what's for dinner, mom?

my children are picky eaters. whose kids aren’t? as one who enjoys cooking, getting healthy foods into small bellies can be a challenge. i have a good friend who found a solution for her finicky little one. she purees vegetables to thicken batter. “have one more bite of these yummy apple cauliflower muffins, sweetie!”

while that sounds like a great idea, it’s also extra work. i don’t think there are too many parents who would sign up for that. so how can you get your kids interested in good food? better yet, how can you get them to eat it?

a new york times article, dated october 10, 2007, discussed a recent study that showed a child’s finicky eating pattern may have more to do with his gene pool than anything else.

“researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited.” great, have a healthy serving of guilt. it’s all your fault, mom. you and your bad DNA.

(for the full article, go to www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html)

there are a number of web sites that give you tips and techniques. the majority give you a finite list. but the gist of it is, don’t get too discouraged, be patient, and, more to the point, don’t use dessert as a weapon.

too often i find myself doing that very thing. “if you have three more bites, you can have some oreos…” it works, but I am telling them that dessert is the best part of the meal and not what is actually on their plates.

there is one thing, however, that i insist on. i will NOT make separate meals. a neighbor of mine was lamenting how her kids had such varied schedules with after school activities that she ended up doing just that: making three separate dinners for three separate kids. when i make dinner, that’s all there is. you don’t want it, then i guess you’re goin’ hungry!

as a parent, you should not be your child’s short order cook. you are not mel shouting at flo and alice to pipe down or i’ll pop you one. (i realize there are only some who will get that obscure reference.) i enjoy cooking, but i don’t enjoy it when it’s less about the food and more about personal preferences from the seven and under crowd.

here are some links that give you tips on how to deal with those early high-maintenance diets:

www.mayoclinic.com/health/childrens-health/HQ01107
www.ucsfhealth.org/childrens/edu/pickyEaters/index.html
www.askdrsears.com/html/3/T030800.asp
www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_kids/article/0,1904,FOOD_16382_3075893,00.html

happy cooking!