Kids WILL eat what you serve them, maybe with an attitude at first, but it gets better!! I promise! My house is not a restaurant...the famous line have said numerous times when my son tried to "order" something else to eat, lol! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!!!! I have made this decision long ago and I plan to stick with it! I understand that food can be a scary thing for kids, it looks "gross, slimy, green, yucky", but I tell my son to never judge food by the way it looks...kinda like judging a book by its cover, all I ask is for him to try it.
So here is what ALL parents should do:
-Talk to your kids about food, and include them in the shopping & cooking process! Kids LOVE to look, touch, feel, smell...it gets their creative juices following! They will become comfortable with food and be more open to tasting something new!
-Introduce new veggies as often as you can! Vegetables have a terrible reputation with young kids. Most will tell you they HATE them! Take them with you to the produce section and allow them to see all the amazing vegetables, allow them to pick them up and smell them. Kids are curious...what will it taste like? My son was introduced to some "scary" veggies recently, Spaghetti Squash, Artichoke Hearts, Delicata Squash, and Portobello mushrooms. He wasn't thrilled with the mushroom, but the others were a success!
-Don't force your kids to eat everything. Sometimes just asking them to taste a new food is all you need to do. Forcing them to eat the entire thing will upset them and possibly create a bad taste in their mouth...meaning they ate it with fear and didn't really "taste" the food. My son has tried things and said, no I don't like it, and that's fine, there are foods I don't like as well! But...there are so many foods he has tried and LOVED! It's all about making the experience comfortable and enjoyable!
-Back to the first point I made....Talk to your kids about food. You don't have to scare them with big words, diseases, and such...just talk benefits. Kids are smart little sponges, they will listen and soak up majority of what we tell them. Discuss how foods can heal the body, how fruits and veggies are filled with water to help us stay hydrated, google some fun facts and get them excited about food!
-Be a good...no, a GREAT example! If your child sees you pushing veggies to the side and never eating fruit, chances are they will do the same! Eat for your health and your kids will too!
-Don't give up or be lazy! There will be arguing, huff & puffs, and maybe a few tears...but giving in is only going to make it worse. Kids will push us...when we give in, they will continue to push! When we stand our ground, kids will see that and respect us! Raising kids with healthy balanced diets will prepare them for life outside the home. Healthy kids = healthy adults!
