Reply to If you don't eat many processed foods, what do you feed your kids?

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Reply to "If you don't eat many processed foods, what do you feed your kids?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]"kid's food" = processed food that is leading to the obesity epidemic.  Feed your child real foods just like you eat, and the child will like them just like you do.  If you want them to look more fun, make them look more fun naturally (put fruit on sticks, shape eggs into bunnies, place carrot sticks into teepees with peas hiding inside....).  There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeding your children real food, and it is a shame that our society makes new parents think that there is.[/quote]

For me, and I'm a PP who does use mostly fresh and/or minimally processed foods, I think sometimes it feels wasteful.  I don't let it stop me, but I do sigh and understand why some parents just cave to the convenience of processed crap.  Yes, I know it can take 10 to 20 tries for my child to try a new food and that sounds fine.  Except that then becomes 10 or 20 pieces of fish, or lentil soup or whatever that is thrown away untouched or with one little bite out of it.  With my two year old I use plates with multiple sections so that every meal I know she's getting at least one or two things that she likes in addition to anything new or unfamiliar.

Last night she ate almost 3 pieces of chicken, skin removed.  She loves hummus, but it went untouched since I'd spread it on fresh cucumber rather than with fresh carrots.  She did eat half of a banana and some grapes.  The freshly picked zucchini that I'd diced and tossed with mint and a vinaigrette also was avoided completely.  [b]My sense is that for many parents it just becomes easier to serve the mac and cheese or chicken fingers since you know the kids will eat them[/b].  [/quote]

But what is it about these foods that kids just start eating them without rejecting them?  I would think a two year old would look at a brown object (nugget) on their plate just as suspiciously as a green cucumber.  [/quote]

I think it is just because they are given them so often.  My child refuses to eat chicken nuggets.  We didn't introduce them until she was about 2.5 because there had never been a need.  When we finally did during a road trip, she wouldn't eat them.  She doesn't understand why they have the stuff on the outside.  Same reaction to fish sticks when someone gave her some, she just doesn't understand the appeal.  On the other hand, she will eat you out of broccoli and grapes.

It isn't that wasteful if you give just a bit at a time and think about how they might be most likely to eat them.  My child loves dips (almond butter, hummus...) but I never put them on myself because she refuses to eat anything with a spread, and she loves the art of the dip.  I also serve salad deconstructed because I can never tell what she won't eat.  Sometimes there is waste, but not that much because if it isn't something that I know she loves (green beans, apples and dip, hard-boiled eggs), I just put a bite or two off of my plate onto hers when it is served.  This has backfired a couple times when she loves the item and I end up having to give her all of mine, but usually there is at least enough for me to be satisfied, and when not, oh well, now I know.[/quote]

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