It is all too easy to forget why we care in the first place why our kids have eaten their vegetables or chose fruit instead of a slice of cake. We are so caught up with whether they ate the zucchini fritters you just made especially for them or the broccoli "trees" placed beautifully on their plate that we forget why we even care in the first place. I've noticed among my friends and in the social media world that there is an obsession with giving our kids only the healthiest food for "as long possible". To not ruin them with sweets and do whatever you can to have them eat healthy unprocessed foods at all times.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with this desire to provide our children with the healthiest foods possible and ensure that they grow up to have good health free of chronic diseases and positive mental health. This is indeed the ultimate goal in its most basic form for all parents - the desire to keep them safe from harm whether it be on the jungle gym at the park or in prevention of disease by eating healthy. But it seems to me that often we are too caught up in the daily food refusals and forget about what's truly important, building healthy habits.
This is true for adults just as much as it is true for children but it is our job as parents to make sure we do what we can to instill these daily habits in them. When we think about nutrition -our diet is the sum of all the food we consume. It is not a fad diet or a 30 day cleanse it is what we have eaten today, tomorrow and also in 6 months. This is what determines our overall health status. So why is it when it comes to children we get caught up with whether they ate their broccoli?
There are situations where children will literally only eat a tiny variety of food that really does not provide ample nutrition for growth and development. In these situations it could be very beneficial to see a child nutritionist or a doctor that could refer you to an appropriate healthcare professional to improve the situation. In Israel there are specialists in child development, sensory development and others that could be useful depending on the specific issue you are facing. Most situations of picky eating, especially if caught early on can be remedied easily by exposure of a variety of foods and not putting pressure on the feeding situation. It is not going to help to "hide" veggies in muffins and meatballs and then expect them to eat veggies when they are in their whole form. Our and our children's nutritional status is not determined by what we had for dinner last night (or whether they ate dessert for dinner). The real factor is in our daily habits and what is considered normal in our home.
I believe it all comes down to sitting down together for a family meal.
Where else will our children learn about healthy eating habits or even what is considered normal for a meal. I have always been a strong believer in having a family meal and it's not just because this is how I was raised. I truly believe it is the only way that kids will learn healthy eating habits. How can we expect our children to eat the broccoli if they have never seen anyone eating it before? Maybe they don't even know it edible (slight exaggeration).
The decision of having a family meal starts when we start feeding solids to our 6 month old but continues on into toddlerhood and childhood. It is never too late to start with this tradition. Baby led weaning is an approach that allows you to have your child join in on family meals literally from day one. Rather than hovering over with a jar of peas, the baby gets to try the foods that you enjoy and hopefully love them as well.
Eating is so much more than just nutrition, it is about making connections and forming bonds with the ones we are eating with. Have you ever realized how your eating changes based on who you are eating with or the situation. When we eat alone we tend to eat more and feel less satisfied (same goes for working lunches) compared to when we enjoy a good meal with good company and some light music in the background. The joy helps to "fill us up".
Eating a family meal doesn't have to mean the entire family sits down together at the same time every night. It's not about making life difficult. It could mean just preparing some of it together or just one child with one parent, or 2 children together. As long as there is no pressure and we are not doing it alone. By the way, eating a family meal doesn't have to mean cooking at home either. I am a huge advocate for cooking at home but some nights are busy and there is nothing wrong with take away every once in a while. Eating family meals is about learning the healthy habits that are unique to each household and figuring out what works best.
I hope these thoughts will inspire you to eat more meals together with your kids. Talk to your kids, explain to them what they are eating and why it is good for them, talk about your day, plans for tomorrow, the weekend or the next vacation. And if there are veggies "hidden" in the meatballs talk about those too.
If you need some more concrete benefits of family meals here are 8 more benefits according to TheFamilyFoodProject.org. Amazing how many positive benefits and most don't even have to do with food!
1. Better academic performance
2. Higher self-esteem
3. Greater sense of resilience
4. Lower risk of substance abuse
5. Lower risk of teen pregnancy
6. Lower risk of depression
7. Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
8. Lower rates of obesity.
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