Growing up in our household, vegetables were mandatory rather than an option. If we didn’t want to drink milk, we drank water. Pop was considered a treat, not a help-yourself-from-the-fridge-whenever-you-want kind of thing.
My mom never kept a bunch of junk food in the pantry. Chips, popcorn, and candy were a rarity.
And you know what? That was the way it was in most of the homes at the time. Parents seemed to instinctively know what was healthy for their kids in terms of food.
Now, while I don’t know of one parent today who would consciously want their child to feast endlessly on salty crunchies and sugary sodas, let’s face it. Television has brought these foods front and center into our lives through endless commercials and have made them now seem to be the norm.
What’s a parent to do? Here are some great ideas from your neighbors.
Carole Jenkins, Crown Point: I figured if I wasn’t going to raise finicky eaters, I had to start them on the right path early on. As soon as my babies could eat solid foods, I made sure to serve them a variety of things — both meats and vegetables — and kept trying, even if it wasn’t a go the first time around. My kids don’t like everything but they will taste just about anything before passing judgment.
Marcia Carlson, Schererville: One of the easiest ways to get kids to eat veggies is to hide them. For instance, when I make muffins, I’ll use zucchini or carrots in the recipe. If I’m baking corn bread, I’ll add a can of corn or some colorful peppers. Heck, you can add just about anything to smoothies. Be creative and you can always find ways to sneak in the vegetables.
Andrea Zocholski, Crown Point: I try to make their plates as colorful as I can. It seems that younger kids, especially, are attracted by that. We have four children under the age of six so we make a dinner time game of saying something like, “Let’s eat everything that’s green first.” It also helped them learn their colors when they were toddlers.
Craig Steffen, Winfield: With my mom, it was always a matter of choices. Yes or no was not a choice. However, she would put a salad in front of us and ask whether we wanted ranch or French dressing. Giving us a choice like that made us feel we had some control of the situation. My wife and I try to do the same thing. Do you want peas or green beans tonight?
Sharon Koeller, Dyer: My kids are grown, but I learned early on how not to inflict my tastes and biases on them. I tried to never assume that just because I didn’t like tuna, they wouldn’t either. Kids are pretty flexible if you don’t start them out believing they won’t like something.
Jackson Sonneberg, Lake Station: We have dessert just about every night and it’s most often some kind of fresh fruit. The kids get a healthy dose of vitamins and have learned to appreciate seasonal fruit. We’re looking forward to apple season now.
Our question for September 22 is: What is your favorite guilty pleasure? Be a part of the discussion and send in your replies. Remember to include your name and city/town.
