthday parties at McDonalds and so forth, but in general? I ate home cooked food. I remember kids teasing me, for bringing split pea soup for lunch. (Mom would heat my thermos in the morning with boiling water before putting in hot soup! Only child in the house…) ONce, someone even threw a retainer in my thermos. 🙁 Talk about bullying into eating pizza and fries.
My family kind of had the “This is what’s for dinner” attitude. You ate what was made, or you didn’t eat. Mom frequently would respond to my comments of “I’ll make something else then.” with “The kitchen is closed.” So, I ate most things, always. I never liked casseroles, but I’d eat yams instead of regular potatoes, I’d sneak mushrooms off the counter with my little hands before I could SEE the counter, and I leapt out at a waitress once, with black olives on all 10 fingers from the salad bar. 😛 I really think that I was just exposed to a lot.
I also believe in honesty, talking to your kids about WHY you are eating the way you do and the way you and Tom eat is a perfect chance to show them, that it’s okay to be different. To think differently. TO eat different things and have different beliefs. That you can all live together and love one another. Right?
I was JUST talking about picky eaters with the dietitian at the children’s hospital where I work. She was talking about how exposing your kids to a variety of foods and having the family all eat a similar meal (one the kid is old enough of course) can make a huge difference! She really thinks picky eaters are made not born (except of course when some kids are sensitive to certain textures or have medical conditions that may affect their palate).
I think between you and Tom will expose her to a perfect balance of goodies. Maybe by the time she is old enough they will have gluten free funfetti!! You can all enjoy 🙂
I’d say the food of my childhood was soups. I’m still addicted and I’d love helping my dad cook 🙂
Oh I also forgot, getting kids to help with the prep can work wonders. My niece helped me make green beans (she’s 5) and she didn’t want to taste it until I said “but you helped me make them! Don’t you want to enjoy what you made?” it totally worked 🙂
I have no problem with sneaking in, but about 3 years ago my kids were able to start tasting everything in everything (they are now 13 and 15). They’d say, “I want a berry smoothie but with no chia or almond milk.” Luckily, they pack a lunch and we hardly ever eat at restaurants, so they are limited to eating only what we buy. We have a strong no soda rule – my kids might have it 5x year, which is about how often I have margaritas, so that seems fair.
If I could go back and have dairy-free and red-meat-free kids, I would. But I’m not sure what replaces all the stuff kids brains get from whole milk at age 1 if mom isn’t nursing.
The food of my childhood was Little Debbie Swiss cake rolls, 12 seconds in the microwave. We also had a song we’d sing about my mom’s awesome chocolate chip banana cake.
We did the same tortilla thing, but with butter and cinnamon sugar instead of jam! To this day, I can’t eat a flour tortilla without tasting a hint of butter and cinnamon. (Of course, ours were store-bought, but hey, my family’s Russian.)
I’m transitioning to a veg lifestyle and have already begun thinking about how my kids will eat. I can’t imagine simply *not allowing* them to eat something – I think I’ll let them figure it out for themselves. As for vegetables, here’s my take on it: if I act like they’re delicious, my kids will realize that they’re delicious. Really, the only reason kids don’t like veggies is because they think they’re not supposed to, you know? If you grow up hearing “eat your broccoli or no dessert”, you’re going to grow up hating broccoli. Right?
Stuft Mama’s blog has a bunch of food/snacks/baked goods she makes for her kids where she sneaks veggies in!
I totally believe this is something you really can’t plan for, taste buds and flavor preferences develop early. My daughter would not eat bananas right from the get go and the only way I could get her to eat scrambled eggs was to dip them in applesauce first. She’s now 12 and still hates these foods.
My 2 year old was offered every food under the sun, she loves fish (will pick tuna out of a casserole before anything else), but despises and refuses any sort of vegetable. We keep putting them on her plate, but I’m certainly not stressing over her not eating them right now and just offer blended soups more often.
Food can be such a battle, I choose not to have it. I will offer all foods, but not lose any sleep over what’s left behind on the plate.
I don’t see anything wrong with “sneaking” in veggies but I would suggest still serving real veggies along with it. Kids need to be exposed to foods multiple times and adding pureed veggies to mac & cheese isn’t going to teach them what veggies are – but it’s a great way to get veggies into them when they refuse to eat them yet! We decided early on that we would never say “one more bite of [healthy food] and you can have dessert” because we don’t want our kids to grow up thinking any food is better than another. Our son us almost three. He doesn’t always eat everything on his plate but he is always given the option 🙂
I love how sensible you are about everything!
I am a vegetarian & often think about what I would do with my future kids (assuming my SO is not). It’s hard for me to justify not being kind of strict about it when the reason I am a vegetarian is due to my strong beliefs about the risks of meat. I think my solution would be to buy free-range, non-antibiotic, etc. I would be okay with that. & I would probably tell them as I got older that whatever they decide to do is their choice, but this is why I don’t eat it.
As for sweets & junk food, kids have to live a little. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of eating complete crap. When you’re a kid is the only time it doesn’t go straight to your thighs, so enjoy it I say! As long as they also get an appetite for wholesome foods, they’ll be fine. (except McDonald’s. no thank you.)
I don’t remember ever not liking veggies or fruit as a kid. My mom just made them part of the meal, like, bowtie pasta with sausage and broccoli or honey-mustard chicken with a green veggie. You also have to remember palates change over time. I didn’t like fish in high school; I tried to like the taste, but didn’t. Now, I like most fish. It evolves, strangely!
Sounds like you’ve got a great plan!
I think it is always the expectation of the parents (and their own attitude) to which kids react. Case 1: Rachael Ray mentions she ate about everything as a young kid, spicy stuff, anchovies, and it was just ‘normal’/expected/because why would you not, it is good. Case 2: If a parent approaches a kid with a “oh my, will you give me a problem eating a vegetable? (because kids do)” attitude the kids might just do what is expected…. In the end, there is likely stuff kids just don’t like, so why force them, as long it is balanced overall?
The food of my childhood was my mom’s potato pancakes, I ate them all the time 🙂 I was a ridiculously picky eater when I was little, but I don’t think anyone was very worried because I always loved fruit and vegetables. I think it’s okay to sneak fruits and veggies in sneaky way to pack in extra nutrients as long as you’re also encouraging eating them the normal way. I think it only becomes a problem when someone is only sneaking them in and nothing else.
If she asks you why you don’t eat certain things, you could always just say that after you’ve tried something lots of times, it’s okay to decide that you don’t like it. I’ve actually only ever eaten red meat twice. Once when I was 4 and my mom tried to give me a hamburger, the other time was when I was 22 and eating dinner at the parents house of the guy I was dating at the time – his family was having steak, I tried it and thought it tasted like hot dogs – I’m 1000% serious – I didn’t declare that out loud though 🙂
My mom used to make this chicken and broccoli in a cream of chicken sauce. She always served it over puff pastry rolls. Now she uses English muffins to make it healthier, but it is still one of my favorite meals. It tastes like home.
I don’t have kids yet but my husband often teases me that when we do, they’ll hate me for making them eat all sorts of veggies (I love brussels sprouts and broccoli). I was raised where my mom would make us different food if I didn’t want what she was eating (which was usually pretty healthy) which meant my brother and I often ate a lot of processed/frozen/whatevers because it was easy to prepare. That’s not how I want my kids to eat. I wish my mom would have made us eat the same meal. Would have saved me a lot of experimenting when I was older to figure out what veggies I actually liked. Oh and my childhood food was cottage cheese. I loved it when I was little and I still love it. Just had some for lunch actually.
I think you have great ideas – I’ve wondered about how we would handle this too. I definitely don’t want to put any foods in a “hands off” category when we have kids. While growing up, my mom was a vegetarian, and I never really enjoyed the taste of meat. I still ate it, but low and behold, I became a vegetarian at 23!
If she is ever on a mac ‘n cheese kick, peas work well to sneak in and kids love it!
I like how a previous poster said picky eaters are made, not born. Of course there will be things we just don’t like, but for the most part, kids eat what is offered. and eating habits are most important the younger they are. Just like grown ups, if they get alot of junk food that’s what they will crave. If we eat mostly healthy and avoid the junk the girls will ask for healthier snacks.
Sneaking things in isn’t a horrible thing, but I wouldn’t sneak I’d just straight up do it. I would make mashed potatoes with half cauliflower, and the girls loved the idea and was like that’s so cool! i guess b/c it didn’t seem like cauliflower and tasted like potato, so like magic I guess?? lol idk or like spinach in the smoothies. flaxseed in things. shredded carrots in pasta sauce, But I would say add whole, regular veggies / fruit on the side. So they we exposure to them and eventually it will grow on them. I have noticed that when I explain and give my girls girls details and information about what we are eating and why it is good/bad they are much more cooperative. If they get to help prepare, even better.
And everything in moderation, sometimes a girl just wants some fried chicken strips, so we make them evvvvvery once in awhile. At least it’s we made it and know exactly what it is.
I would say my child food was oatmeal creme pies! lol My family didn’t eat so healthy growing up, we live in the south and enjoyed loooots of southern food. It wasn’t until I moved out on my own when I started exploring other options.
I don’t think lying about your eating habits is a good idea. She probably wont even notice your food choices unless you draw attention to them.
Hopefully she’ll like veggies in their natural state and you wont have to sneak them in. But juices/smoothies would be a good way to get in the nutrition if she doesn’t.
I think in an ideal world, your kid would love veggies and there wouldn’t have to be any sneaking! But since life isn’t always ideal, I think it’s fine to do in moderation—just to make sure they’re getting enough nutrients. But getting them to love them is good too!
I always sneak in pureed carrots into the meatballs! Carrots are pretty much my “sneak” veggie because it is easy and plus the dad and me aren’t huge veggie nuts so it helps us as well. What we do is this; we sneak it in and feed them. If they like it we tell them “this is how it was made” They will always know when there is something in their food just not until after 😉 I want them to know they had carrots and liked it or had onions and didn’t. just a though 😀
I was luckily a not very picky eater as a kid, but I do remember not liking spinach or broccoli. My mom used to make a creamy spinach risotto, which I think did the trick! I also learned to like broccoli in things like mac and cheese. And I still love that combo!
I like your view on it. When she gets older she can decide how she wants to eat. About the sneaking in veggies, I think that it can be a really good thing to do. My mother is always trying to find ways to sneak in veggies or healthy things into our dinners. When she gives my 20 year old brother something that is healthy (or has healthy things in it) she says “And it’s…” whole wheat, has veggies, is good for you etc. It drives him crazy. So in the end I would completely recommend doing it .Just make sure you dont try to make her a healthy mac n cheese when she is 10 and she loves and remembers the really unhealthy mac n cheese that you used to make. My mother does that too and the healthy stuff, while it is all good, just isnt the same
We make our kids take a bite of everything. They are given clean healthy food. If you start a child out right there seems to be less problems. Gina, be honest at her level.
Their is only one food my daughter absolutely hates. I know she hates it because I saw her face. She always loved little things. When I found Brussel sprouts in the store I knew right away she would love them. She popped one in her mouth and her face said it all. She spit it out. To this day she will not eat them no matter how cute they are.
Definitely do the sneaky food thing. (But to me it is not sneaky, just the way I make things.) My husband HATES zucchini!! He eats my zucchini cookies and bread and meat loaf all the time. What he does not know obviously makes him happy.
i’ll definitely be honest, but i don’t see the point in going into “cow’s dairy is highly mucus and hard to digest. it makes my skin break out and my stomach hurt” if she’s only 3 and asks, ya know?
zucchini cookies sound amazing
Yeah, that is why I said at her level. gonna dig out the recipe and send to you.
I think its really important that you are still feeding her “kid” food and not restricting! Some of my best memories as a kid were at Chick-fil-a or McDonalds every once in a while enjoying the kids meals and running around the play set. It’s so important to teach them to eat healthy but not restrict and cause them to develop an eating disorder.
exactly. i don’t want her to feel like she missed out on anything and go crazy with food to try all of the things she couldn’t as a child
she’ll learn which foods she loves and doesn’t care for on her own
This is such a tough one. Even though many people will say that your kids eat whatever you eat, that just isn’t ALWAYS the case. I have a very veg heavy diet with chicken and fish (much like you do) and my kids (3 & 9) just won’t eat the same things I do. I am not a short order cook at home either. My 3 year old son goes many a night without dinner. And no, I am not a cruel mom. Say it’s homemade pizza night, we all get TJ’s whole wheat dough and hubby’s pizza is usually ham, veggie & cheese, my 9 yr old likes cheese and mine is loaded with veggies and little to no cheese. My 3 yr old likes just dough and sauce. Some nights he will refuse that and will ask for cereal or a waffle?? Anyhow, I stick to my guns and say if he doesn’t like the night’s meal he doesn’t need to eat, period. It’s his choice. He also doesn’t eat any veggies, so I make sure he gets fruit daily, and I do sneak spinach into his smoothies. Believe me, my kids are exposed to every veggie under the sun on a DAILY basis. It baffles my mind how they just aren’t fans of roasted asparagus, eggplant,zucchini, b’nut squash, etc. when they see it every day. My daughter (9) eats tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and carrots. That’s about it, so that’s what I have stocked at all times. I haven’t given up and keep offering up the veggies at meal times…hopefully they will come around and explore more veggie options.
They never ask why mommy isn’t eating steak, or cheese pizza or hamburgers like dad. They just accept that’s how it is. I really don’t think that will end up being a big deal for you when your daughter gets older:)
I plan on raising my (future) children on a healthy vegan diet. As a child myself, I disliked dairy and meats, and loved veggies. My husband was the same. While I totally understand not wanting to “forbid” certain food, I believe that it’s my job to instill good habits at the start and as my children get older, they can make wise decisions on how they choose to eat.
I can’t speak about sneaking veggies into other foods. I was always thrilled with a plate of spinach or broccoli, so the idea is foreign to me when someone doesn’t like veggies! Perhaps this can be attributed to my mother having made all of my baby food.
Best of luck to you!
It’s funny that you mention beans in dessert because that actually is one of the foods of my childhood. In Chinese cuisine, beans are frequently desert items, and I never the inclusion of beans as odd. My mom’s red bean turnovers are actually the food I miss most when I’m homesick. Have you ever tried anything with sweetened red bean paste? It might change your mind. My favorites are mung bean pastries, but I think they might be difficult to find in the States (though I do pick them up in the Phoenix Chinatown whenever I’m home and haul them back to Central PA). Also, if you ever go to those Boba tea places, they make sweetened red bean or green bean smoothies. Sounds weird, I know, but seriously worth a shot if you’re feeling adventurous.
As for the sneaking-in-veggies thing. My parents always just demanded that I eat them rather than trying to negotiate with my picky-ness. It might be worth trying to incorporate veggies into preferred dishes rather than trying to hide them? For example, spinach and mushroom pizza instead of pepperoni, sandwiches with lots of leafy greens, lasagna with eggplant, etc…
oh i was talking about black bean brownies and stuff like that 🙂 i’ve always wanted to try one of the bean paste desserts at the asian market. my friend glidingcalm loves them
This is a topic that really hits home with us right now. Our son is 20 months, in the baby food stage he was exposed to lots of different veggies and meat and for a while he ate them. Now that he is old enough to express his opinion, spit things out, and make faces he barely touches veggies and doesn’t eat meat. I think mainly this is a texture thing right now. The frustrating thing is he won’t try anything and just says no. But we keep trying! My saving grace is he loves fruit so I know he is getting some vitamins and nutrients. I try to put green veggies in pancakes, muffins, and smoothies to give them a little extra boost since he won’t eat anything green when it is by itself on the plate. While I do “sneak” in veggies I don’t think this replaces eating veggies in their non-disguised form. One of my favorite kid meals was spaghetti o’s and piggly wiggly’s (aka bread and butter).
I don’t puree any veggies to hide it. They get whats on their plate, and if they don’t like it they don’t eat. My parents did the same thing to me. My kids love soup, so I make that often. They like carrots cause I told them that it will give them special power to see better in the dark (my grandpa used to tell me that). I also will make sweet potato chips as a snack. My kids love fruit, so I never have had a problem with that. But, I know some moms will put the fruit in their pancakes when they are trying to give their kids the fruit.
You will find what works for you. I have noticed though, we don’t eat much meat in our house, and all 3 of my kids are not big fans of meat. They will eat it, but it’s always last to go on their plates. They love fish and artichokes are our favorite vegetable to eat in the house! They think its so fun to eat!
From having 3 kids I’ve learned too, that if they don’t like it I will keep serving it and eventually they will eat it. (my 18 month old did that with cauliflower last night after never liking it, he ate it all!) Their taste buds change.
The food chapter in bringing up Bebe is really interesting. You should read it. But they would say no to te sneaking in of foods and that picky eaters are created by parents.
As a dietitian, I agree with a lot of what people have said before. I’ve even written a blog post on it lately. I believe you have to serve whole fruits & veggies at every meal, but never force a child to eat it. That being said, there is not a problem in additionally sneaking some veggies in to ensure the child is getting the nutrients he/she needs. My daughter’s favorite thing is kale pesto – not sure if that’s “sneaking” or not since it’s bright green but she gobbles her pasta up when it’s covered in the sauce. In fact she’ll even eat the sauce plain! I make sure that it’s heavy on the kale. I also believe in having one family meal, make sure there’s one thing that each child likes on his/her plate that way they will not go hungry. Even if they only eat bread at the meal it’s important not to force them to eat other foods, they will learn to.
My mom was veg growing up, we just knew she was a vegetarian. We ate liked dad. It wasn’t a thing. My experience has been no matter what if you push they will push opposite. Don’t push and they should be good eaters. As far as fruits and veggies go, you eat it they will and start them young. Just because they don’t eat the veggie sides, don’t stop putting them on the plate. Fun shapes work well too.
Here’s my take: always offer the veggies the family is eating, but sneak in extra veggies too. My two-year-old son pretty much only eats broccoli, peas and artichokes and of course we don’t have those everyday, so he sometimes goes a few days with no “real” veggies. However, he loves to snack on those baby food pouches that are fruit/veggie mixes (best invention ever!). Kashi also makes banana chocolate chip bars that have pumpkin in them and Trader Joe’s sells “Fiberful” bars that have veggies and fruit in them. Whenever I give him a pouch, I tell him what he’s eating (“do you want banana, blueberry and beets or apple/carrot?”) because I want him to be familiar with veggies, so I’m not really “sneaking” it. I want him to know that veggies are part of eating a healthy diet, so I always put some on his plate from whatever we’re having for dinner even if I know he’s not going to eat it. Every now and then he surprises me and tries a few bites!
I don’t usually post comments this much, but all of your posts lately have been thought provoking, at least for me 🙂 Promise I’ll stop blowing up your comments!
Anyways, just a tip for anyone interested in advice for feeding your children: go read Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family by Ellyn Satter. Actually, read anything by Ellyn Satter (the most genius pediatric dietitian EVER) or go to her website http://www.ellynsatter.com/. I reference her and her books, handouts, etc. in my pediatric practice all. the. time. She talks a lot about how to develop a healthy relationship with food and includes a lot of great material about putting “forbidden” foods in regular rotation. Seriously, she’s legit. You’ll love her too 🙂
I think I’ll definitely try to sneak in veggies when I can for our kids. I never liked vegetables and can still be pretty picky about a lot of them. The food from my childhood is probably french toast. I’m so addicted.
I didn’t eat much veggies as a kid, but that was mostly for lack of exposure or variety. I LOVED steamed broccoli when we went out to eat, but we never had it at home. Canned green beans and iceberg salads were the closest we got, and we had them EVERY DAY. I grew to hate canned green beans (or pretty much all canned foods). Mom hated the taste of frozen vegetables, and she never knew how to prepare fresh. The first time I ate spinach, asparagus, or zucchini was when I got to college!
I think the key for many kids may simple be variety. I had to teach myself a variety of different preparations for the same foods in order to decide if I really disliked something. Other things are an acquired taste. I think for me it would have worked about better to give me that variety at a young age. I wasn’t against vegetables. I just didn’t have much opportunity.
I don’t think there’s a problem with “sneaking veggies” in food if you’re also trying to give them some of the same foods undoctored. 🙂 Of course, I’m not a mom, so I may be living in naive-land.
I love that you have the no-pressure approach to your kids’ diets. It just annoys me when parents get uptight about even the most occasional little kid junk, ie. not letting their kids eat Halloween candy or cupcakes at a kid’s birthday party, etc.
I’ve always thought I would have my kids eat like I do, but you make great points on not having any “forbidden” foods. So glad you shared.
Thought you would enjoy this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/babys-first-april-fools-day-joke-video_n_1397671.html?ref=comedy These are my friends here in Jackson, MS and it made it to Huffington Post. Quite cute.
i think your plan will work great. and if she does ask questions, i think it’s best to be honest. but that’s just my opinion.
i have a very similar diet to yours with a little more cow’s milk incorporated and my husband eats, well pretty much anything 😉 my little guy is 18 months old and right now he eats what i eat except a ton more fruits and cheese because that’s what he likes. he’s in a picky stage right now so i’m just happy if he’ll eat anything. my husband and i have agreed that when he’s old enough to make his own decisions about food we’re not going to deny him meat. i don’t cook meat at home because my husband just eats what i eat so it actually works out okay. i think it will only become an issue when we go out to eat or eat at the grandparent’s house. i don’t deny him the occasional treat because, like you said, i want him to enjoy those yummy childhood goodies.
my childhood food would be milkshakes or cinnamon toast with chocolate milk. we did not eat a lot of veggies in my family when i was growing up.
While I wasn’t particularly picky as a child, I have always really liked all sorts of veggies, I think because I was exposed to them. My husband on the other hand really doesn’t enjoy many of them and would hardly go out of his way to eat them. I am hoping our daughter sees me eating them and will enjoy them so we don’t have to “force” her to have some. That being said we are currently going the Baby Led Weaning route and I find that she is willing to try anything I put on her tray and I think this will make her a much more adventurous eater in the future.
My fav was my nana’s salad dressing to this day I still love salads, my mom said people were always amazed I ate all my salad and would ask for more but I was never a big meat eater, I would only eat chicken nuggets. I started eating white meat chicken in high school and I eat a lot of chicken because I have never liked any fish and will eat ground beef once in a blue moon and ham/bacon a few times a month. I also have always loved broccoli and would call them trees when I was younger. Being Italian we always had a veggie heavy diet. I hope my future kids love veggies as much as I do and I will have them on a clean diet with occasional treats.
I have a nightshade allergy – can’t eat potatoes or tomatoes without my joints puffing up. My niece has picked up on this and frequently tells people she is allergic to potatoes or tomatoes too, even though she is not. I’m not sure whether it’s a problem or not. I don’t like that she is so aware of food, but maybe it’s good that she links what you eat to the health of your body. I always make a point to sit down and eat with her, to reinforce healthy eating. One day at breakfast she asked for only half a glass of milk, then told me that she thinks milk gives her a sore tummy so she was going to cut back a little bit in case she was ‘a little bit allergic’.
I did not like it when I suggested she eat some more lunch since she had only nibbled, and she said ‘I don’t want to get fat like Opa (Grandad)’. That freaked me out a bit and I just told her that she was perfect that if she stayed active she wouldn’t get fat. I don’t want to put my body issues onto her at all, so it’s difficult to know when to say something and when to just let it be NBD.
We (my brother and I) were weird kids. We ordered salads from McDonalds (willingly) and my favorite vegetable was the artichoke. I’m hoping H’s taste buds take after mine!
I’m a Holistic Nutritionist. I also have Celiac disease. My husband has severe food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts as well as being lactose intolerant. We often eat vegan or vegetarian meals and if we want meat, we have meat. My kids, I have 4 and 1 grand child, eat the same food that we eat. They are aware of the difference between a whole food and a processed food. They can read labels and follow recipes. Healthy eating has become a family lifestyle and fun adventure. We do allow treats, and my kids accept that it is a treat. I know we eat healthy the majority of the time. An occasional ice cream or cupcake is ok. And often enough, they will pick a healthier option such as a Larabar or fresh fruit. They accept that we all have different likes and intolerances. It just isn’t a big issue as they have always know our lifestyle and eating habits to be that way. Go with your gut, you will find the way that works best for your family 🙂
My mom tricked me a lot as a kid! She would tell me every kind of meat was chicken (because I said that was all all I would eat) but one day I figured it out when she tried to feed me fish 😉 I love cauliflower crust pizza! My favorite way to trick myself into getting even more veggies during a meal!
My kids eat like I do. And so far it’s worked out great. My 4 year old knows sweets are very occasional and what is and is not healthy. Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, and fish are some of his favorite foods. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased him a happy meal and he is 4! There are some things I don’t eat that he does (hubby too) he isn’t phased by the fact I’m not eating it as well. I made his baby food and never held back on the spices. I just blended up whatever we were eating. I think it’s really helped his palate.
I think sneaking in the veggies is definitely a good option if you have a picky eater! My fave ways to do it are cauliflower in mashed potatoes, butternut squash in mac and cheese, zucchinni in baked goods, spinach in smoothies (obvs!), and tons of veggies can be added to chili’s and soups without really being detected by little ones!
My younger sister’s 2 kids ages 2 and 4 – e 4 year old is a health fiend. There has been days where we offer her cookies or ice cream and she’ll choose fruit any day! Wile her little sister is a junk food foodie! But my sister has been feeding them fish and meat along with veggies, and they just eat them. And they both do help in the kitchen. I really think thats key – having kids in the kitchen! Cuz my older sister’s 2 kids ages 8 and 10 – not so much but she never encouraged them to help in the kitchen.
As for me, i was a picky eater – hated and still hate onions. Really wasnt crazy about fruit would only eat green grapes and apples. But i think ive evolved quite a bit, your palate really does change as you get older. Now for my husband, he likes the simplest thing, which is so hard on me when im cooking dinner. So its usually 2 different dinners since i eat mostly vegetarian.
Kraft Mac and Cheese….I think we ate it multiple times a week when I was little, then when I could prepare my own meals I had it almost daily. I miss that stuff..rarely eat it these days..just tastes like child hood!
I think moderation and variety is the key. I think children should be exposed to and encouraged to eat a variety of foods. I also think it is important to teach children to have moderation. My son knows we don’t have seconds on the ice cream because it has lots of sugar in it and we don’t need lots of sugar. I don’t necessarily make any foods forbidden to my children, but I do teach them the nutritional value of the foods they eat (my 4 year old can tell you calcium makes strong bones, carrots make healthy eyes, and chocolate chip cookies don’t really make us healthy, but they taste good.) Another thing that has helped me is to learn how my kids like their food (I can’t get my son to eat raw carrots, but he devours them if they are cooked. He won’t eat salad, but he loves green Smoothies).
I kind of think that sneaking veggies in your kids meals sends the message that “This is the yucky veggie that you’re not supposed to know you’re eating, and this is the yummy cheesy stuff that you should focus on”. I would absolutely do it as a last resort, but at this point, my 20 month old daughter loves fresh foods in a purer form, so why hide them? Some of her faves are avocados, mangoes, berries, tomatoes, hummus, salmon, chicken, yogurt etc etc. I want her to make visual connections between fresh foods and their tastes, and trying to hide or obscure them in other foods seems like it could get in the way of that.
You’ll have fun feeding Liv as she gets older. It sounds cheesy, but it’s totally rewarding to watch them smile while they devour a big healthy plate!! Of course… it is just as much fun to watch their eyes light up while they take a big bite out of an ice cream cone 🙂