Hot on HuffPost Parents:
Abbie Rumbach: The Confession That Blew My Daughter's Mind
PHOTO: Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillipe Reunite
The Drevitches, Week 14: We Play Some Games and See Some Progress
Filed under: Healthy Families Challenge
They'd eat this whole gingerbread house -- if we'd let them. Credit: Gary Drevitch
Well, actually, I love playing games with them -- Boggle, Mastermind, Blokus, Wii Sports Resort, you name it. But I don't mean those games. I mean the games so many other parents play. You know the ones -- If you collect 10 Good Behavior stickers this week, you get to go to Häagen-Dazs on Sunday, or If you eat your veggies at dinner, you're entitled to an hour of TV at bedtime.
Those games are not for me.
No, I believe kids should read and eat their veggies every day, just because they should. That's how I was raised -- my parents told me what I needed to do, and I needed to do it because they told me to.
A simple, closed loop.
Or was it? Looking back, I realize they let me go for years eating hardly any fruits and vegetables. So, at some point, I must have refused often enough that they just gave up. As for my own kids, they're happy to do daily reading, but daily healthy eating? Let's call it a work in progress -- or just work.
The kids have understood for a long time that if they don't eat the veggies on their plates each night, there will be no dessert. And so Benjamin, 10, quickly and joylessly chomps off the top of his several broccoli pieces at the end of dinner. Or Natalie, 8, jams a handful of carrots into her mouth at the start of the meal. Or Adam, 4, considers the cauliflower on his plate, gauges how hungry he is, and calmly announces that, no thanks, he doesn't need dessert tonight, so if it's all the same to us, he'll pass.
Under this system, they eat their nightly veggies, but they don't embrace them. They just see them as an obstacle to get past on the way to ice cream. And that's not good enough.
The Healthy Families Challenge is about everyone in the house coming out with a healthier lifestyle than they had when they started. My wife, Lynn, remains a paragon of gastronomic openness. I've lost 29 pounds and completely overhauled my old ways of eating. But the kids haven't made much effort to change. In fact, they've actively resisted our nudges in the right direction.
And so, against our better instincts, we're playing some games. Our nutritionist, Marissa Lippert of Nourish, told us when we first met that one of the best ways to get kids eating healthier is to get them more involved in shopping and cooking. Our kids have always gone marketing with us, but mainly just to demand more flavors of ice cream and Goldfish. However, they have recently taken a stronger interest in food preparation, and the results on that front are promising.
Benjamin decided a couple of weeks ago, pretty much out of the blue, that he wanted to be responsible for making eggs for breakfast for everyone each weekend. We happily agreed. And I'll tell you what, his eggs are delicious. His secret? Same as the great chefs of France: Put a ton of butter in the pan. (I've advised him that he can use less and still turn out a tasty dish.) But also, as he aspires in his own quiet way to his mother's culinary sophistication, he's adding dill to the eggs. Sounds like a small thing, right? But it isn't. This is the same kid who routinely picks herbs off pieces of lamb and chicken when we order takeout food. Now he's understanding that green stuff on food is not always bad. Progress.
Similarly, we've discovered that the kids eat healthier when they can assemble their own meals. Lately that has meant offering them burritos or tacos. After a couple of days of the kids complaining about eating Lynn's fresh roasted turkey with brown rice, she put it back in front of them with taco shells and they jumped in, happily spooning it in with salsa and black beans. We've found similar success getting them to eat chicken or lamb with tomatoes, herbs or spinach when we let them roll it into burritos. Progress.
Our favorite new development? We caught Benjamin telling a dinner guest recently that he ate salad every day at sleepaway camp last summer, even though he's never touched it at home. So we called him on it, and, like the chess player he is, he recognized the checkmate. Now, when we have salad, we put some lettuce in front of him, and he eats it.
Progress.
Who's the rest of the competition? Check out all the challengers' latest updates here.
How is the Drevitch family doing? Check in on their progress!
Your<span>Voice</span>
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Recently Asked
- Copyright royaly board understanding building a radio or tv (song sound good got your own radio)?
- My daughter (14 yrs) was just kicked out of her Girl Scout Cadettes troop. Her offense? Having ADD (not hyperactive) and she wasn't picking up on a tr...
- Does the dc superior court represent the irs in a civil filing or does the irs have attorneys?
TheTalkies:RelatedVideos
-
Artichoke and Spinach Dip Recipe
This spinach and artichoke dip will make your kids eat their vegetables - also perfect for serving on game day.
-
Using Games for Healthy Nutrition for Kids
Karen Schachter demonstrates a variety of techniques designed to engage young children in healthy eating, such as using games for healthy nutrition for kids
-
Top Three Kid Eating Tricks For Toddlers
How come kids don't eat lunch and dinner, but will eat anything else they aren't supposed to eat? Here are our top tricks to get your kids to eat.
-
How to Get Your Kids to Eat Healthy on the Go
As busy parents, we all know how hard it is to get kids to eat healthfully. It's especially hard when we're constantly “on the go”, running errands, taking the kids to school, childcare or dance class. But there are ways to make sure your kids get the nutrients they need.
SitesWeLove
- Site Map
- |
- Staff
- |
- Terms of Service
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Trademarks
- |
- Advertise With Us
- |
- About Our Ads
- |
- AOL Downloads
- |
- Contact Us
- |
© Copyright 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Aol Family
ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-10-2011 @ 10:31PM
Judy said...The bad news is... you can't eat healthy. The good news is you can eat healthfully! Just follow the suggestions in the article and use good grammar.
Reply
1-10-2011 @ 10:32PM
margie said...This may be fine if you are one of those mom's that feel they have to make a child do something. I NEVER make a child eat something they don't like. That is what I call forcing them to do something they don't want to do. When they get older they will decide what veges they like and what they don't like. My husband's mother would make him eat veges and other things that he didn't like and you know to this day he will only eat certain things. The reason? Because his mother FORCED him to eat what he didn't like. No way I would ever do that to my children.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 10:58AM
Jen said...I totally believe in setting boundaries with my daughter. There are times I will not let her eat sweets and times I will insist on her eating the rest of her vegetables. I believe we have swung the opposite way, in part, of our generation. Because our parents were hard on us (Sitting at the table til midnight in front of a plate with carrots.) We as a society have swung in the other direction, to allow our children to eat whatever they want, when ever they want and now we have schools full of inactive obese children. There is a middle ground...
1-11-2011 @ 12:08AM
BearStar55 said...My StepMom was the same. She would make my twin brother and I eat certain foods that we did not like at all and some that we detested! Like Liver & Onions, Turnips, brussle sprouts, aspargus,
beets, & cauliflower, I love Broccoli & Mixed Greens, Swiss Chard with Bacon & Onions and others but to this day , I will NOT eat the above mentioned vegetables that She forced us to eat !
1-11-2011 @ 11:59AM
Tom said...They are not being forced to eat it since they know what it is they are eating and haven't complained about it.
1-10-2011 @ 11:15PM
Marty said...Best solution for kids to eat their veggies: give them delicious Juice Plus+ soft chewables or capsules with 17 fresh, raw fruits and veggies to bridge the nutrition gap. www.jmdTakeJuicePlus.com
Reply
1-10-2011 @ 11:16PM
sue ellen said...I thought the article was very good. You don't have to force kids to eat because they will creatively find ways not to. There are photos of me asleep next to my plate in my parents photo albums. Involve them in meal prep. Change up the process. Start them as decorators (of the final dish), then assistants, then let them read the instructions, then let them handle more and more, let them lead, then be their assistant, then assign them responsiblilty for a side dish, then main dish, then meal and you can call it in at that point, LOL!!, it's easy to start with cookbooks geared toward them. There are some fun one at this website. (www.bluebearcreekhome.com) Always praise and be sensitive to their "I've had enough" point.
Reply
1-10-2011 @ 11:51PM
Terri Bolton said...A few other ways to get your children involved is to watch the fantastic free dvd at www.NutritionDetectives.com created by Dr. David Katz of Yale University. Dr. Katz teaches 5 simple steps to reading labels and making better-for-you choices. Having your kids grow their own veggies is another step. You can also keep building on that idea of letting the kids do the cooking (or at least the planning and prep).Adding free Juice Plus+ Fruit and Vegetable Soft Chewables or Capsules for kids age 4 thru college age by ordering from www.EveryoneWantsJuicePlus.com is also a great way to bridge the gap between what they eat and what they should eat.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 2:13AM
jw said...I have a toddler. I've named the veggies based on fun things she likes and tell her her favorite characters eat it. that works sometimes. my hubby drinks soda and she always tries to sneak a sip. i keep telling her (say if he's already given her a sip) "just a little bit b/c it will give you a sickie tummy. so far that works. my hubby doesn't eat veggies very much and I'm a veggie lover so there is a fight sometimes. but ultimately I think if its not forced but its always offered and advised it should eventually take. My father was a huge veggie lover and my parents let me eat anything I wanted (to a fault) but I ended up appreciating vegetables once I started understanding how good they are for me. so I try to tell my daughter (as much as she understands at this age) take a bite of this carrot it will give you good eyes...etc. to help her start to understand that food isn't just to satisfy hunger and taste but to keep our bodies functioning properly and last.
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 5:58AM
HPFangirl71 said...I think the problem is that kids arent respected. I dont have to play these games with my kids because I have never forced them to eat anything they didnt like... hence I dont have a group of picky eaters. They have been encouraged to try new foods and to try foods they dont normally like in different ways!! I had one kid who hated beans of any kind but now green beans are one of her fave veggies. I too have even found that I like raw spinach tho I hate the canned stuff and that sweet potatoes made into fries are delicious. All my kids eat a variety of veggies tho not every veggie on the planet, I dont think anyone does... Most parents need to chill and stop stressing so much... you make the vegetable issue into a battlefront and the kids know that, its a way to irk the parentals is all...
Reply
1-11-2011 @ 6:06AM
MichiganReader said...I do not believe in forcing a child to eat certain foods or make sure they must clean their plate, but I do believe in offering them a variety of foods and encouraging them to be adventerous and try a bite. I also believe in having fresh fruits and veggies available for snacking. If you give them a few grapes in a small bowl, or some apple slices or orange slices for example and do not make a big deal about it they will usually eat the foods while they are playing. Same goes with baby carrots, celery sticks, etc. add a small amount of a healthy dip or some peanut butter.
I have a friend who cooked the meal and placed it on table at suppertime and her children had a choice, choose from the foods she prepared or eat PB&J sandwich with a glass of milk and nothing else until breakfast next day. Her children became healthy eaters of a variety of foods and it became very rare that one of them ate the PB&J sandwich instead of the meal she prepared.
Reply