03-01-2014 Healthy foods for kids & setting trends

Young children can be very picky and as far as I'm concerned the days are gone where you can force them to eat things they don't want to. It actually has the the opposite effect and they won't eat those food items for years. My ex-husband did that with my daughter and it was a problem every second week-end. She never are vegetables untill she was about 24yrs old. We slowly coaxed her into trying various things we cooked. Told her just to have a little taste. Now at 30 she is actually eating raw to lose weight. Loves Gorgonzola and tried a little of anything new.

If you can come up with innovative ideas to tempt their palate, then you can instill healthy eating from a very young age.

I didn't put sugar or salt in my sons food until the age of two. He ate all his food and thoroughly enjoyed it. We form their tastes, they have no idea what they are eating. It was also the first time he ate chocolate and I'm  happy to say at age 19 he only has one filling. He knew he was eating something nice though, you could see the smile through the dribble and melted chocolate falling down his chin. His teeth were brushed every night and once they were brushed it was water only. No bottle with juice lying in his mouth till he passed out, dripping sugar on his teeth. 

Opposite to his sister he loved vegetables fish and chicken. Didn't really like meat. We always said that he and his sister could share a plate. She would have the meat and the potatoes and he would have the veg and the salad. He liked his veg steamed and his favourite was broccoli. I never made the sweet potato right just like his grandmother made it. 

It's also at this time that the challenge of what to feed them starts. It should be nutritious, healthy and visually appealing. Once he went to play school it was lunches. What to make and what to give that doesn't bore them. No junk food and rather a healthy alternative. Unfortunately he doesn't eat anything other than ham on his sandwich so that was a dead loss.

Alex playing the mean guy. Phumla his best friend.

The two of them are dreadful together. Any restaurant quakes when they see these two coming.

Enfant Terible'

However at 20 now he eats healthy foods and will rather have home cooked meals over fast food at any time. He has still only had one filling and looks after his teeth well.

He prefers lean meat, chicken and fish. Pasta is one of his all time favourites. He is not really partial to red meat but will eat it as long as their is no fat on it. 

At this stage I am very happy with his eating and drinking habits. They are all moderate and show that he looks at everything that goes into his body. He drinks water constantly but prefers to drink it straight from the tap.