Use All Five Senses, Food Appreciation is Learned

Want your little ones to become foodies?  Encourage them to use all their senses!  Let things get messy.  Let them sniff their food.  Let them touch, squish, stir, spread, break, and whisk.  Why? Because food appreciation is learned, just like cooking is learned.  All kids can become little foodies! To broaden palates it takes planning and effort as well as offering a variety of healthy food while limiting the processed stuff. It may seem hard but helping your kids blossom into little gourmets can be really fun and exciting!

Let them choose a new ingredient at the farmers market. Bok choy for the win!

Kids can wash while you work on the more advanced steps. Calling all kitchen helpers!

Ask little ones to help you sort groceries after returning from the supermarket. This lets them get familiar with produce.

Ingredients can be used for all kinds of sensory play.  Our Jicama Fruit Salad recipe is perfect for building little edible log cabins or for a very short game of Jenga.

Broccoli crowns can be used as brushes with a Savory Greek Yogurt Dip as the paint.

Food is more than just fuel, it's family, entertainment, love, energy and tradition.  So create those traditions in your home and you'll begin to see those little tikes become little foodies right before your eyes.

Tiny carts are a must!

Start an herb garden.  Have a family cooking night.  Pass down recipes from both sides of the family.  Use your imagination and your whole family will flourish in the most exciting ways imaginable.

Herb gardens are an easy and inexpensive way to cultivate palates and build confidence.

Who wants to play 'name that veggie?'

10 Ways to Stop Making Multiple Meals for your Family at Dinner (Short Order Cooking)

   
     1. Limit snacks right before dinner. If they are hungry (not starving) they'll be eager to eat.  Kids who snack all day tend to eat poorly during mealtimes because they aren't hungry.

     2. Include foods in the meal that your kids like. One or two familiar and beloved ingredients always helps.

      3. Have them help you prep and cook a portion of the meal. Kids are more interested in food they've had a hand in making.

      4. Get your little kitchen helpers to help you meal plan. Look through cook books together!  Give them a couple of options and see if something catches their eye.

Cooking together makes even the most foreign ingredients seem approachable to a child.

   
      5. Talk about the transition with your kids in advance. "We're all going to eat the same thing. You get to eat what we eat, yay!"

      6. Create a positive, stress free, environment; eating is fun, not something to be forced or dreaded. Keep the mood light. Focus on being present with your kids and upbeat even through their initial resistance.

   
      7. Have realistic expectations, this transition may take a while. That's ok! Sometimes as parents we get super excited for change and unrealistically expect for things to work out right away. This only sets us up for frustration and irritability. Mentally prepare.

      8.  It's harder for us than it is for them. Accept that making one meal is easier for you and that your kids WILL eventually eat it.  Often we feel guilty if we don't make something our kids will automatically gobble up, it's our job as parents to offer a healthy variety of food and give our kids a safe place to acquire the taste.

      9.  If your kid is begging you for junk food or treats during mealtimes or after and it's becoming a problem, stop buying them.  Save them as treats that are specifically purchased to be eaten that day.

      10.  After the family meal, avoid giving processed foods (crackers, cookies, cereal), many kids will save their appetite for dessert. These desserts essentially become the second meal you were unwilling to make.  Stick to fruit after mealtimes except during special occasions.
     

My Toddler Won't Stop Eating!

One of our recent posts talked about what to do when your toddler isn't eating, but what about the opposite problem?  One of our followers pointed out that her toddler won't stop eating.  Showing an interest in food is what us foodies are all about, but here are our tips for handling your cub turned hungry bear.  Keep in mind, there are possible medical reasons for overeating so we recommend talking about your child's eating habits regularly with their pediatrician to be sure there aren't any medical issues that need your attention.

Some mealtimes kids will hardly eat a bite and other times we don't know where they're putting it! It's normal for kids to be hungry and eat a ton of healthy nutrient dense food. They are growing and on the move!  But if your little one is constantly eating and it's making you take pause, take an inventory of exactly what your child eats each day. We often get stuck in a rut giving in to processed kid snacks. Those snacks make kids hungrier faster, even the ones that claim to be healthy. The refined grains and sugars make them feel temporarily full, but before you know it they're hungry again.

Try increasing their protein intake and avoid processed foods high in refined carbohydrates and replace them with natural carbohydrates high in fiber.  Something like oatmeal* for breakfast instead of cereal will last longer throughout the morning.  Skip the crackers, fruit snacks, or fruit filled yogurt (loaded with added sugar) in between meals.  Instead, serve something more like fresh fruit with peanut butter, veggies with yogurt dip, or vegan cheese. They'll provide more nutrition and keep hunger at bay.

Stick to a schedule - three square meals a day and two snacks in between is a reasonable schedule.  Whatever your schedule, stick to it.  Hungry tummies will adjust to mealtimes accordingly and it is okay to be hungry for a few minutes before meals. If they really need that extra snack (we all have those days) have them go to the table or some other spot where they are focused on eating, as opposed to watching TV or playing with toys. Allow them to eat as much healthy food as they want during each mealtime and don't rush them along.  Some kids really take their time at the table, rushing them may mean that they leave the meal unsatisfied.

Setting the rule that food is only eaten at the table will ensure that kids really are hungry and not just compulsively eating.  If they're truly feeling hungry, they will focus on eating. If your kiddo is going through a growth spurt and does need more food, making sure it is eaten at the table and healthy will keep their energy up and blood sugar steady.

Serving unhealthy snacks before bedtime or using food as a reward sends the wrong message, try using other types of rewards that your kid likes (for example, stickers or extra activities with you).  Sometimes eating is something to stop boredom and some people are born nibblers- they just like chewing.  But maybe they aren't actually that hungry- snacks like homemade popsicles or fruit leathers would be great in these cases.  Activities that keep them busy could work too, like blowing bubbles, playing the kazoo, etc.

Serving healthy foods and keeping to a mealtime schedule can help prevent power struggles.  If a kid's food intake is restricted too much, they may start to feel the need to obsess over food.  If so, keep mealtimes structured but let them decide how much they need to eat.  They may eat more at first, but eventually they will trust that the food will be there when they are hungry and will learn to listen to their bodies to tell them when they are full.

If you feel like this is a bigger problem, talk to your pediatrician.

*We recommend fixing oatmeal from scratch instead of using the prepackaged kinds.  You can still make it quickly in the microwave but this way you control the sugar content, try using maple syrup!  Overnight oats are a great option as well.

Reasons Toddlers Stop Eating Well

So your toddler used to eat pretty much everything and has suddenly become that picky kid you dreaded. Even though you probably already know- this is completely NORMAL. It's a phase that goes away if you avoid creating more bad habits along the way.

Here are some reasons why toddlers stop eating well and what you can do about it:

Early Signs of Sickness

Yep, this is a common one. Sudden loss in appetite can often be the early warning signs to a cold or flu. Check for other symptoms like exhaustion (and irritability).

Development and Distraction

The two D's! Your kid is learning something new everyday. They are suddenly seeing the world differently. Able to reach light switches and doorknobs, discovering body parts and bodily functions. Yes, oh yes, they've got stuff to do and food to them is boring in comparison. Resist the temptation to short order cook, i.e. don't make them mac and cheese while the rest of your family eats tofu with rice.  Keep meals low pressure- when they're hungry, they'll eat.

Power Struggles

These tiny intelligent tots are realizing that mealtimes can be a total power play. They may be vying for your attention at this time, and find that they get more of it if they act up or refuse food. The best thing you can do in this situation is to be present and engaging with your child during this time. Give tons of positive praise. "Hey look at you eating with your fork!" "You tried something new!" Even include them in the prepping of the meal. Have them help cook, stir, rinse, set the table. This may feel challenging but it will make them much more interested in eating and give you both bonding time.

Schedule Change

This often happens during the summer or holidays. Life gets busy and before we know it consistent dinner times have become erratic, the TV gets left on or we are regularly eating over at a friend's house. Before you know it, you realize that you aren't setting your toddler up for success. And sometimes it's completely unavoidable. When you know that the house will be full of out of town family members or that you are traveling, try to keep the rest of their schedule as consistent as possible. Often when bath and bedtimes are consistent so is appetite. If it's the holidays take a good look at what your child is eating, may be that they are getting lots of special treats from relatives and friends and have no appetite for nutrient dense foods.

Over Snacking

This is a common problem for most people. Observe how many snacks your child is given a day and how close to mealtimes they are given. This could be the direct cause of lack of appetite during meals. If the snacks are processed, refined or sugar filled, toddlers will get a taste for (aka addicted to) high fat/sugar/salt foods and snub their noses at fresh healthy ones. Fruit, nuts and vegan cheese make great on the go snacks that fill bellies and keep energy levels up.


Short Order Cooking

We've all done it. Made a separate meal for our kids because they might not like what we adults are having, or because we're ordering take out after they hit the hay. Maybe it's gotten out of hand and you've suddenly noticed yourself making 'toddler' meals for you littles every night. Before you know it they're exclusively eating mac and cheese and pb&j. Or maybe you've always cooked a separate meal because you tried introducing your little ones to food and it hasn't gone well. A couple nights of short order cooking can quickly turn any toddler into a demanding customer. They know that they can have something other than what's offered and will bat their eye lashes or refuse a meal to get what they want. Luckily kids are extremely adaptable. Have them help you cook the family meal, include them in the prep work. Kids are more willing to eat food they've had a hand in making.