From a nutrition standpoint, which is all we really care about over here, we're always trying to help the kids learn to appreciate veggies. (Fruits are less of a problem.) Getting them into other foods as ingredients is one way for sure.
Also, tho, from what i hear (sources various), there's a lot of truth to the idea that kids tastes develop around trying foods, too. I think our pediatrician said something like 12 separate times of "trying a new food" are sometimes required to really let a child's mouth develop to a true decision of whether or not they like something. We don't shovel food down the kids throats, of course, but often we give them a very small (trial-size) portion of everything on the table and say that they need to eat at least that little of everything before they can have more of anything. (Of course, if they're just not hungry and don't want anything, that's okay -- they just can't eat all the potatoes and ask for more unless they try the broccoli.)
We also try to respond to different ways to prepare the food, too. Cooked spinach is not so popular, but raw spinach greens go over okay, and so forth. Above all, we want to encourage them to try things, and also encourage their palates in healthy directions, but in the end we're raising people who, as adults, are going to eat what they like, and we try to approach it with that end goal in mind.
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Date: 2009-03-21 07:08 pm (UTC)Also, tho, from what i hear (sources various), there's a lot of truth to the idea that kids tastes develop around trying foods, too. I think our pediatrician said something like 12 separate times of "trying a new food" are sometimes required to really let a child's mouth develop to a true decision of whether or not they like something. We don't shovel food down the kids throats, of course, but often we give them a very small (trial-size) portion of everything on the table and say that they need to eat at least that little of everything before they can have more of anything. (Of course, if they're just not hungry and don't want anything, that's okay -- they just can't eat all the potatoes and ask for more unless they try the broccoli.)
We also try to respond to different ways to prepare the food, too. Cooked spinach is not so popular, but raw spinach greens go over okay, and so forth. Above all, we want to encourage them to try things, and also encourage their palates in healthy directions, but in the end we're raising people who, as adults, are going to eat what they like, and we try to approach it with that end goal in mind.