Raising an Adventurous Eater
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-04-07/raising-adventurous-eater
Mac and cheese on Monday, French fries on Tuesday and chicken fingers on Wednesday. If this sounds like the menu at your house, you may be wondering how to help your picky eater become more adventurous -- and healthier. We'll talk about why kids can be so averse to some foods, and how to transform your tot into a budding gourmet.
Guests
Nancy Tringali Piho
Author, "My Two Year Old Eats Octopus: Raising Children who Love to Eat Everything" (Bull Publishing, Boulder); President of Nancy Tringali Associates, a Washington-based communications agency that specializes in the food industry
Penny Glass
Developmental Psychologist at Children’s National Medical Center
Comments
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I have a 4 year old and 6 year old and they both have their likes and dislikes but they are very adventurous eaters. My husband and I run a local produce business in the DC area (Norman's Farm Market) and we are always eating fruits and veggies during the season so our kids are very aware of the importance of eating locally grown produce. We've traveled all over with our kids since infancy and always try new foods ourselves so they have caught on to that by watching us. My children love raw sushi fish, spicy food, smoked salmon and lots of food kids don't touch. One trick I use for my son who is a bit pickier is I will tell him that I made this dish just for him because its his favorite and he always tries it and realized he likes it. But I do realize I am a lucky mother with kids who love to eat!
I have three grown sons. My middle son was a VERY picky eater. Notice I said "was"...the way we overcame this was to instill one simple rule. You can eat or NOT eat whatever you want. BUT, when it comes to snack time (which was always after dinner) then if you haven't eaten or at least tried what everyone else is eating then you will NOT get a snack. This eliminates the struggles at the table and stops the conflict.
I knew we overcame this when a few years ago when my son was about 17 we went to eat sushi and he loved it ALL even the Sashimi and baby octopus salad!!
Irene Konow
Centreville Virginia
Picky children are not born that way, they are made that way by the parents who allow them to be so. My 2 children- ages 4 and 2 eat anything that is presented to them because they know that they do not have a choice. If they don't want to eat what is served, then I do not force them but I will not make them a separate meal just because they may not like how the food looks especially before tasting it. I cook things that they enjoy eating but I also present them with new options with no issues as they know that they will go to bed hungry if they do not eat. I continue to present new food options to them and they eat practically anything except spicy foods which any child may not like. They eat plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, yogurt, cheese and and a wide variety of healthy foods that many other children may not touch.
In addition, I am very strict about their eating schedule even though I am not a stay-at-home mom. They eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at the same time. Snacks are scheduled and I encourage them to drink water throughout the day and it sometimes is the only drink option I present to them. It really falls on us as parents to help develop healthy eating habits in our children.
We had a rule in our family. Everyone could have ONE thing that they never never had to eat.
You had to pick carefully because once you picked you couldn't change it.
That way each person had some control over what they never had to eat, which often is more important than what they adore eating.
I started taking my kids to fast food restaurants when they were 6 months old and monitored their behavior carefully.. By the time they were 2 they knew exactly how to behave and I could take them anywhere.
I was an extremely picky eater growing up. I have memories of being in my highchair with my poor mother hovering over me with a wooden spoon, threatening to use violence to get me to eat. I would hold entire mouthfuls of food in my mouth as she threatened me to " CHEW AND SWALLOW". I wouldn't budge.
I also remember thinking of some foods almost like poison. I feared putting certain foods into my body, not only because of how they'd taste but I had a hunch I just didn't want that stuff in me.
To this day I still don't eat the non-esthetically pleasing potato chip or french fry tip. I toss it to the side. And now, at 34 yrs old, I think my eating habits are fairly normal, though my wife may beg to differ.
Daniel (Washington, DC)
To: Danielle
Well I am a mom of two girls and they were never given "toddler food" or baby food that I didn't make myself. They ate what we ate. my 5 year old daughter around 2 years of age started gagging and when we gently pushed her to swallow the food she had a very tough time of it, almost throwing up, texture and bitterness she seem quite sensitive to. one thing my partner's mum told me that he was a very picky eater who would gag on food and she never fed him toddler food or processed food either, he particularly had a tough time with textures and veggies. I noticed when my eldest was born that she had the same tongue as my partner... now I know that sounds strange but their has a slight heart shape and perhaps that is a clue. My reason for telling you this is it is very easy to make a sweeping self righteous statements about how kids are not born that way and it is the parents fault who give in, and allow them to be so. you are wrong, dead wrong. It is one thing if you had scientific proof of this but guess what, a recent documentary I saw on picky eaters says quite the opposite, they took a room of kindergartens and tested their DNA and guessed from looking at a gene to do with taste buds, who was a picky eater and who wasn't- and it does have to do with tasting bitterness differently that others. they picked out the picky eaters and they were 100% right on who was a picky eater. So before you start blaming parents and attacking, perhaps you should know what you are talking about. or just leave out the stinging statements and tell of your experience and count yourself as perhaps luckier than people that have kids who are by birth, picky eaters.
And just to note that we still only give our 5 year old what we eat and encourage her to try everything and we don't change our eating around her taste buds but we hope in time that she will out grow most of it as my partner has. He still does not like broccoli, or spinach.
I listened to this show yesterday on my way home from a meeting and just loved the graceful way that the guests treated this volatile topic. My kids, who are teens now, have always enjoyed food and restaurants. I'd like to think that a big influencing factor has been my wife and I's aversion to franchises... by seeking out independent restaurants, we've formed warm relationships with the owners and/or staff who have been more than happy to do things like show our kids the kitchen, converse with them about the different menu options, and generally take an interest in them. I think it's been those relationships that have opened doors to new foods and flavors and have kept them curious about trying new things.
Ross A.
Manassas, VA
Having your kids quit snacking may be good for getting them to try new foods, but it isn't so good for your health otherwise. You are supposed to nibble on food to prevent becoming "hungry" so that you don't overeat, keep your energy up, etc.