When the topic of eating and children comes up the discussion can always be fraught with hurt feelings, thoughts of inadequacy, and downright fear (“If I give my child M&Ms will she flunk out of school?”) .  Typically this discussion revolves around what to eat, and therein lies the problem.  My partner and I were talking last night and she mentioned this article she came across.  In it are described several eating myths as they relate to children.  My attention was drawn to two specific items on the list:

2. Eating is a two-step process

5. Children naturally dislike healthy food

We, myself included, often think of our children as mini-adults.  This is common in field of training, exercise physiology, as we create exercise programs for kids based on what we know about adults.  Simply put, children are not mini-mes.  For most adults eating is a two step process:  open mouth, insert food.  However, eating is more complex for children as the above article points out.  At the dinner table we treat them like adults (“Clean your plate,” “Finish everything, then you get desert,” etc).  I say this with a grain of salt, no pun intended, as some rules are necessary.  However, it is also ok to let children be children.  Understand where they are coming from.  Does it really matter if they don’t eat everything at this meal?  Does it matter if they don’t eat anything at this meal?  Research would tell us no.  And if eating is truly a 32 step process for children, well, have some fun with those 32 steps.  Get messy.

Is it a genetic trait that kids dislike healthy food?  I am sure this is something all parents have thought at one time or another.  I thought about it last night as our daughter gobbled up the applesauce but wouldn’t touch the steamed broccoli.  She’s 4.  Where did she learn to not like vegetables?  The answer lies in the question.  Learn.  Whether it was from us as parents, friends at school, or reading the “Runaway Dinner,” it is possible that even at 4 she has learned not to like them.  Or at least, not to try them.  However, it is a learning thing and we can always relearn as well.

The article above points out that one of the reasons children don’t like vegetables is because of the way they are fed.  The language we use when we serve them, the environment that has been created.  I started to think what would happen if I could go back and reframe the concept of desert with my daughter?  Starting at age 1, I could have gotten really excited about desert and then served green beans.  Desert tonight?  Yes! Brussel sprouts!  Whoo hooo!  Maybe I will try that with baby #2. Thinking about yesterday’s post, we are the caregivers.  How will we exert that influence we have?

Think about this, Robinson, et. al published a study in 2007 (Effects of Fast Food Branding
on Young Children’s Taste Preferences, ARCH PEDIATR ADOLESC MED/VOL 161 (NO. 8), AUG 2007) that demonstrated taste preference and impression of any food went up in children if that food was wrapped in a McDonald’s wrapper.  Baby carrots placed on top of a McDonald’s french fry baggy were rated as tasting better than baby carrots on a plate.  Are you kidding me?  Talk about exerting influence over an environment.  These kids were 6.  How can we frame certain foods so that our kids eat more of what we want them to without us telling them to do so?  Just some thoughts: always have fruit around, serve vegetables at every meal and don’t talk bad about them (not only might this help with eating but you will be role modeling good interpersonal communication skills), and for goodness sake, don’t serve your baby carrots in a McDonald’s wrapper.  (Just avoid McDonalds all together).
Today is Friday and that means Food Rule time.  Here we go:

Just eat.  Simple enough. Don’t worry about gadgets, gizmos, or your kids reorganizing their plates.  It will all work out.  Just eat.