5.29.2011

I hate the commercial for Chef Boyardee where the mom bangs pans to keep her child from hearing that his meal contains vegetables. First, even with vegetables, the food is still junk, so the child can rest easy that he is not consuming anything remotely healthy, and second, this mom is the problem with childhood nutrition.
My son lives on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. and he loves most of it, if for no other reason than that is to what we have unabashedly exposed him, as it is how we eat. So when a mom told me that her 15 month-old would only eat tater-tots, French fries, and chicken nuggets and on occasion, sugary oatmeal, I could not help but hear pans clanging (and felt pretty certain that she heard nothing).
WOW. That young on a diet of fried white starch, with sugar thrown in for variety. Mom went on to say that she had made an appointment for her son to go to the doctor for "his eating problem," but at fifteen months, she is her child's eating problem.
Children like the foods to which we expose them repeatedly and, honestly, the ones which we sell them. If dad never makes vegetables (not enough exposure to develop a level of comfort and familiarity) and mom grimaces as she feeds the child his green beans (mom's billboard for vegetables reads: "Green is Gross"), their child hears pans, but if mom always includes vegetables with dinner and dad eats all the green beans on his plate, the message becomes "green is good." 
I did not try to change this mom's mind about eating habits, as it is not my place, but I gave her two healthy versions of the Chef Boyardee Sneak, as you have to start from wherever you are:
1. Stonyfield's Yo Baby with vegetables tastes like yogurt, which most babies love, but they have managed to slip in some green beans. Granted, there is probably more vegetable in the Chef, but the yogurt's ingredients have been in the container less time than my son has been on the earth and I am comforted by that.
Now, drum roll, please:
2. Spinach has little taste and is a super green. It can also be chopped into so much nothing that baby does not know it is there....even a baby with texture issues. You can disguise it in yogurt, pasta sauce or, so that it looks familiar to Mr. French-Fried-Tater-tot, try it in oatmeal with a little cheese.
By "disguise it" I do not mean bang your pans, but if your child has been raised in the school of "green is gross," before they can consider liking healthy food, you have to get them to physically put in their mouth. But be prepared that the first step in this process may be your own, especially if your mom banged pots throughout your childhood.  Because once they eat it, you have to help them to develop a positive perception of the food. And your grimace at their enjoyment will not accomplish this, and, worse, may make them feel strange for actually liking it.....

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