I hear a lot about picky kids in my practice.
And fair enough - kids definitely have a mind of their own when it comes to likes and dislikes.
Today, he likes bananas. Tomorrow, he doesn't.
Yep. It's just the way it goes, sometimes!
But Arlo loves most foods. He loves to try new things. He loves to get creative in the kitchen. He drinks sauerkraut juice and eat mushroom jerky. He loves to find things he's never had before in the grocery store and ask to try it. It's SO WONDERFUL!!
But I wanted to write today about how you can avoid this as much as possible.
Am I saying that your kid(s) will be cured of food dislikes? Absolutely not.
Am I saying I have the magic fix? Still no.
But I do believe that part of our behaviours CREATE and ENABLE picky eating.
Hang on tight, here we go!
Arlo drinking green juice, when Vibe Eatery was open.
Arlo started as a kid who didn't like food.
He was solely breastfed until about 10-11 months, when my maternity leave ended and I had to go back to work. I'm sure he would have went longer, if I let him!
His first foods were things like pureed avocado, sweet potato, and chicken livers with coconut oil.
He ate smoothies filled with berries, spinach, and breastmilk.
I was determined to give him the healthiest start possible.
There is some evidence that babies may not have the proper enzymes to digest grains until closer to 1-2 years. This paves the way for digestive issues. Even if this hasn't been entirely proven or disproven, I like to err on the side of caution. Plus, lots of rice cereals contain arsenic, on top of many other concerns I had.
He loves strawberry and sprout salad!
One of my main issues with children now is how much sugar they consume on a regular basis. Products high in sugar also tend to be refined foods devoid of nutrients, and full of preservatives and food colouring. These can not only cause obesity, but create all kinds of behavioural problems, digestive issues, ignite inflammatory pathways, promote unwanted bacterial overgrowth, and mute the taste buds to other flavours.
Arlo did not have any sugar until he was almost 3!! Then for the first few years (until he started school) it was only maple syrup and raw honey. And because he wasn't used to it, a little bit went a long way. I think the hardest part of this was telling everyone else not to feed him sugar! There is a very strange behaviour in our culture where everyone likes to give kids sugar. We don't see how many issues this is creating in our health as a whole.
I continued with this type of eating for him even through school. I provided him lunches at day care.
I make sure he is always eating fresh fruits and veggies (and as much local and organic as possible!).
He never ate puffed anything as a babe. We didn't do cereal (I still don't!).
I stay away from packaged goods as much as I possibly can.
Arlo doesn't get dessert until he finishes his vegetables.
He knows what is healthy and what is not healthy.
He even now, at 7 years old, will refuse candy on his own if he knows he hasn't eaten very well in the last few days.
But instead of just telling him no, I also explain why to him.
I have made a point to teach him about edible plants!
Kids can understand a lot more than we give them credit for!
He understands what sugar does to the body. He knows why we stay away from packaged products, and is learning how to cook.
I see a lot of parents buying packaged goods for their kids. Giving the cereal in the morning, sandwiches at lunch, then pasta for dinner. Then cookies, gummies, and fruit juice on top of it.
And while I completely understand that we as a culture accept this: we are busy, and it's normal - but it doesn't mean you have to do it. The normal we have created is not healthy!
If you buy unhealthy food, then unhealthy food will get eaten.
If you allow them to decide they don't like dinner, then go to the pantry for cereal, of course that's what they're going to do.
Sugar is addictive. 8x more addictive than cocaine, actually. We are essentially creating little addicts in a socially acceptable way, and in a way that is detrimental to their health.
Eating some watermelon in the park with friends
But what if you don't give them that choice?
I don't mean you need to force feed your kids.
But I also don't want you to let them eat junk if they decide what's in the cupboard is better than what's on their plate.
And the same idea and rules also apply to us as adults.
If our cupboards contain chips and cookies, then we are going to eat chips and cookies.
If our cupboards contain nuts and seeds, then we are going to realize that we're not actually hungry, or we are going to eat nuts and seeds.
Arlo has legitimate dislikes, and I think this is to be respected. He has never liked tomatoes or olives his entire life. And that's fine! I will make sure that tomatoes and olives aren't a feature in our meals. But he also doesn't just get to skip dinner and find something else. Dinner is dinner. Take it or leave it.
Note: I promise your kid going hungry for a little bit isn't the end of the world. Really! Remember intermittent fasting? We as adults do it on purpose. And while I definitely don't recommend this for kids, fasting as a way to help digestive issues isn't a bad idea, and THEY WILL SURVIVE. And by the next meal, they may even be so hungry that they'll eat whatever you put in front of them.
As an alternative, Arlo will sometimes go to the fridge and make his own plate of veggies to eat. Which is also great!
If I'm having a green smoothie, HE'S having a green smoothie, too!
(it's Spiderman face paint from an event we were at)
To sum this up as simply as possible - your kids will eat whatever you let them.
So, don't let them have the junk! Don't allow it in your house, or don't allow it until after a decent meal(s). And don't give in when they bug you for it.
Find a rainbow eating chart if that helps. Or give "plant points" for every plant they eat that day.
Teach them what is healthy and why. They will learn and understand.
These little people are the future, and they deserve a good and healthy start. And they deserve our best in teaching them to be that way.
With Mama love,
Jaime
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