It is interesting to listen to "adults" complaining about the diet (or worse not worried about the diet) of their young children. We are in control of how our children are introduced to "eating". How we present it and what is presented will shape their future habits. Are they healthy eaters, are they picky eaters.
Today I spoke with a friend who talked about her nephew's eating habits...hot dogs only!! He is 2 years old!!! Do parents think processed food is easier, quicker, more convenient? Maybe. Is it easier when you are fighting with your child at mealtimes or restaurants because the foods they eat are not available? Is it easier when they have developed diabetes? is it easier when they are overweight?
I guess the first problem may be the diet of the parents needs to be improved. We make all of Scouts food. It does take a little longer then opening a jar or a package. But the few extra seconds to cut here pieces smaller then ours or to blend it smooth hardly seems reason to condemn her to a life of processed food. We don't each much processed food ourselves, we rarely walk down the aisles at the grocery store. We shop around the outside edges, where the fresh foods (and the ice cream) are found.
We offer Scout everything we eat (except the no no's like cow's milk, peanut butter, honey and citrus). We don't cut the crust off her bread, we don't make her special "kids food", we almost never give her food with added sugar (she does like fig newton's and ice cream). She looks at our plates at each meal to make sure we don't have something she is missing!
She drinks from a sippy cup and a straw cup. She nurses at night before bed or has a breast milk bottle when Michelle is working. We give her water most of the time. Every few days she gets 100% grape juice (25% juice and 75% water) or we make fresh juice with the juicer and mix it 50% with water.
Some Mom's from her play group have asked about her diet. Here are some of her favorite recipes.
Breakfast: we normally give her baby oatmeal with acai and a banana. We give her the processed oatmeal because it is fortified with vitamins. We do also give her our homemade oatmeal with added flax, cinnamon, blackstrap molases, walnuts and dried fruits which she loves.
Wholewheat blueberry pancakes with flax. This is a great feed myself breakfast! No syrup.
Omelet with cheese and fresh spinach, whole wheat dry toast, banana.
Lunch:
Choibani greek yogurt (plain) has 24 g of protien. We mix in a little vanilla and fresh fruit.
Avacado mixed with banana.
grilled cheese on whole wheat bread.
humus with soft whole wheat pita.
Beans.
Egg salad and spinach on soft whole wheat tortilla.
Tuna with chopped craisons and apples with spinach on whole wheat.
Snacks:
apples with cinnimon heated untill soft.
Peaches, pears, mango, blueberries, kiwi, banana
Cheerios
homemade teething biscuits
Dinner:
Broccolli, spinach, kale, bok choy mixed with eithe qinoui or wheat pasta and fresh grated parmasan cheese.
sweet potato with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Green beans, asparagas, peas, carrots.
Veggie burger with cheese.
Salmon, talapia, sea bass and tuna.
She tries everything. Some days we can't get the food in fast enough. Some days she has clear preferences. Either way is okay. We try to always offer a finger food, usually 2 or 3 in addition to anything she may be getting with a spoon (from us). She clearly communicates when she wants a drink, another spoonful or gets her own from her plate.
I can't imagine, when a child is fed this way, that she will suddenly insist on "hot dogs only" or need a special meal cooked for her because she "doesn't eat" what the adults are eating.
