I started from birth (well, 1 year of age when I took my son off of formula) feeding him healthy foods and little by little he started weeding them out himself. He's now down to eating only 1 vegetable - carrots. And that's it.
I agree with Colsnanny. I am also a full time nanny for a 4 year old and an 18 month old. I have been with this family since the baby was 4 months old. I have been feeding him primarily since then, usually everything except dinner.
Its interesting really. The 4 year old who had a different nanny (one that basically placated him junk food) wont touch veggies and hasnt been made to. He eats 4 or 5 different things. Mac and cheese, hotdogs (at least 2 a day), bagels, PBNJ, and chicken fingers (fried). This is a child who GAGGED the first couple of times I tried to integrate veggies in lunch. I believe his horrible diet has a lot to do with his nanny and of course his parents. They simply dont ask or force him to try veggies. They "accept" that he doesnt like them and dont try to change his mind.
With the 18 month old I have been the one heavily influencing his diet since he began eating baby food. He has always eaten very very well. Now that he eats adult food I make sure he gets served the vegetable FIRST before anything else. He will eat more of these (sometimes a whole can of green beans) because that is when he is the most hungry. Then he gets his meat, and after he has eaten most of that he gets a starch. Then if he eats well he may get a treat like yogurt or a cookie. His mom comments on how much better Cole eats compared to his brother and I strongly believe its because he is expected to eat those foods and has been since he started eating.
If you give them no choice but to eat the vegetables then that is what they will eat. Veggies I believe are an aquired taste but they are so very important for kids (and adults) to eat. Since I have observed the eating habits of so many childresn I have formed strong opinions on how I want to raise my children in relation to food. They will of course be vegetarians but I want to cut out junk food as much as possble, and they will certainly be asked to eat vegetables whether they like them or not.
If you give them no choice but to eat the vegetables then that is what they will eat.
Not my 6 year old (actually the only child I have).
He'd starve himself before eating that stuff. The only 'fresh' food he'll eat is bananas and that's it. He used to eat carrots but he suddenly doesn't like those anymore either.
However, I don't let him eat a bunch of junk. He likes his snacks and I always buy the baked kind. Yeah, I know, still just empty calories, but it's better than potato chips. He also drinks plenty of milk, 100% fruit juice, loves his peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly, he won't eat it) and takes a multivitamin every day.
Believe me, I've tried everything to get him to eat fruits and vegetables. I've even tried 'sneaking' them into his other foods. But it doesn't work.
I wish he would eat more of this stuff, yes. But I'm not going to stress myself out about it anymore. If he eats it, he eats it. If he doesn't, he doesn't. I can't puree the stuff and shove it down his throat through a funnel.
I read an article not too long ago that said children's tastebuds are very sensitive, especially for bitterness, and many fruits and vegetables may taste bitter to them. The article said that dips and sauces (ranch dressing, cheese sauce, spaghetti sauce, cool whip, peanut butter) helped balance out the bitterness and were fine for kids who didn't have a weight problem. It also talked about a study that kids who saw their parents eat a lot of vegetables, eventually included more in their diet as their taste buds matured.
I was about to post the same sort of comment when I first saw the title of this thread, but Kaplods has already done an excellent job of explaining it. Another thing that helps decrease the bitterness is a light sprinkle of salt or (if your kid likes it) a dash of vinegar.
Something else that got me to try different vegetables when I was a kid--silly as it seems--was when someone other than my parents would offer it to me. I'd eat things for my visiting aunt and uncle, or even for the waitress in a nice restaurant, that I'd always refused to touch when my mom offered them to me at home. I love my mom, but there's just something about wanting to impress an outsider ("Look at me! I'm eating cauliflower!") that made a big difference.
I seem to have a talent for getting kids of family and friends to taste almost anything, even stuff some adults wouldn't. Several years ago, a family friend and his four year old boy went to dinner with us. The little boy sat next to me, and was curious about the fried chicken livers I had ordered. Like many little boys he was fascinated with "gross" stuff, so I whispered to him in my best "eww" voice, that they were "chicken guts," and asked him if he wanted to try them. I guess I made it sound like a sort of scary game," because although he didn't like them, he so much fun trying them.
My nephew (also 4, just about to turn 5) loves to try new foods, because we've all made a game of it, and he's seen us all try stuff we didn't like. By approaching it as an adventure, and a lot of fun, even if it tastes bad, he's not afraid to try stuff. I think seeing us have fun trying things that turned out to be "icky" really modeled the sense of adventure we all need to try new foods.
My kids love brocoli and spinach. I guess it is all in the preparation. I usually put cheese sauce on my brocoli, and they started out eating it that way and love it. Now they like it even without. They like green beans and just about any veggys I guess, I can't think of any they don't like unless it is brussel sprouts (which my daughter doesn't like). I think she doesn't like them because I didn't use to know how to fix them without making them bitter. I do a better job these days, but she has her mind made up already.
Spinach I serve raw in a salad with bacon vinegrette (balsamic) dressing. I never liked the way my mom served spinach, she made it too soggy and nasty by cooking it.
This is a great conversation. I know for myself my family had a farm in New Jersey, and while I lived in California, I summered on the Farm. I would work with the women in the morning, and when the veggies came in and were watched, I worked a produce stand off the road in front of the farm.
Also, my godchildren tried things they never would have because we had a garden. They love mashed turnips, we make them with fat free sour cream and fresh chives that they grew as well. It is a great skill and love for a child to develop (gardening) and even if you don't know as an adult, tons of resources. Plus it gets them outside, away from TV or Video Games and the Internet. Kids want to eat what they grow.
Now I know it won't work for everyone, because you may not have room for a garden, but you can also pick one thing to grow, like on a balcony, fresh herbs and container tomatos.....there is a respect for veggies when kids or adults see the entire process....
My kids hate veggies...but what I do is I make Taco Salads. I get fat free sour cream and light cheese with seasoned beef or chicken. They think it's great and forget that they are eating a salad.
He'd starve himself before eating that stuff. The only 'fresh' food he'll eat is bananas and that's it. He used to eat carrots but he suddenly doesn't like those anymore either.
However, I don't let him eat a bunch of junk. He likes his snacks and I always buy the baked kind. Yeah, I know, still just empty calories, but it's better than potato chips. He also drinks plenty of milk, 100% fruit juice, loves his peanut butter sandwiches (no jelly, he won't eat it) and takes a multivitamin every day.
No offense but in my experience working with many different children for the past 4 years it seems to me to be whether or not the child is made to eat healthy. Of course most children will pick the junk food or the sweets over anything healthy. So would I ! But if you expect a child to eat a vegetable with at least two meals a day then they will. I remember clearly when I was a child sitting at the table way after dinner was done because I didnt want to eat my veggies. But I eventually ate them,
Thats why I serve the veggies first, they eat those and then get something else. It has worked like a charm for me,
The 18 month old will eat an entire tomato in a sitting if I let him!
