Years ago while working at a childcare in Europe, the cook would insist that, if a toddler was given a choice, little kids naturally choose the healthy food every time; that the singular factor dissuading them from the apple is only after they age and buy into media and cultural messages.\u00a0 I think he identified one factor, a single factor, but there is quite obviously more at play here.\u00a0 Even a two year old will pass over a carrot for a cookie.\u00a0 If he had, in a broader sense, meant that appetites were processes initially designed to fill biological needs but have been negatively affected by environment, then he would have been on to something.<\/p>\n
Environment is everything.\u00a0<\/strong> Access to good foods, family choices (to include family meal times<\/a>), to the cultural presentation–these and many more factors play into the choices our kids will naturally make.\u00a0 As they grow, they’ll make their own decisions, but as they are learning those skills, we can stack the deck.\u00a0 Let’s look at how.<\/p>\n \u00a0 Better question: how can we empower them to make better food choices?<\/p>\n Here’s an honest question–how can we empower ourselves<\/em> (as adults who know better) to make them?<\/p>\n I am going to talk about 4 natural landmines<\/strong> that inhibit good food decision-making.\u00a0 Let’s see what we might do in each case to simplify things for them (and even ourselves).<\/p>\n We have a lifelong love affair with the #1 food additive–sugar.<\/a> There are those who try to just choose the healthiest alternatives, those who try to quit it cold-turkey<\/a>, and those who find themselves hiding in the closet with the candy bar, hoping the kids don’t catch on to Mommy’s Secret Stash.\u00a0 You, yeah, you–I”m on to you.<\/p>\n Don’t put a cupcake next to a carrot and expect a child to exhibit self-control you may not even possess yourself.<\/strong>\u00a0 Even if you have conquered your own demons, children by definition haven’t developed the maturity for long-term thinking, weighing out the consequences, and the self-control to walk away.<\/p>\n If your child has a medical concern,<\/strong> such as juvenile diabetes, you will learn how to manage this through your trips to the nutritionist.\u00a0 An innocent lollipop from a well-meaning bank teller can wreak havoc.\u00a0 But for the rest of us,<\/strong> we can expect some snacks and treats (church, school, friends), and just give a casual, “Oh, okay” without over-glorification of their decision.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These are often caused by over-stimulation from the food item–a pungent smell, slimy texture, overly chewy, etc.\u00a0 We often do not extend the same grace to children that we ourselves expect.\u00a0 I know adults who do not like cooked onions or stewed tomatoes purely on the basis of texture. I, for one, absolutely adore sushi but have heard many people say they couldn’t try it because of smell or texture alone. \u00a0 And even for those of us who overcame those quirks, we did it at our own pace and not at the severe admonishment to “get over it.”\u00a0 For many children (and adults), the smell and texture are very real problems.<\/strong>\u00a0 To them, even the most benign thing in front of them (sauteed zucchini or roasted eggplant) may feel like a buffet of sushi (or name your aversion) would feel to you.<\/p>\n Since my kids don’t like slimy spinach, I dehydrate instead,<\/a> adding it pasta and soup<\/a>, and really anything that already had green flakes of Italian spices.\u00a0 They know it is in there–I don’t pretend otherwise, but the overbearing smells and textures have been completely eliminated.\u00a0 I do the same with nearly every vegetable for sheer convenience of having every vegetable at my fingertips in my kitchen.<\/p>\n The pediatric experts in the field say that parental anxiety or force-feeding these much-hated foods can exacerbate the problem<\/strong> (see sources).\u00a0 There is also evidence that food aversion is genetic.\u00a0 Even if they never find the “I hate slimy food” gene, chances are, you remember something you didn’t like.\u00a0 Let that build your empathy in the moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Most kids are just hesitant with new foods.\u00a0<\/strong> If you have never served quinoa before and they are making motes and castles out of it on the plate, well, that pretty normal.\u00a0 Neophobia is the term as applied to someone with a fear of new things so severe that it interferes with daily life functioning (and crosses over into other areas beyond food); that would require medical evaluation.<\/p>\n Fear of New food?\u00a0 Kid Food Choice Tip:<\/strong> Start by adding new foods slowly into already well-loved dishes, and don’t try to hide it.\u00a0 Let them know that there is some quinoa mixed in with the rice, or kohlrabi in their favorite chicken noodle soup.<\/p>\n Of my three kids, I have one over-eater.\u00a0 And it plays into Landmine #1.\u00a0 We were making our annual Christmas cookies when she was only 4, and each kid got to decorate a tray.\u00a0 I set her up to decorate, but walked away for a minute to pull more cookies out of the oven.\u00a0 I came back to her pooched out cheeks and an empty cookie tray.\u00a0 It’s still a family joke about how she “tossed her cookies” the entire night through.\u00a0 We do make light of it, yet use it to remind her of the consequences of overindulging.<\/p>\n I am a mom, not a pediatrician or nutritionist.\u00a0<\/strong> I do utilize my M.S. in counseling psychology to research the issues that are close to my own heart and family.\u00a0 With a child on the Autism Spectrum disorder and others that are..well…normal children, I wanted to share what I have learned myself in this journey.\u00a0 This is in no way meant to be medical or professional advice.\u00a0 Seek out the appropriate professional if your concerns go beyond the occasional cookie-over-carrot scenario or scrunched up nose.<\/p>\n These are my best tips for how to help guide your child into healthy decisions.\u00a0 Remember that lifestyle choices and family conversations have more impact than you could realize!<\/strong>\u00a0 Please leave a comment sharing your best tips with all of us!\u00a0 It might help another food-weary mom!<\/p>\n –Chaya<\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n Kelly, D., Bremner, R., & Hartley, J. (2013). Practical Approach to Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Somerset, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.ebrary.com<\/p>\n Simpson, S. J., & Raubenheimer, D. (2012). Nature of Nutrition : A Unifying Framework from Animal Adaptation to Human Obesity. Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http:\/\/www.ebrary.com<\/p>\nWhat are the factors that play into kid food choices?<\/h3>\n
Kid Food Choice Landmine #1:\u00a0 Sweet Tooth\/Salty Tooth<\/h4>\n
![\"Sugar:](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Sugar-meme.jpg\")
<\/a>Kid Food Choice Tip:\u00a0<\/strong> Drastically lower choice. Limit what enters your home or the lunch box. Do not cut out 100% access or you may inhibit the child’s ability to learn good decision-making in the future when you do not have 100% control.<\/span><\/h5>\n
Kid Food Choice Landmine #2: Food Aversions<\/h4>\n
Food Choice Tip<\/strong>: If it’s a nutritional deficiency you are trying to meet, find an alternative food with the same nutritional overlay or powder vegetables to add into casseroles, soups, and other dishes.<\/span><\/h5>\n
Kid Food Choice Landmine #3:\u00a0 Fear of Something New<\/h4>\n
![\"Kid](\"https:\/\/pantryparatus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/girl-with-apple.jpg\")
Kid Food Choice Landmine #4: Overeating<\/h4>\n
Kid Food Choice Tip:\u00a0<\/strong> Talk to your child about setting their own limits, and the consequences of ignoring them.\u00a0 “How many cookies do you think should be enough if you are at a party?” or “How do you feel when you eat things with food coloring?” This prepares them to resist when faced with temptations.<\/span><\/h5>\n
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