The following article is from new HGM contributor Cynthia Lair. Cynthia is a certified health and nutrition counselor who has been coordinating and teaching whole foods cooking programs since 1994. She is a regular contributor of Mothering Magazing, runs Cookus Interruptus, and is the author of Feeding The Whole Family: Recipes For Babies, Young Children and Their Parents.
Unfortunately, we often give the power of deciding what to feed our children away to food manufacturers by letting them train our children’s taste buds to prefer poor quality food. All is not lost to the food giants however and you can take control again and be the main source of influence for your kid’s nutrition. Learn some ways you lose the food battle from the beginning and some simple tips for getting back in charge and successfully making the changes you want at home.
It’s so easy to go with the flow when you have a new little one at home. So many products are suggested as being ideal for our kid’s from trusted brands and one by one, the cupboards are slowly packed with boxes of “easily digestible” or “nutritionally superior” refined foods. We unknowingly encourage our kids to become picky eaters right from the start by:
1. Choosing formula over breast milk. We buy into the myth that it is more convenient and that it is somehow the same (or better!) than breast milk. (Obviously this does not apply to Mothers that are not given the option of nursing their little one.)
2. Introducing manufactured refined baby cereal when babies are ready to start trying solids instead of simply feeding them fresh food from the family meal. This teaches children to expect “special food” and prefer bland refined carbohydrates. (Do I hear macaroni calling?)
3. Believing that toddlers and small children need “kids food” and purchasing boxes and bottles of refined manufactured foods. This perpetuates the myth that they need “special food” that only comes in cute packaging with smiley animals. Put you money into a trip to the farmer’s market with your child, or into planting a small garden.
4. Choosing from a nutritionally inferior “kid’s menu” when dining out.
5. Making separate meals for our children instead of eating the dinner that is prepared for the whole family.
There is no doubt that parents who want to choose healthier options for their family will have many challenges when it comes to changing habits at home. Rest assured, the benefits of a wholesome diet are numerous and it is well worth some “growing pains” to get back on track.
If you have nutritional habits you would like to change at home or just want to start off on the right foot, keep these suggestions in mind:
- Be Aware of your own food preferences. Many times we transmit our taste onto our children. What foods do you love, and which ones would you never care to eat again? I have a friend who would always make a scrunchy face when serving her baby mashed yams. Sure enough, yams became the baby’s least favorite vegetable! What about sugar? It it considered a reward for good behavior in your family? The idea is to take stock of your food attitudes and decide which ones really serve your children. Be a model, not a critic.
- Set boundaries about food choices. Gentle but firm boundaries help children feel secure and protected and this applies to food as well. Set boundaries that you can follow too. If you don’t want your young children to have ice cream, it’s not fair to have a tub in the freezer just for the parents.
- Create fun rituals around food. Create a fun tea and cakes day where you invite guests over. Get the children involved in setting out the special plates, tablecloths and napkins. Fun days like these can be very rewarding during the ups and down of life.
- Take time to educate. Offer simple reasons why you don’t want them to eat certain foods such as “this soda has things in it your body can’t use, let’s buy something else to drink.” Reflect back to school age children how it sems they act or look after eating certain foods, skipping meals or eating too much. Preteens will respond with suggestions on foods that help their skin look clearer.
- Spread Joy! Let your children see your appreciation of fresh picked summer fruits and delicious home cooked meals. Be expressive in your enjoyment of good wholesome foods rather than sweets or candies.
- Be adventurous when shopping. Take your kids shopping, ask them to be detectives and find items without certain ingredients like high fructose corn syrup or to look for organic canned black beans. Try something new, grab a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried and sample it as a family when you get home.
- Let go! You will be able to relax around birthday parties if you know what is being served at home is nutritionally sound. Let your children have fun without the guilt and rules. Watch out for “forbidden fruits” which can seem even more appealing to children once denied. Respect their food choices and individuality, while maintaining the integrity of the nutritional plan you have for your family. Have you ever witness your child deny food all day only to later realize they are coming down with a cold? Children have a great food intuition to select bits and pieces of what they need. It’s up to you to provide a variety of healthy choices.