“Food brings people together on many
different levels. It's nourishment of the soul and body. It's truly love.” –
Giada De Laurentiis
Raising a Little Foodie:
I was going to hold off on covering this topic, because I feel
I have so much to say, and I wanted to take my time compiling all of my
thoughts. But after I saw the 100 Foot
Journey, I simply cannot wait. Food
– good
food – is very important to me, and thus, important to my kids.
My goal is to raise a child – and ultimately, an adult –
that is a foodie.
What is a foodie?
It’s a term that’s thrown around, and I think it’s often misunderstood. It’s not a person that likes everything. It’s a person that tries everything, and more importantly, is interested in
understanding and appreciating the origins and science of food. Typically, a foodie has a refined palate, but
they do not necessarily like everything they try. Everyone is allowed to have preferences and
dislikes. Everyone’s taste buds are
different. Quite literally, our tongues
are like fingerprints. No two are ever
the same, and we are genetically predisposed to have different chemical reactions to different flavors. What tastes sour (and even bad) to me, may taste great to
someone else. I, personally, do not have
a sweet tooth. I don’t fawn over the cupcake
display at a party. I do, however, fawn
over the raw bar. Seafood in all forms
is always my number one pick, so if you can’t find me at a party, just find the
raw bar, and I will be “manning” it.
When it comes to our kids, it’s important to realize that
their natural tendency will be to reject food items that are different. That’s what makes them feel safe. Don’t let this discourage you, or make you
feel as though you are doing something wrong as a parent. However, I think we get into trouble when we label our kids a "picky eater." It is discouraging to them, and almost gives them indirect permission to continue on this path. They are merely kids who only eat to survive, and don't yet know how many amazing flavors exist in the world around them. It is our job to teach them! Think of the craziest dish that you enjoy. What if you never tried it? I do not want to deprive my little dears of
enjoying new experiences and culinary adventures in their lifetime, and the
only way to do that is to encourage them to try, try, try!
So, how do we, as parents, lay the groundwork for a
successful eater down the road? How do
we approach food in such a way that we are more concerned with creating good
habits, rather than just focusing on the nutrition aspect of food alone?
My personal approach is that anything I eat, my kids
eat. There’s no such thing as a “kids’
menu” in my home. You’d be shocked to
know how quickly kids can learn to appreciate what you would consider to be
“adult food.” I also try to offer them
items that I may not appreciate, but I at least want to expose them to as much
as possible.
Ladies, in your dating years, have you been on a date with a
guy that made a sour face at something exotic in a nice restaurant? Not only can it be embarrassing, but it makes
you suddenly feel like you’re with a young boy who would rather have Fruit
Loops. Just think: he was a kid
once. There are certain childhood traits
that kids organically grow out of, and others that will stick with them for a
lifetime. It’s our job, as parents, to
prepare our little dears for an adult world filled with trips to different
countries, cocktail parties, dates, client dinners, eating at the home of
people who may serve different foods, and most importantly, eating as a form of
cultural appreciation. When you allow
them to close off their culinary world now, it will not get better on its
own. They need constant encouragement to
be flexible.
You may be shaking your head and thinking, “You just don’t
understand. My kid will never try
broccoli rabe, salmon, berries, etc.” If
you shift your thinking on making it approachable for them, then I promise you,
they will eventually take that little bite.
And by the way, that little bite is a success story! No clean plate clubs, ok? That’s a dated philosophy that I am convinced is a product of the Great Depression.
Here are a few very simple baby steps you can take to get
your kids on the path to being a foodie:
-
Have them participate, even in the smallest
way
Maria Montessori – a doctor, a feminist, and the first early childhood
educator to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize – had a
theory. She believed that children who
participate in the upkeep of their surroundings will not only show more of an
interest in them, but have a strong sense of pride. Children who sweep a floor will be more likely
to keep it clean, and in my experience, children who have even the smallest
jobs that contribute to a meal will be more likely to eat it. The first time I tried this, it worked right
away. My son was starting to reject
vegetables one by one, and I realized that of course some textures and colors
might seem intimidating if they just show up on his plate out of nowhere. I brought him into the kitchen, put a carrot in
his left hand and a peeler in his right hand, and leaning over a large bowl, I
made him peel that carrot, with my hands over his hands. As he and I peeled that carrot, I said the
word, “Peel, peel, peel.” He started
saying it with me, and before I could even consider slicing it up for him once
we finished peeling it, he had already taken a big bite out of the tip. He was so proud of himself! The carrot was not scary anymore because he
saw where it came from, how it was prepared, and most importantly, it was his
labor of love! He was only two years old
when we did this. Now, he is six, and has
much bigger jobs in the kitchen. And it
all started with that one carrot!
-
Unconventional Combinations
Combine two things they already love in an
unconventional way. They love mozzarella
cheese balls, as well as mac-n-cheese from a box? Have them make mac-n-cheese from scratch with
elbow pasta and have them throw in mozzarella balls into the hot, cooked
pasta. No, it’s not the healthiest meal
on earth, and by no means am I advocating it on a regular basis, but it’s an
example of how you can lay the groundwork for expanding their thinking a bit. You might even blow their little minds. Remember, being a foodie is about how one
thinks of food as a lifestyle, not necessarily what specifically one consumes.
-
Give them “options”
I use this word loosely, because it’s a
mommy trick I use every day. Kids become
less cooperative when they feel like they are not given options, which strips
them of their natural desire for autonomy.
I heard great advice from another mom once, which I think of every
single day. Give three options – one they
will definitely pick, and two they might not want. For example, if you know your child loves
chicken nuggets, and you want to introduce two new foods, such as hearts of
palm and artichoke hearts, offer all three and tell your little dear to pick
TWO items. They are locked in to at
least one new item. Don’t get
discouraged if this doesn’t work the first time. It took several meals for this tactic to work
with my son, but it finally kicked in!
-
Food is a full sensory experience
Tasting is the most intrusive and
intimidating of all of the senses. We underestimate how involved eating really
is, but do you realize it involves taste, smell, touch, and sight ALL. AT.
ONCE. If even one of these senses is unhappy, that first taste will not happen. If it smells great, but looks weird, the plate will get pushed away. If it looks great, but feels gooey and gross, the plate will get pushed away. When we think about it this way, we can cut our kids a little slack for
not wanting to jump into the middle of the ocean when they are just learning
how to doggie paddle. If a child does
not put a new food item in his or her mouth right away, it is still not a
failed attempt. Can you get your little
dear to smell it, or touch it? Use your
trickery skills, mama! First, if there
is a food item that you are certain they will not try right away, have them
merely place it in a plate “as a favor to you because you are so busy preparing
dinner.” Bingo! You got them to touch the
item. Pay close attention to the face
they make when they touch item. If they
make a sour face, they aren’t being dramatic.
They are having an honest to goodness sensory moment. Now don’t even mention it again until a few
days later when you serve that item again.
Maybe ask them to smell it. The third
time, place a SMALL portion of that item in their plate without saying a
word. If you talk about it, you will
kill the plan, trust me! Your child may
be so used to seeing, smelling, and touching that item, it may not even occur
to them to not taste it at this point.
They key here is to be patient and give them time to accept this new
item into their little world.
-
Lead by example
I eat a salad every damn day for lunch. Exciting, I know. It’s the quickest, most affordable way I can
think of to be healthy, control my weight, and most importantly maintain my
energy throughout the day. I am a “kitchen sink” kind of gal. In other words, I
will throw just about anything in my salad, much like my pizza. Leftover steak? Perfect. Beans from a can? Bring it.
Salmon, shrimp, quinoa, hard-boiled egg, avocado… yes, please! Oh, and
lots of fresh lemon and extra virgin olive oil.
Every day while I make my salad, I make my daughter watch, while I
narrate everything I’m doing. Then, I
sit down and eat it in front of her.
Sometimes, I offer her a bite.
But usually, I just let her watch me put that delicious green stuff in
my mouth, bite by bite. My thought
process here is, if she wants a bite, she will tell me. The more I offer, the less likely she will be
to try it. The most important thing in
this situation is that she observes her mother having good food habits, and
when occasionally asks for a bite of avocado, or anything else, I am more than
happy to oblige. Again being inspired by
Maria Montessori, I believe a self-directed approach to learning will be successful
in this case, of course, while I set the stage of exposing her to new areas of
interest.
-
Talk about your shopping list
Although for my own sanity, I avoid schlepping
my kids to the supermarket whenever I can, I am a mom with limited help, so like
most of you, I’ve got at least one bored child with me, just ready for a meltdown. I have found that when I engage my kids in
the experience, they have a tendency to be more patient, and even actually
helpful [sometimes]. Either way, I think
that making them part of the process of a meal from every angle, including
finding the ingredients at the store, gets them excited about a new recipe. Recently, I made Panini in our George Foreman
grill. I really wanted my kids to try
pesto, and I thought what better way than in a sandwich that includes other
items I know they already love – lunch meat, fresh mozzarella, and bread. It was such a simple meal that only required
a few staples at the supermarket, and sure enough, when I pointed to the jar of
pesto (no, I don’t make it fresh!), my son said, “It’s green?!?” Then, paused a moment, and reluctantly took
it off the shelf and placed it in the cart.
Apparently, that was all it took.
He delighted in making this meal at home, and especially loved “painting”
the olive oil on the bread.
-
Give the experience a voice
Food for nourishment is purely biological. Food
for enjoyment is purely intellectual. Give your kids the language a proper
foodie would need to describe what they're tasting. Beyond just “good” or “bad,”
is it sweet, salty, sour, tangy, spicy, chewy, gamey, etc.? Talk about it in
the moment, while the new flavor and experience is fresh on their taste buds.
This will make it easier to describe new foods in the future if they have
something to compare it to. You can say, "Remember when you tasted the
tandoori chicken, and at first it was a little spicy, but then you got used to
it? This other type of chicken will be similar, only a little sweeter."
This will make them braver over time because they will know what to expect with
a frame of reference. Plus, you're expanding their vocabulary, which is never a
bad thing!
I send you off into the night, my foodies, and encourage you
all to start small, and if anything else, start with yourselves. Be adventurous. Try something new this week. Your kids will notice. Talk about it. Share your thoughts. Even if you say, “Mommy didn’t like that as
much as she thought she would,” it’s ok!
You just want your little dears to see the adults they love and respect
trying something new, and then surviving to talk about it.
Copyright © 2014 Mary Ghicas, The Finer Things for Kids
