Food Rules: How to Feed your Kids

Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to hand out fresh green vegetable juices in farmers markets in NY and CA as a way to drum up interest in a documentary film on health.  As I was giving away my green juice I met all sorts of people, and three types of kids: those who love green juice and drink it with abandon, those who are eager to try something new and willing to let you know if they like it (or don’t) and those who will absolutely have nothing to do with it because, frankly, “it’s green or different or…” you name it they said it.   Every kid I met fit into one of these three categories so I started to wonder, what makes a kid adventurous or adverse? And what role do parents play in creating these habits? I don’t have kids to help me answer this, so instead I asked Kathrin who is the mother of two boys who seem to eat everything. This is what she had to say:

When Jessica asked me how to get kids to try everything, I thought about how we handle eating at our house where we have two very different children: an older boy who happily eats whatever we put in front of him, and a younger boy, who has an opinion about everything, but most especially his food.  And I realized that with both boys (and particularly with the younger one) I have simply chosen to ignore complaints and move on with family dinner. It’s a tactic that seems to work.  Once my kids realize we won’t pay them much attention (or make them pasta with butter), they eat along with us until their food is finished. Mind you, it is probably hard for kids to eat whatever we serve – everyone likes to choose from a menu, no matter what the age – but I’ve decided that as long as we provide the boys a balanced, healthy diet, there is no reason for them refuse what we cook. They are developing their palate and we are responsible for guiding that process.

I recognize that this is easier said than done, and for many of us dinner can quickly turn into a nightmare. We are tired, the kids are tired, and their constant need to test boundaries means that things escalate quickly. So, to help you navigate the challenge of eating, here are a few simple rules I live by, and can share with you:

• Except for special occasions like birthdays and, well, birthdays, food is not negotiable.
• Kids must try everything (we tell our kids that their taste buds have to evolve, and perhaps they are still too young to enjoy a certain food – miraculously that piques their interest and they keep trying).
• Everyone eats the same meal, which saves me from becoming a short order cook, but also means that I eat whatever I want my kids to eat, and generally I eat it with them, even when Dad is not yet home from work.
• “I don’t like” doesn’t fly in our house.  We don’t always have to like what we eat, and too many children are starving, even here in the US, for us to live in ungratefulness.
• Don’t fall into the snack trap – we all eat best when we are hungry, including our kids.
• If the kids want dessert, I offer a piece of fruit; if an apple is not what they’d like then they are not that hungry anymore.

Remember, you are the parent and as long as you provide a balanced meal you’ve done your very best for them.  Don’t let your three-year old decide what will be served – they just don’t have enough life experience to know what they are missing!  And remember, kids are seeking attention in their outbursts.  While we sometimes crave our kids’ approval, this is the one place it’s best to live without it because when it comes to food, you are the better judge of what is healthy for them.