Raising food-savy children

[Elizabeth Ann]

Can you believe that Oreida has come out with chocolate french fries! No wonder a children have such poor eating habbits. Check it out www.nick.com/ads/oreida/

[Rail Paul]

Going to McDonald's is about more than food.  If you're an American, it's also (like it or not), about our culture, part of a commonality of experience that ties us together.

Depending on where the McDonald's is located, you may also have local influences, as well.

In southwest Colorado, we had our burger on a sourdough roll, with a choice of several "bbq" toppings. In New Mexico, salsa was available to dress any item, along with the local question.

[LaurieA-B]

I belong to a (non-food-related) listserv on which many of the members are mothers, mostly American.

Yesterday in my email:

1) A mother wanted suggestions for what to cook for her two children, one of whom only eats plain pasta and sauceless pizza, the other who eats anything except meat. She and her husband eat separate Jenny Craig meals, so she wanted ideas to cook small portions for the kids. While I thought this situation was hopeless, I suggested baked potatoes with various toppings. She replied that the only potatoes her son eats are McDonald's french fries, and her daughter (who eats "everything") refuses to eat potatoes.

2) A mother posted the recipe she had prepared for her family's dinner, which involved onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup, and chopped meat.

3) A mother posted about her son's birthday, for which she had taken him and a friend to a mall for lunch, and then had a "family dinner" at Pizza Hut.

These three items, collectively, made me sad for what American children are eating.

Saffy, I love your plan for letting your kids choose a restaurant every month. Choice is so empowering, and they may choose places that you wouldn't have dared to take them to.

circeplum, I have read that breast-fed children are more amenable to trying different foods, because they have been exposed to a wide range of flavors; formula always tastes exactly the same. Your experience supports this theory.

[Marlene]

My son is 9 and generally eats what we eat. The rule is, he has to try it before complaining about it. And there is always something he likes with dinner, either potatoes or vegetable, if he doesn't like the main course. I do not make special meals for him, if he doesn't eat dinner, he will sure eat breakfast in the morning! (although I might let him have something "healthy" as a snack later.)

He loves McDonalds and pizza of course, and he gets to choose a junk food dinner about once every two weeks.

We have also taken him with us to fine dining establishments from the time he was about 5 years old. When he was younger, we brought something to entertain himself with, colouring etc. so the adults could dine in peace since he always finished first. The benefits of doing this have paid off in that he knows how to act in a restaurant, and is willing to try different things on the menu. In fact the other day, he ordered (and ate every bite of) was escargot, and poached salmon. Neither of which I've ever made.

I think if you don't cater to the "pickiness" (the old, they'll eat when they get hungry bit) and expose them to new opportunities and choose not to battle them over what they will and won't eat (they have so little choice control in their lives as it is), they'll come around on their own.

[macrosan]

He loves McDonalds and pizza of course, and he gets to choose a junk food dinner about once every two weeks.

I'm convinced that it isn't the food at these places the kids like, it's the place. If you decked a restaurant out like MacDonalds or Pizz Hut, with the same kind of staff, giveaways, color scheme, etc, and served foie gras and staek diane, the kids would love it.

[Leslie Brenner]

I really believe the whole "kid" thing is pretty simple.  Just use common sense.  Have good things around them when they're growing up - good food, good conversations, good attitudes, good people, good music, good books.  And enjoy those things yourself.  

Compromise when it's time to compromise and don't when it isn't.

And relax.  

Have fun with your kids and fun with food.  Kids learn by osmosis.  Even in spite of you.

Jaymes, I couldn't agree more. We always approached the food issue with our son (now 5 1/2) from a "get to" rather than a "have to" position. We've always shown him how much we enjoy food (not hard), and we've always done our best not to give him any clues that something might be considered "weird." He eats almost everything (loves stinky cheese, baby octopus, sushi, most vegetables), but is only starting to enjoy fruit. We've never chided him for not liking something, only perhaps made him see that we really enjoy it. He has only eaten at McDonald's once. He liked it, but he likes just about everything, and LOVES eating in restaurants. Although he hates wearing anything but a t-shirt, he'll gladly put on a suit and tie (!) to go to a special restaurant. For whatever it's worth, he was breastfed--for a rather long time--and I never avoided garlic, spices, gassy foods the way some people say you should. And he didn't reliably sleep through the night until he was four!