While searching for a Vegetarian food pyramid I came across this, from the Harvard school of medicine. I like it as it doesn't tell you to never eat sweets, just in moderation. There is no section for meat as protein, it is replaced by the legumes & bean section. As far as drinks go, the only thing I give my children is 100% juices, sparingly, and water with lunch, dinner and in between. One way to get your children to think healthy is to introduce them to food labels. Read it with them and explain why the food/beverage is good or bad for them. Educating yourselves and your children is the key to life long good healthy eating habits. There are so many options for each category so if they don't like one kind of vegetable, try another kind, aim for a variety of colors on your dinner plate. One thing that worked for my children when they were younger is to make a game out of it. For each meal (we used dinner) I had them name some foods that were yellow, blue, green, red etc... and when we went food shopping at the market I had them search for foods that fit the colors. Periodically I had them draw, or cut out pictures from magazines of foods of different colors and made an art project. The point is to get them used to eating a variety of colors, they are bound to like more than a few of the fruits/vegetables they try. :) Now there will be a few things that your child will not like, any way you prepare it, present it, etc... my son who will be 12 soon, hates summer squash! He has tried it so many different ways (roasted, stewed, steamed, sauteed) and just doesn't like it. He ate it as a baby, but once he turned 2 or so there it went. He said a few weeks ago that he realized it's not the taste he doesn't like, it's the texture. I still have him try it once in a while, just to see if his taste for it has changed :). He know that and tries one bite and then doesn't eat the rest, I have not stopped serving him squash. There were a variety of foods that DH and I hated growing up but now love so there is hope :).
Sunday, February 5, 2012
While searching for a Vegetarian food pyramid I came across this, from the Harvard school of medicine. I like it as it doesn't tell you to never eat sweets, just in moderation. There is no section for meat as protein, it is replaced by the legumes & bean section. As far as drinks go, the only thing I give my children is 100% juices, sparingly, and water with lunch, dinner and in between. One way to get your children to think healthy is to introduce them to food labels. Read it with them and explain why the food/beverage is good or bad for them. Educating yourselves and your children is the key to life long good healthy eating habits. There are so many options for each category so if they don't like one kind of vegetable, try another kind, aim for a variety of colors on your dinner plate. One thing that worked for my children when they were younger is to make a game out of it. For each meal (we used dinner) I had them name some foods that were yellow, blue, green, red etc... and when we went food shopping at the market I had them search for foods that fit the colors. Periodically I had them draw, or cut out pictures from magazines of foods of different colors and made an art project. The point is to get them used to eating a variety of colors, they are bound to like more than a few of the fruits/vegetables they try. :) Now there will be a few things that your child will not like, any way you prepare it, present it, etc... my son who will be 12 soon, hates summer squash! He has tried it so many different ways (roasted, stewed, steamed, sauteed) and just doesn't like it. He ate it as a baby, but once he turned 2 or so there it went. He said a few weeks ago that he realized it's not the taste he doesn't like, it's the texture. I still have him try it once in a while, just to see if his taste for it has changed :). He know that and tries one bite and then doesn't eat the rest, I have not stopped serving him squash. There were a variety of foods that DH and I hated growing up but now love so there is hope :).
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I agree that if your kids are generally really good healthy eaters and eat a wide variety of fruits and veggies it is ok to let them just not like a few things. Ishaan really doesn't like zucchini either, but will eat every other vegetable. Ulka hates potatoes so I try to make sure her portion of soup has very few of them. I hate radishes and would be annoyed if someone forced me to eat them. You are doing an amazing job and are a wonderful cook and mom!
ReplyDeleteaww Thanks! I think the same about you! F doesn't like zucchini either, and I've had him try it so many ways, on the other hand, when I was young there were things that you couldn't pay me to eat, but now I love! :) The point is to get them to understand what healthy eating means.
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