A quick little PSA, meant with love (and worry)

[stoney321]

[ETA] The following rant is based off of the video I linked, that's important to note. Also, there is some AWESOME discussion happening in comments, so that's good for further talk, too. And I'm super hungry now, so I'm going to eat. Have fun with the comments, folks!

I owe emails and replies, but first: I love Jamie Oliver and not just because he swaps out th's with f's. (Essex represent, 'ee is well fit, innit?) I think this is one of the most important videos a parent (or loving aunt or uncle, etc) can watch.

And just so you know, I firmly FIRMLY believe that "picky eaters" are made, not born. They will eat it if you give it to them, says this mother of three who have eaten foods as diverse as raw squid and octopus, all manner of curries, eel, any and all fruits and vegetables including DURIAN and bok choy, and a steady stream of lima beans (even though their mother won't touch those things.) My son begs for spinach and freaking butter beans. Why? Because I was a poor single mom (even when married to husband #1, lol) and I could grow veggies, but I couldn't afford fast food. 10 months old and my son would walk to the fridge and bang on it until I opened it and gave him raw mushrooms. No lie, his favorite dish was stir fried zucchini and mushrooms. At 10 months old.

IF YOU FEED THEM CERTAIN FOODS, THAT IS WHAT THEY WILL EAT. (You think kids in southeast Asia are born with a hunger for durian? Lo mein? No, they're fed that, and then that's what they eat. Ditto with mole sauce for Latino kids, plantains for Caribbean kids, etc. etc.) If your kids complain about you changing their food and diet to healthier things, tough stuff, cream puff. You smile, eat the good foods, and then let them walk away from the table. They get to complain for a few days. And then they'll eat. You know why? Because they'll be hungry from not being allowed to eat junk. And then you have kids eating good food, yay! It's not mean, it's not cruel, it's called parenting and it's a JOB. And if YOU are eating good foods, then it's likely that your children will, too.

*cough* Please see my post about me caring for my autistic sister who apparently has all sorts of food rules, to the point where she eats crappy processed foods at home - like, four steady menu items - and yet EVERYTHING I made her at my house, which was all homemade and fresh, she wolfed down and even had seconds on some things. Huh. So please. Please don't try and convince me that your child/child you know just won't eat such and such. Studies have shown that kids need to be exposed to new foods 5 - 10 times before it sticks, and THEN IT STICKS! Isn't that wonderful? :)

Whew. Needed that off my chest. (And for the love of Mike, if you're giving your kids soda, please stop. Just stop. I don't mean special treats of a soda - Sprite, root beer, sarsaparilla - when you go out to eat for special times, but daily sodas. That is terrible for them. For you, too, but you're a grown up, so I can't be bossy boots to you. Ha. Also, try making your own root beer - infinitely better and doesn't have HFCS in it, YAY.)

Remember: if it's a plant, or lives off of plants, eat it. If it's FROM a plant, it's probably best that you skip it.

With love, Stoney. :)

(And I'm writing up a recipe I made up last night for sweet potato and shrimp soup with some curry and little "tater tots" made of diced shrimp and sweet potato. YUM.)

Comments

[entrenous88.livejournal.com]

I absolutely agree with all this.

Interesting little side note -- Miss C has been an adventurous eater so far, but she's going through a little period of food pickiness. I've seen her say on different occasions when we've been visiting together, "I don't like that" or "I don't want it, it's yucky." But invariably when my sister gets her to try a bite or two, her response? "Yum!" Every. single. time.

Also, for those parents who swear their kid hates that one bite they tried, my sister tells me (from a developmental psych perspective) that people need to try foods seven or eight times before they really can rule out not liking them. Case in point, her BFF's kiddo, who hated eggs for a time, but after about twenty times of trying them? Now they're his favorite thing.

Kids! Also, sweet potato, om nom nom.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

You know, I read a fascinating article that talked about how kids reach a certain age of mobility (their 2s or 3s, typically) that a natural instinct kicks in where they are picky. It's rooted in a primal fear/understanding that some things are poisonous, and they challenge their intake of items. So interesting! But then they get over it, if allowed to.

LOL at Miss C's "yum!" I just love that kid!!

And awesome that your sister - with Certified Credentials - is stating what my claim is: you give it to them, and after a few tries (I said 5 - 10) they'll eat it. I LOVE YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO THIS, THANK YOU!!

<3 <3 <3

(And they were white sweet potatoes! Very delicate flavor!)

[ann1962]

There is some research to support that breastfeeding your children gives them different flavours every day because of the mother's diet, thereby allowing them to be less resistant to new flavours when they eat solids.

[ann1962]

I remember the doctors used to laugh at me when I told them that my son wanted to only eat vegetables and fruit, and was it a concern about his seeming lack of protein. They only wished the other parents had my problem. He didn't really have a problem, for the breast milk, cheese, beans and some lean beef he would eat, but given all the talk talk about protein I was worried. It turned out it was the fat on meat he hated. Though now sushi is one of his fav things to eat. Why was I worried. LOL

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha, that's awesome about your son's diet! I love that he hated the fat, too. We mostly eat venison as our red meat, which has little to no fat. I hate the fat on meat, too.

And what a great "problem" your son had with his food choices, huh? Awesome.

[sdwolfpup.livejournal.com]

AHH and I have been talking about this a lot lately. We feed our pets a raw food diet and we ran out of food for them last week and had to go to kibble and the change was SHOCKING. And immediate. And we thought, if they have that much of a change, what would happen if we got strict with ourselves and did the same? Plus Puplet is going to be starting to eat in the next couple of weeks and we realized that we really want to be good role models for him as well. (Darn kids, making us better people! What's up with THAT?) Right now we're down to about 3-5 'bad' meals a week (incl. breakfast & lunch), but we are going to go whole-hog in March and just eat good meals for the entire month, no fast food at all, and see what happens. I am excited!

We also watched that Jamie Oliver talk this weekend ourselves. Very inspirational.

One thing that is really dismaying, though, is what I've heard about the lack of cheaply-priced good-for-you foods in a lot of urban neighborhoods. Often the good foods aren't even offered at the local stores, and some people have no way of getting to stores where they can get good foods. It's a real societal issue.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OMG, what an amazing thing, re: your dogs' diet! I would LOVE to hear about your change in diet - I know that you and AHH are very conscientious people, so this will be fascinating to me.

OMG, the lack of fresh foods for people is shocking. I heard yesterday that in the ENTIRE CITY OF DETROIT there is not ONE grocery store. Not one.

That is something that absolutely needs to be addressed, I completely agree with you on it being a real societal issue.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OMG I LOL'D SO HARD AT HOT DOGS ARE BUTTS. Because it's true. (We call them "pig lips and rectal tissue.")

Also: you should make some homemade rootbeer!! We do that once a month and it's DELIGHTFUL. Plus: major burping. MAJOR. (burps > farts, trufax.)

I am happy to rant on, then! <3

[kuzu-no-ha.livejournal.com]

And just so you know, I firmly FIRMLY believe that "picky eaters" are made, not born.

YES! I completely agree
People assume that toddlers will only eat PB&j, chicken nuggets and that infants only want mushed bland fill in the blank. I grew up eating a variety of Middle Eastern foods including soup made with tripe.

I once tested my baby girl at 7 months. She could choose between mushed sweet potatoes with no additional flavor or lamb curry full of flavor and texture. She chose the curry.
She loves a variety of foods and flavors.
At 19 months she eats spicier curries than most adults.

I think my current favorite read concerning babies and food is Hungry Monkey.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm, tripe. I love that stuff when it has the dragon sauce on it, especially.

What awesome foods your child eats!! And now I'm totally hungry for curry...

[love-your-ego.livejournal.com]

I agree! For all of my infinite childless wisdom, lol. I kind of blame kids menus. Even at an awesome Japanese restaurant they have a kids menu with chicken nuggets and fries. My nephew always orders off the kids menu (he's 11)he doesn't eat much at all, so I don't think his parents would ever let him eat off the adult menu because there would be too many leftovers. Anyways, he always gets chicken nuggets and fries. I always get him to eat some of my food though. He's had squid and raw tuna and whatever other weird stuff I get. He really likes it too. I think if they had more "real" food on the kids menu, he would be eating much better than he does.

Whenever I get around to having kids they will never see the kids menu. They would either share with me, or I'd see about getting a smaller portion of whatever they want off the adult menu.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

OH MY GOD KID MENUS. yes yes a thousand times!! My kids get them (or got them) for the coloring, but they ordered off the regular menu. And if there are leftovers, eh, there's a great snack waiting for them the next day after school, says I.

My girls will sometimes split a full-sized portion, too, that's great that you're already thinking that way!

[tabaqui]

Hell to the yes to *all* of this. Kids who are fed a steady diet of chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes want....chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes. You'd think it would be obvious, but apparently it's not. My daughter eats sushi, for fuck's sake - snacks on the nasty seaweed wrappers and gets all longing and nostalgic for the Japanese place she went to with her cousin. I've never even *had* any sushi but the simple stuff she's made, it all came about 'cause her cousin and cousin's mom love that sort of thing so she ate it at their house.

And people who think it's 'cruel' to make their kid skip a meal or two are just insane.

My biggest problem is i loathe, loathe, loathe cooking. Hate it *so much*. So making decent meals is this huge, horrible chore that i despise. I *do* it. Not every meal, but the majority of meals. But i still hate it.

*why can't everybody just live on cheese and crackers? like me?!*
:)

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh my god, I knew someone that told me how "mean" I was for letting my child go to bed hungry one night because he was testing me on his dinner/eating something "weird." Did my child die in the middle of the night? No. Was he hungry as hell in the morning? Yep. And then he ate everything I gave him all day. Nothing wrong with that. (And it's not like we're in the "clean your plate!!" club. Take all you'll eat, go back for seconds, but don't load up if you're not hungry, that's just sensible.

I say you should adopt a raw diet, then! No cooking! :D

[timba.livejournal.com]

Aw, yay Jamie!

And, after taunting me....do you happen to have a recipe for homemade root beer? Cause, I'd love to attempt that!

I wonder if you have seen this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM) lecture on HFCS. It's long, but FASCINATING. Also frightening, but...

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I'll have to dig around for the recipe, it's fairly simple. you just need to devote a pantry shelf in the back for 4 days to let it "cure." I'll reply back with the recipe!

Oooh, I'll watch that vid straight away, thank you!

[minstrel666.livejournal.com]

As an ex-picky eater (maybe I'm still a bit picky: I will avoid clams if I can. But not shrimp. Bring me the shrimp. Just don't laugh when you see how incompetently I peel them), I will say yes to the studies.

Still, I have discovered lately that I'm a picky COOK. For the past two months, I have not tried to cook anything outside of my comfort circle of pastas and foil-baked meats. There is something either about the stove or the ingredients down here in the UK that makes any attempt by me at something more complex than toast a total disaster.

Oh, and don't worry - I'm eating my fruits and vegetables. I just never cook them. Sometimes I grate them if I'm feeling adventurous, but a deep scrape acros the pillow of thumb puts a damper on that for some time.

Also: kids menus. We don't have them in Poland. We just ask for half a portion. :D

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Good way to put it, that you're a picky cook! I can understand that having had postage stamp-sized kitchens. And honestly, once my kids were old enough to help in the kitchen, I enjoyed it FAR more.

[eccequambonum.livejournal.com]

i'm a quiet new lurker here, but i simply must pop my head up to say I FREAKIN' LOVE YOU.

my high school and college summers spent as a nanny was full of baffled parents who didn't understand why i wasn't asking that sodas, juice boxes, cheese crackers and "chicken" fingers be added to the shopping list, but rather greens, and real whole foods. and how did their precious little darling know what a zucchini was, let alone ask for zucchini boats for a dinner treat. of course i used to have fun with some of the boys i looked after, and would come up with names sure to make them eat something. what normal American 4-6 y.o boy doesn't want to eat pesto and 'sgetti when it is aptly named Dragon Snot and Worms?

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

AHAHAHA, I got the kids to eat hummus by calling it "creamy cat litter" and because my kids are weird like me, loved it. :D

Awesome testimonial, thank you for delurking! Feel free to do so anytime, we don't bite. :)

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

I definitely agree - I have a cousin who, at 30-something, eats nothing but chicken nuggets, french fries, pork chops with shake & bake coating, biscuits, and baked beans. Seriously. He has all kinds of horrid health problems (are you surprised?)

At our house, we require them to eat a bit of each item, though I do allow my kids to have one or two foods they won't eat (For example: My son has never been able to stomach peaches. As a four month old baby, he spat them across the room. Did you ever hear of a baby that wouldn't eat peaches? Me, neither. So we don't make him eat them. Peri can't stand tomato sauce (I know!) so when I make spaghetti, I fix a white sauce and soup it up with a little chopped broccoli or spinach.)

My mother was the pickiest eater ever, and I was very picky as a child - I credit the SCA with teaching me to eat all kinds of interesting foods. :)

[furikku.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm trying to expand my picky hubby's food horizons. Though it's slow going, and he seems to have a whole lot of food aversions and really serious issues with some tastes.

Still, he's willing to try, which is nice...

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Well, without getting too TMI and all up in ya bidness, you *could* sweeten the deal for him if he tries things...

I'm just saying. :D

[maybe1ce.livejournal.com]

I knew a woman who claimed to have the world's pickiest eaters...every night she made one meal for her and hubby (governed by her own weird "rules," like chicken MUST only be eaten in a creamy sauce) and another for the kids (ALWAYS chicken nuggets or hot dogs. ALWAYS.)

Her family was at my house one night and her middle daughter asked for one of my salami "cakes." (Layers of hard salami and cream cheese with horseradish, cut in to bite sized wedges of yum) The kid smiled and wolfed it down, and the mother asked, "How is it? Is it yucky?"

Way to reinforce neurotic eating habits, there, lady.

My oldest used to sit in her high chair at 14 months old, chanting "PAD THAI! PAD THAI!" My middle daughter loves kalamata olives and feta cheese, and my youngest will eat any foodstuff involving capers. They all eat edamame AS A SNACK TREAT.

Encourage your kids to try EVERYTHING. Sure, there will be some things they don't like, but there will be even more stuff that they love. And, stop projecting your cracked up food issues on your kids, please. Dumb parents. Grrr.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

There are some awesome comments coming in, and I'm loving it. It's not about forcing your kids to eat EVERYTHING and ALL OF IT. It's about being positive, offering them new things, and not letting them eat pop tarts and diet coke for breakfast, right?

ALWAYS hot dogs? Oh, ick. Poor kid.

[thesammichfox.livejournal.com]

My husband was a prime example of some one who was a kid with a mother that just fed him crap. His father was a picky eater so she never really bothered feeding her son anything other then what his dad ate. So he lived off pizza, chicken nuggets, pasta, soda, and skittles. I am still surprised he didn't end up having something like scurvy from just eating crap. He was also slightly chubby and didn't ever work out because he was always tired.

When we moved in with each other I told him sorry I'm not making you crap. I've never eaten that stuff and I am not going to start now.(I also can't eat anything with gluten in it and was raised mostly vegetarian due to it being healthier for my father because he has heart issues. As I have found because I never had junk food or processed food when I was younger I can't eat it. It makes me sick just to eat a few bites of things that are so heavily processed. )


Now he doesn't really eat any of that stuff (I can't really get him to fully kick the soda, which drives me nuts. I don't want our kids seeing him drinking it. And yeah its more then just a treat, he keeps cans of it in the house.) eats lots of fruits and veggies and will clean his plate of anything I put in front of him. He has also lost over a 100 pounds works out and says he just feels so much better then he used to. He also has lots more energy then he used to and all around much better for it.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

For me, eating is about enjoying the company, the tastes, and the feeling of energy afterward. I don't like eating until I'm sick. (or stuffed.) And I can't help but wonder if people who do that repeatedly aren't fooling themselves into why they have poor health. I mean, if you put crappy oil/gas in your car, it won't run well. Same for people, right?

I'm glad your husband feels so good. THAT'S what's important, not the scale, not the "x # of calories/fat grams" etc. Eating well = feeling well.

[dampersnspoons.livejournal.com]

*playing devil's advocate*

I think it's easy for people to be on the outside looking in and say, "I'd have done this because *my* kids would never," but unless you're that parent, with that child, for a time period longer than a week, it's not fair to say, "If you'd only feed them this." Maybe fair isn't the right word, but it certainly feels one-sided.

Not everyone can cook, knows how to throw a meal together, can be organized, can rally the troops and make a healthy meal while handling fifty other things, including jobs and husbands or wives. While convenience shouldn't excuse fast food and poor eating habits, their lives outside of being parents should be considered when pointing fingers at people who don't feed their children the way you think they should. It might be more helpful to show ways they *can* do this with their busy schedules, so it doesn't seem like an impossibility if they can't cook or have the time/money to offer their children such a wide variety of foods. You mentioned being poor and feeding beans to your son, why not offer more cheap ideas for meals then? This might be a damn good idea, since you're such a firm believer in it.

I know you're angry, and because you know the steps to take and have the means to provide healthy and exotic meals for your kids, it's frustrating for you to see parents deny their children the wonderful experience of food. I agree in most cases on this subject, but again, devil's advocate, playing for the other team for discussion.

Also, you were the pickiest eater known to MAN, and you turned out fine, loving all sorts of different foods of your own accord. Maybe some kids' palettes are late bloomers, and maybe some are unfortunate because their parents didn't give them the right tools to eat healthily. I ate the same food you did growing up, and some of it was bad for you and some of it wasn't. I was never a picky eater though, and remain proud of my eclectic taste buds. Some kids are just damn picky, and those stressful times spent trying to get kids to eat the crap they made are the times many parents just don't know what to do. You were asked to make a bowl of cereal or your own meal and come sit at the table with the rest of us, and you held that up for how long before you decided to eat regular food again? I'm just saying. Some kids are picky AND stubborn, and we just have to hope they'll grow out of it (if we first did all we could to change the behavior, that is). It can't be any easier for parents with these kids who don't know how to cook on TOP of the stress of trying to get them to eat it.

This is reason #345 why having kids stresses me the EFF OUT.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hey, Beth? I know you're playing "devil's advocate," which you should know that I can't stand (arguing? Yes. Arguing just to argue? No thanks.) I *do* talk about how to make cheap/easy foods in this space. I *do* post recipes in this space. I *do* offer new ways to go about things.

This was a quicky PSA, as I mentioned above in the title. And I've also copped to being a picky eater in the past. (Not here, but in other posts.) And I've also talked about how I've struggled with learning to like foods that are better for me, and how I'm making it important to my kids to a) try new things and b) eat well. There's no bad there, there's nothing there to attack. Am I brusque? Yes. If that's the issue here, then I can own up to that, but honestly, I was pressed for time as I was running hither and yon.

I still hate red onions. Brenda put that shit into everything, which was why I didn't eat those foods. Not to mention all of the mental shit that was going on with me and foods (remember my "hives" caused by "food allergies?" Hence the weird eating on my part.)

I'm guessing you didn't watch the video. Everything I've written here is my "hear, hear!" response to the overwhelming problem of people in this country literally dying because of what they eat. *cough* Our father and brother *cough*

And if you read the comments with Entrenous, you'll see that we both understand that kids go through a picky phase, and yet they WILL grow out of it, and it's best to have good things for them for when they do. The Boy hates chunky hot tomatoes. Does that mean I stop making any tomato sauces? Of course not. I just puree it now because fresh, cooked tomatoes are good for him.

People don't cook any more. You do. You are an excellent cook. But most people in my neighborhood? NONE of them cook regular meals. Ever. (No, really.) Their kids buy their lunches, they have pop tarts and soda for breakfast, lunchables/vending machine lunches, and package crap for when they get home, then McDonalds or KFC for dinner. It's ridiculous. Sandwiches at home would be far better than that, and anyone can slap turkey and a cheese slice on some bread.

Watch the video and you'll see where I'm coming from here. I know that food can be triggery for you, and I'm not trying to piss you off here, but this is a real crisis. I don't call things a "crisis" but this really is. It's upsetting to see the kids in my neighborhood eating crap, feeling like crap, and acting like crap because that's all they're filled with, day in and day out. And I don't even like half of them. Lol.

And ahahahahahha at this being #345. Jesus, I HAVE them and it stresses me out!

[fabrisse.livejournal.com]

My first solid food was artichoke because we were living in an area where they were cheap and plentiful. Kids loved them because dipping in sauce and scraping the leaves with their teeth is fun. The only thing I hate is bell pepper (and jalapenos because they taste like bell pepper with heat to me). My younger sister doesn't care for okra. That's about it for her. With the exceptions of food allergies, I don't think kids should be allowed to get away with only eating certain things. As you say, once they get hungry, they'll try it. If they still hate it, and they don't hate everything on principle, then maybe a parent can say "no bell peppers for Fabi."

edited to add: We ate at restaurants from the time I was small, too. No kids' menu, but I was allowed to order whatever I wanted off the appetizer or sides menu which meant no leftovers and higher quality food.

one last edit: I was in a housemate situation where one of the housemates had kids. The resident four year old and I bonded. She loved cooking with me. One day we were having a party and the two of us made aioli in my mortar and pestle. She tried it, and turned to me and said, very politely, "Maybe I'll like it when I'm older."

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I hate green bell peppers Bleck. But I love red and orange ones. I'm weird. But yeah - no one loves every food that exists. Maybe I should better define what I mean by "picky eaters." Not liking something doesn't make you picky, but not liking MOST things definitely does. Or only eating one food group. Or only one type of fruit in a very specific way. That sort of thing.

I mentioned how my son hates chunky hot tomatoes. So I puree them. Problem solved. He finally articulated what he didn't like about them, so I don't make him eat them. But that doesn't mean he gets to skirt eating ANY tomatoes, just not in the manner he dislikes.

Ahahaha, that's a great story you added.

[ethrosdemon.livejournal.com]

I have a couple thoughts on this (you're shocked!).

I think the majority of the problem is that people don't know how to cook. Opening cans and dumping them into a bowl is not cooking, but because of the evolution of our society where "convenience" = success from the post-war era forward, we're several generations deep believing that dump and bake = cooking. There has to be a whole re-education of the entire society to fix this. I think the locovore movement is founded on sound principles and desirable values, but the yuppy/hipster snobbery involved in the whole "let them shop at Whole foods" attitude disenfranchises the exact people that need to be reached. If you've never even seen someone cook fresh asparagus, how can you be expected to make the leap to buy them instead of the canned peas? Add on to that ingrained concepts of "being snooty" or the fear of looking stupid (which is entrenched and the reason FoxNews can manipulate people the way it does), then what can we expect?

Anyway.

I think the second problem with children eating shitty food especially is that parents make themselves feel important by making a big deal out of how their children are unique. By that I mean, fussing over Timmy not eating ANYTHING but Kraft Dinner or Janey having to have a separate meal from the entire family. Obviously, I'm being a judgmental asshole and this doesn't apply to everyone, but I've seen it enough in my own famdamnily to know it happens.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Excellent point re: convenience = success, I hadn't thought of it in those terms, but that's exactly what is happening. One of the major points he makes in the vid I linked is that no one knows how to cook anymore. He's all about educating people on the basics of "here is how you make a simple meal." Me, too. He also talks about how places like Wal-Mart grocery stores, etc. need to have things like "food ambassadors" that show you HOW to cook, like the fancier, earthy-hippy stores do.

In a nutshell: YES.

And HAHAHAHAHAHA, I can totally agree with you on that one, too, see that rude kid that told me he wouldn't eat anything I made him, and made his mother come over with a ziplock bag of greasy, microwaved chicken nuggets.

[fishwithfeet.livejournal.com]

This will go into the little tidbits of information that I will file away for when I'm a parent. It joins examples of parenting that I refuse to do but have learned from observation at a Zoo...


I should also add, I snagged the book 'How to cheat on your husband in the Kitchen" which is all about hiding veggies and fruits in 'typical' foods. So they think they're getting something else like a burger, but it's loaded with say... zuchinni. The hubby hates veggies usually so if I can hide it, he'll probably be good.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha, that's an hilarious title. I do that with many things, but the jig is up as my kids are now helping me in the kitchen. (Like sweet bell peppers and a carrot into the marinara sauce - diced super fine so they practically melt away....) :D

[anniemare.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU! My Mom will eat anything, but my Dad will absolutely not. I learned to eat from dad and have had to teach myself how to eat new things as an adult. That is absolutely not easy and it would ahve samved me a bunch of trouble if I had learned to eat my veggies and healthier foods as a child.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Oh man, isn't that the truth? It's NOT easy, and it's so much easier to get things set in stone - habits formed when you're growing up than trying to relearn everything as an adult. SO MUCH EASIER.

[dovil.livejournal.com]

But it's easier to feed kids fast food and soda because they like the lashings of fat and sodium and colourings and articial flavours and then they'll shut up and sit in the corner with their heads in a bag of chips being quiet and eventually they'll get too big to be able to follow me around or they'll flip out on all the sugar and additives and drop out of school and become a homeless junkie and so I can ditch them through the use of food.

You really don't think these things through properly, huh.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I am currently ignoring you because I think you went too far in that comment you last made to me.

...kidding, oh my god, can you imagine if I was that big of a wanker??

I have this whole working theory that parents nowadays are confused that their children aren't actually those Tomagachi pets - you know, the little fob on a keychain games where you pushed buttons to feed the "pet" to keep it alive? And if they died from neglect, you just bought another one?

Yeah. I think a lot of parents think like that.

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

Kids will eat what their culture encourages them to eat? THE HECK YOU SAY. THAT'S CRAZY TALK.

I was a picky eater as a kid, but with my mom that meant trying dinner and if I didn't like it, well, bread and balogna were in the fridge. Sandwich ahoy!

I do remember reading somewhere that our palates change as we get older, so it is possible for something to taste foul to us as kids and aweome to us as adults (and vice versa). But the key thing at any age is to try and encourage trying.

And I love Jamie Oliver. But you knew that.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

I AM JUST MAKING THINGS UP THESE DAYS, CLEARLY I NEED TO BE PUT DOWN.

And there's a great discussion up there with Entrenous about a new finding that shows that toddlers have a natural instinct to fear new foods at an age, because - eons ago - this kept them from eating things that were poisonous as they left their mother's swaddling.

BVut as you say, it's about encouraging things. And while we all have That One Thing we won't eat, that shouldn't negate all other foods in that group. Like how people "hate" fruit or vegetables. Really? ALL of them? REALLY. Huh.

OMG, he is teh sexxors, as the kids that are actually in their 30-40s say. :D

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

i'm drooling thinking about your sweet potato/shrimp curry.

My mother's rule was, you must try it. If you don't like it, well. PBJ. And next time she had that for dinner, same thing. Because her mother insisted veggies had to be cooked until they were DEAD, she didn't do that.

But yes, it's true that it's more expensive to eat 'healthy'. And that is so wrong.

[isle-of-apples.livejournal.com]

I am also de-lurking (have I de-lurked here before? I can't even remember) to say that I agree so hard. On the days I wonder why my sister doesn't eat much of anything (no fruits! not too many veggies!) I remember that when she was little my mom packed her lunches of Pop-Tarts and other snacky foods because that was just easier than fighting my sister's refusal to eat anything else. By that time it was the third kid and she was just sort of "Oh, well, whatEVER."

Not faulting my mom for it, but it really does happen! I guess I'd never thought to account pickiness to learned habits.

There are things I'll refuse to eat still because I just can't stand the texture, like ricotta or cottage cheese. Other things I do eat now but have learned that it really does matter to buy local and in season, like tomatoes. I have not eaten a supermarket tomato ever since making a ratatouille pie using local heirloom tomatoes in mid-August.

[stoney321.livejournal.com]

Hullo!

We're trying to stick with "in season" foods which is haaaaaaard, but so far we're making do. The tomatoes that are in stores right now? Horrid, flavorless things.

No fruits? I just can't imagine. Like, grapes are SO GOOD. Berries are SO GOOD. Watermelon, honeydew, kiwi, etc etc. I've met people like that, too, and I just... how is that possible!? (I'm being redonk myself, you know.)

And please to be sending me some ratatouille pie ASAP. Yum.

[mangofandango.livejournal.com]

This has definitely been true for me niece, who is currently 3. Her parents always offered her whatever we were eating, and it turns out - she likes things! Like, most things! She has preferences, and a couple of legit aversions. For example, her entire life, she has been thoroughly disgusted by cheese. I offered her some of my ravioli once, and she tried it enthusiastically...and then scraped the cheese off her tongue, she was so grossed out. But it's because she eats so many things so willingly that we know that that is a real honest-to-goodness dislike, and not just pickiness...if that makes sense. To me, that is valuable information. Interestingly enough, it turns out she has a dairy sensitivity, so maybe there is a reason for that aversion!

When she was very small, she asked to try a garlic clove as her dad and I were cooking. After brief discussion, we gave her a teeny piece of one. She took a nibble, adn asked for more. We did not let her eat more raw garlic because we foresaw tummyaches, but we did offer her some of the food we were making with the garlic *in* it. :)

Now that I have a daughter, as soon as we are out of the food allergy zone (right now she is new to solids and has several sensitivities that make things tricky), I hope to approach food the same way. Also, I am told "Hungry Monkey" is really good, and my husband knows the author, so I'm going to pcik that book up soon. You might enjoy it too!