I feel like I've been having the same conversation over and over with
other parents when I'm out. "Little Billy Joe Bob ate well until he was
14 months old"
"Sally ate all her veggies until she went to school"
and
the list of excuses go on and on "quick health food is expensive" and
my personal favorite "I made my own organic baby food and now my kids
eat fruit roll-ups"
Here's the real deal and I know because I've
been there with my own child. As they get larger that precious little
baby whose lips you wouldn't let anything but the most sacred
ingredients pass turns into a back talking wild child who refuses to eat
until they are on the verge of a severe meltdown and out of total
desperation you give them whatever you can find. Sometimes that is a bag
of cheezits from a vending machine at the gym, or a juice from
starbucks, the lolipops from the bank or treasure chest from Trader Joes
and yes there's "healthy" grab and go options but most of them are
loaded with sugar and here's the thing about sugar....sugar begets
sugar. It's easy to turn our bodies on to a sugar burning state. In the
world of a toddler where time is of the essence, they delight in the quick
energy of a juice and feel that's enough energy to sustain them. The
problem is, that's not enough energy to sustain them and the cycle
repeats itself constantly, then the cycle becomes habit.
I
recently did this with bagels, now bagels aren't all bad but my little
guy is sensitive to gluten but he LOVES blueberry bagels. So for a while
I would just buy him a bagel when we were shopping at Whole Foods as a
treat to bypass the sugar doom kids club wagon. After a couple weeks I
kind of forgot how out of control his behavior gets when he's been
eating loads of gluten and I bought a whole bag of bagels thinking Z
really likes these and they're great on the go. Three days later I had a
manic child who only wanted to eat pasta, bagels and fruit strips.
I
decided to make this list as a reminder for myself and for anyone else
who finds themselves in the same cycle. I am going to tack it to my
fridge as a reminder when I make grocery lists and pack lunches!
1.
Ditch the Juice and Drink Water Instead
We
all know water is good for us, we're made of mostly water after all!
Most of the time when we're "hungry" we're really just thirsty and it's
our bodies telling us we're starting to dehydrate. Juice is not a whole
food, if you've ever juiced before you know what I mean. You throw loads
of fruits and veggies into a giant machine and out comes a tiny bit of
juice. Then you're left with all the good stuff to dispose of. The good
stuff is pulp filled with fiber and most of the fruits and veggies
nutrients. I've found it helpful to leave water out at all times as a
reminder. Z has a special cup that is only for water and when he's
really fighting it we make "lemonade" which is water over ice and a
squirt of lemon. Making it special in some way helps kids appreciate
it's importance.
2.
Be the Example
I
once read a really powerful quote, I forget where and who said it but I
never forgot it " Don't be concerned that you child doesn't listen to
you, be concerned that they watch everything that you do." This was a real game changer for me , it's taken some real "reprogramming"
but most of the time before I say anything I noticeably role play what
I'd like my little to do and most of the time it works. I also try to
keep this in mind when I'm driving and absolutely with what I eat.
3.
Make Your Own "Snack Packs"
When
I get home from the grocery store one of the first things I do is cut
up extra veggies and divide the crackers, cheese and anything else I
think will be ok for a couple days in the fridge. Then I disperse them
into little Tupperware compartments and stack them in the fridge. I
originally starting doing this for Z in the morning (he's an early
riser)! But then I quickly realized that having a prepared snack was
brilliant for several reasons, running late in the morning they make a
quick makeshift lunch and also in a pinch when running out the door for
the park or just as a snack when I'm in the middle of something and
can't prepare something right then. Z likes the way it gives him
independence by picking what he wants and getting it himself. Win!
4.
Have an Emergency "Car Pack"
filled with nuts, dry fruit and ziplock bags with individual servings
of pretzels exc. this allows for more healthy choices and not being at
the whim of a gas station, vending machine or just not having anything
and risking a meltdown. If it's hot outside keep in mind things that
melt, I have lost many protein bars and trail mixes with little
chocolate nibs to the heat!
5.
Compartmentalize Foods
I
am a stickler for everyone eating the same meal, I am not a short
order cook! That being said I do know that kids have a different
perspective on food than adults. If I am making a very spicy dish for
the fam. I will take a bit out for Z before it gets too hot. He almost
always eats what we eat but I have better luck putting like things
together rather than mixing it all together. For example if we have a
Greek salad instead of giving him a bowl of mixed salad I give him a
plate with olives, tomatoes, cucumbers. lettuce, a little dipping bowl
of Greek dressing and even a pepperoncini to try.
6. Little Chefs
Allowing
children to be involved in the process of "food production" gives them
an appreciation of where their food comes from and how much work it is
to
gather,
prepare and
clean up afterwards. Let them crack eggs, mix ingredients and even maybe pick dinner one night a week.
Having a garden, or
visiting a farm
teach them where food comes from rather than magically appearing at the
super market. They will most likely be more willing to try something
they grew from a seed or small plant. This is Z with the sunflower he planted at school and transferred to our garden, he checks on it first thing every morning!
7. Snacking is OK!
We
are natural hunter and gathers, it's natural to eat bits at a time .
The first thing most diets say is to eat 5-6 small meals a day instead
of 3 large ones. Kids are naturally good at this, we as parents just
need to make sure they have access to healthy snacks at all times.
Recently I read an article in parent magazine ringing alarm bells about
snacking and yes if snack options are crackers, juice and chips snacks
can pose a potential problem. However if the quality of snacks are high
who cares if kids eat an epic dinner? Seriously if they love eating in
the car offer carrot sticksif it's the only thing available they might
just give it a go! Our favorite snack right now is the back yard forging
snack, here's what Z had today for one of his snacks.
8. No Snacking in Front of the Television!
This
may seem like a no brainier, but let's face it, it happens. It's 10
after 5 you just got home from the park and need to get diner started.
You pop on a video for the bambinos, they're hungry from running around
all afternoon and grab a box crackers to accompany their show. Before
you know it dinners ready and they're not hungry anymore. We tend to
over eat while sitting in front of the television because we're not
listening to our bodies, if this becomes a habit we lose our ability to
listen altogether. I'm not saying we don't have the occasional popcorn
with a movie, what childhood is complete without that?! But it
definitely is a treat. If they insist on having something to satiate
them while watching try handing them their super awesome water or
"lemonade".
9. Food Rituals
Eat
dinner together as much as possible or at least keep your babes company
while they eat to let them know food and eating is an important
process!There are numerous studies singing the praises of eating
together for many reasons beyond kids eating more veggies and trying new
foods. According to research children that eat with their families on
average of five night a week are more likely to get better grades and make better choices when faced with peer pressure.
10. It's All About Branding!
I
recently went crazy making all kinds of "bites", "balls" and various
concoctions I found on pintrest. Z refused to try any of them even
though I promised they were delicious. That is until I started calling
them things like "sneaky ninja quiona bites" and "manic monkey muffins"
then I had to hide them if I had any hopes of eating any!
What's your favorite trick to get you littles to eat healthy food?!
