Getting them to the table

   Wow!  Thanks for that!  The busy week seems to have found its way to an end at last. 
   A little over a week ago, I came across the local Dietitian's bi-weekly column in one of our town's free newspapers (you know the ones that come wrapped around all the fliers of those stores hoping to grab your money before you realise you even have it).  As a professional, she is employed by our local health unit to supply services to members of the community on dietary issues.  I always read her column when I see it, and this week it was about supplements for children and how children don't need them.
   Now before I begin, let me say that I have great respect for her profession and having used her support services when dealing with a child or two who has come through my daycare, I can tell you I like her no-nonsense approach to diet and eating (however).  She presented as part of a course I took, and the first thing she said was "When a parent tells you their child will "only eat" Kraft dinner and hot dogs, you know you're in trouble, not just with the child..."  I am not a dietitian and have relied on more than one dietitian over the years for advice and suggestions. 
   My feelings on supplements are they are not for kids in general, and this is exactly what her article says.   For adults, yes, and especially for adults with variety of issues that may affect what foods their bodies can and cannot handle, or when one's appetite has been altered because of medications...I could go on and on.  Of course, there are children in these situations as well and there again is where supplements can be vital to helping a child to thrive  (and sometimes to survive!).  However, the majority of children when provided with a variety of nutritious foods on a daily basis, will thrive without supplements of any kind! 
   My big complaint about her article was that all it did was preach at parents not to give their children supplements, and to follow the Canada food guide to assure their children are getting adequate nutrition.  Nowhere does she suggest to parents how to get this nutrition into their children.  Perhaps she means for parents to contact her to get suggestions or that she will continue on in future columns with suggestions, but nowhere does she elude to this.  My experience (as a parent and a care provider) is that parents don't want to be preached at, they want suggestions they can use right now!
   So rather than fill up more space ranting about what she didn't do...I have a few suggestions of my own...

1. No matter how little they are, make them part of the meal experience. (Okay well, maybe those not yet eating solid food or walking upright can be excused from this one...)  Even the one year old in the family wants to be part of the crowd, even a crowd of two.  There are simple things that little ones can do to support the table setting process: get a little basket for the cutlery and get them to carry it over, or carry the napkins etc).

2. And if your reason for not doing number 1 is because you don't set the table to eat because you don't eat at the table, then we will start there...Eat at the table together.  We eat almost every night together at the kitchen table.  And if only two or three of us are present at the "sitting down time" of supper, we sit down together.

3. Turn off the TV...even if it is in the other room (this happens in our house) and you cannot hear it, turn it off.  It distracts from the activity at hand, eating the meal together.  As an adult at the table, watching the TV over your children's heads while they eat sends a message that it is more important than they are...As I tell my children frequently, "Those people ON the television are working actors, getting paid to make stuff for you to watch on TV, they are NOT watching TV. 

4. Make meals with your family in mind...If your children prefer raw veggies to cooked, put out a small dish of raw veggies on the table while you are making dinner.  When you serve the meal, put small amounts of everything on the plates...We have something called "no thank you helpings" at our house...One piece of broccoli, three pieces of cooked carrot, a tablespoon of bean salad...All examples of small helpings.  Larger helpings can seem overwhelming for small children, much easier to give them two mouthfuls of roast beef, and then have them come back for more.

5. DON"T MAKE MORE THAN ONE MEAL.  Feed everyone the same thing.  And yes, the fussy eaters will appear to be "starving" but eventually they figure out that breakfast time is a long time from supper time, and they start eating what is on their plates.  Folks have often commented that my children are such good eaters (well, they are, sometimes, and trust me we have struggled to get there).  But we have always fed them what we were eating.  As a toddler, my daughter called Kalamata olives "grapes"..."More grapes please Daddy!"  My son loved avocado when he was little and now likes guacamole.  Of course, this can backfire too: the first time we introduced them to Crab, we figured they wouldn't eat it, since they love the little crabs at the beach and of course the big tank at the grocery store.  Uh uh, loved it...Now, if we want to have crab, we have to get one per person.

6. DON"T GIVE UP!  This is the biggest one.  It will get worse before it gets better.  But it will get better.  They will eventually eat (almost) everything you put in front of them...Especially the boys...And once you get the boy eating everything in sight, his sister will decide she is a vegetarian, and turn up her nose at the meat on the table, but  don't fret about that one because the boy will eat her share, and with any luck, she will be sure and point out that she can eat fish and seafood, and that there should really be more crab on the table. 

There will be more suggestions and I promise that they won't sound nearly so bossy as these ones!

Until then
Happy packing!

More on Supplements and Children: Today's Parent, January 2011

F is for ...Food Network Favourites

I have to admit, I am a bit of a Food Network Fan.  I have three favourite shows: Chef at Home (Michael Smith), Chuck's Day off (love his lobster tattoo) and of course, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (huh, that would have made a fun D post).
What I love about the first two shows, is that they are cooking for their friends and families.  And on Chef at Home, you get to see inside the Pantry cupboards (a secret passion of mine, I love other people's pantries!).
My all time favourite episode of Chuck's Day off, was the one where he made Chicken Nuggets for his little cousins (along with a few other yummy things).  We tried the recipe and they were a hit.   My kids love chicken in all forms, especially nuggets and strips, so it was a nice change to be in charge of the amount of "stuff" going into them and knowing what "stuff" is in there to begin with.  Especially after some of the things I have read and heard about what goes into "other" chicken nuggets and just how little actual chicken there is, nevermind how they treat the chickens!

Make a double batch as they go really well into lunches with rice or noodles and some veggies for a well rounded meal!

Happy Packing!

A link for today: Content for Foodies  so that you can check out more of the A to Z blogging challenge!

Lists...

Most of the time, without a list, I would be lost!  I am a perpetual keeper-of-lists...and loser of lists!  I write them, they go into my pocket and then I forget where I put them.  Or, I make up a fabulous grocery list and pull out of the driveway, get halfway up the street and realise I have left it sitting on the kitchen counter....and I go back for it.  Why go back?  Well, afterall, I spent all that time making it in the first place!
Over and over again, you will hear (or read!) that you need to make a list before going to the grocery store!  You will be more efficient, you will save money, you will make fewer trips to the store...Of course you will, but first you have to figure out a system that works for you and your family (of 2 or 4 or 8 or whatever!)...Do you need one list with EVERYTHING on it?  For some, that is the way they do it...Our neighbours do it all on Wednesdays...this even includes the trip to the hardware store, or going out to get a new pair of pants, or taking an old pair of pants to the cleaners.  For them, it is all about Wednesdays, and if it isn't on the list, it doesn't get done or it doesn't get bought (get bought?  can I say that?  Where is my English teacher husband when I need a proof-reader?).  In our house, there are three lists that refer to groceries...One that includes what we already have (on a week to week basis), this is not an all inclusive list of everything we have, but rather a list of what we have that we will be eating this week...For example, we have tomatoes and a cucumber left from last week that we will eat on Sunday (In other words, DON'T buy more tomatoes!).  Our second list is the Costco list, and this one is a bit of a running list as we try not to go to Costco more than once a month (heck, we can't afford to go to Costco more than once a month!).  The third list is the grocery list...I divide it into four sections: Breakfast, Lunches, dinners and Daycare.  Before I make up a menu for the week (yes, I do this every week, as I have learned that it just all ends in chaos and too much take-out pizza if I don't),  I hit the grocery store flyer.  Based loosely on what I learned at a young age from my father (a man who made, and still makes! many more lists than I will ever make!), we eat what is on special...and what is local (or as local as I can get...Yes, we eat bananas, but no, they don't grow on Vancouver Island, or even near it!)...So, if pork roast and cottage cheese is on special, then that is what we will be eating.  (although, not usually together).
Lunches are a combination of what will be eaten, what is on special and what is healthy...A big thing about lunches though, is always making sure that you are buying (and therefore packing) what is going to be eaten...And with kids, what was eaten (and liked) last week, sometimes isn't what is going to be eaten this week!  Go figure...Today, for example, I packed Kate a turkey wrap with mayonnaise and lettuce (she ate a whole plate of lettuce last night at supper!).  Half of the wrap came home, because she "didn't have time"...however, there was time to eat the mandarins and the popcorn and the piece of applesauce cake...but not enough time for the wrap...Huh, I am that blonde, I suppose!  Don't you?  Lesson learned, don't put lettuce in the turkey wrap...But do put chocolate chips in the peanut butter and banana roll-up!  (mmm, melted ones!  Yummy!).
If I take the time to ask them (since I try very hard not to take anyone with me to the grocery store!) for suggestions for their lunches, generally, we have some success.  This week's request (for next week), Bagels...Please, we haven't had them is soooo long!
Okay, bagels are on the list for next week...the big question is, of course, will they still be in demand when next week gets here?