Pack a Punch for your Picky Eater

Thursday, September 25, 2008
I just got finished attempting to feed my oldest son dinner and, frankly, I think it's time for bed I'm so exhausted. I think he is the pickiest eater I have ever met (next to--ahem--his mother...!) We are in week 3 of preschool and, in my estimation, he has eaten a sum total of three bites of food at lunch. Every time a morsel of food passes his lips I declare victory (sometimes with arms-in-the-air dance moves). If the morsel is healthy, I begin planning a parade. Which is why when I learned about double-time-magic-super-healthy food combinations I was so happy. I am up for anything that packs more of a healthy punch when it comes to feeding my kids. (I even tried the whole sneaking sweet potatoes into homemade brownies bit--but that plan got sort of sabatoged by the fact that I don't really make homemade brownies...) Anyway, the double-time-magic-super-healthy food combos are based on the principle that specific pairings of healthy food make them even more nutritious. Apparently, some vitamins and minerals feed off of others, letting your child absorb more. Some examples:

-Strawberies and Whole Wheat Toast: The vitamin C in strawberries converts the iron in whole-wheat bread to a form that cells can absorb.

-Oatmeal with Milk: The magnesium in oats increases the amount of calcium your child gets from the milk by keeping it from binding to fiber and other nutrients.

-Olive Oil and Veggies: The healthy fat in olive oil helps your child absorb the veggies' antioxidants.

-Chicken and Carrots: My kids are vegetarian so I haven't tried this one--but the zinc in chicken helps the body metabolize the carrots' vitamin A.

Tomorrow I am going to attempt to force-feed my son strawberries and wheat toast all day. Somewhere, my mom--who endured years of me subsisting on cottage cheese and cottage cheese alone--is laughing and perhaps muttering "karma" under her breath.
4 comments:
parutron said...

you forgot the most important one: tomatoes and cheese!!

Anonymous said...

oh my god...
"Somewhere, my mom--who endured years of me subsisting on cottage cheese and cottage cheese alone--is laughing and perhaps muttering "karma" under her breath."

THAT is exactly going to be me and my mom in 20 years, when I have kids...

Meetha said...

Why are Indian kids such poor eaters? Why is it that American kids happily self feed themselves an entire meal within 20 minutes without any coaxing from the parents (I've seen American toddlers as young as 1 ask for food)? Is it because Indian kids are genetically predisposed to have small appetites or is it because Indian moms have so much anxiety about feeding their children?

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