My First Guest Blog Post

When I was first asked if I wanted to write an article for "Lexington Mommy," I must admit I was totally freaked out! Excited, but none-the-less freaked out! I mean, I am not a Doctor, Nutritionist or Teacher. Who am I to talk about children and food? That's when it hit me. I am a mother of two small children and a wife of a recovered "meat and potatoes man." I am a mom that feeds her family whole nutritious food and...they like it!!


There are a number of ways to train your family to eat "right." It's hard to find what works and doesn't. So I thought I'd offer a few tricks that work for me, in my home.


The biggest one is making sure the kids see us eat the same things that we feed them. One meal, all together at the table. Even when daddy doesn't want to eat it, he does, and in return, they do. This eliminated the "Daddy isn't eating it" for us.


We never force them to eat anything, just encourage them to try new things. Some foods take a few offerings but everything usually gets tried at least a few times.


Some foods take a good masking to start out. For example, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus aren't always exciting at first taste! For veggies like these, I started out adding some yummy bacon while it cooked, then over time omitted the bacon. This left the undesirable food well, more desirable. Okay, I still occasionally add the bacon, I mean it is bacon after all!!



Next, I would say to start early. Even before the kids had a mouth full of teeth they ate "real" food. Steamed veggies were a staple item during the "gumming it" stage. I wouldn't add anything to it, like butter or salt. I just kept it simple. Now we've moved on to roasted and grilled vegetables.



Involving your children in the process of grocery shopping, prepping and cooking is another fantastic way to help encourage them to eat! It's amazing what they will eat when THEY make it!


Just remember that it's what you do most of the time that matters. So don't beat yourself up because you hit the occasional fast food joint. Soon enough eating healthier will become what you crave and the drive through will be a thing of the past.