Tangible Difference Company Blog

Written by Michael Conteh Monday, 27 July 2009 00:00

Blog 07-27-2009: Food Fight!

Introducing new foods.

7-27-2009 Food Fight! By Alexis Lima

A good friend of mine is working down in Ecuador and he recently sent me some pictures, one of which showed him chowing down on coconut grubs shish-kabob style. Apparently, in the jungles of Ecuador, they take coconut grubs, remove the stomach (because the coconut grub’s diet consists of rotten palm trees and no one wants to ingest rotten wood), marinate them in a wild orange, and them grill them. I can imagine the look on your face as you contemplate eating a grub. But if you really stop and think about what is in a hot dog, or Jell-O, or red food coloring...well, how is that any different?

Anyway, all this just reinforces the concept that food is an acquired taste. When we are introducing new foods to children we sometimes forget this. If you told me that you loved Brussel sprouts the first time you ate them, I would call you a liar. Brussel sprouts are one of those foods you have to develop a taste for (or avoid once you become an adult and your mom can no longer force them on you).

Another thing to keep in mind is that the number of taste buds a person possesses declines with age (hence, your grandmother’s use of a bucket of salt to season her cooking), so your child’s tongue is likely more sensitive to different flavors and textures than your own. Now, I am not saying that is an excuse for children to be picky eaters and subsist solely on cookies and peanut butter. It is just something you need to understand in order to be able to work around it. Introducing new foods into a child’s diet can be difficult, but here are some tips to make the process easier:

¨ Set a good example.

Your children watch your eating habits. If you make a face every time you meet a squash, don’t expect your child to be excited when you present it to him. Model the dietary habits you want your child to emulate.

¨ Start with foods that are similar in taste or texture to your child’s preferred foods.

This can reduce some of the anxiety of trying something new. If your child eats only applesauce and yogurt, don’t throw a carrot at him to start. Mashed potatoes would be more middle ground, and you can always add some shredded carrots in there later on.

¨ Introduce foods that are hard to spit back out.

Anyone who has ever eaten a Ritz cracker knows that it begins to dissolve almost instantly, so there’s no going back after that first bite.

¨ Be committed to the cause (part I).

If your child takes a bite of a new food and tries to spit it out, toss it right back in. Keep it up until your child swallows it. Current record stands at 3 hours and 8 minutes for a single green bean.

¨ Have bribes ready.

If your child loves peanut butter but won’t eat an apple, try spreading some peanut butter on the apple. If your child squirms at the sight of broccoli, try melting a bit of cheese on it. The goal here is not to mask the flavor or texture of the new food, but to make it appear more familiar and enticing. You can also bargain with your child and offer a bit of a preferred food in exchange for trying a bite of the new food.

¨ Your child will not starve (playing hardball).

Sometimes your child is going to be stubborn about it and they are banking on you giving up first. Stay strong and offer nothing but that food until it is eaten. If they refuse to eat dinner, put it in the fridge and reheat it for breakfast. If they don’t eat it at breakfast, serve it for lunch. Keep going until your child eats the meal. Eventually he will get hungry enough to eat it…and he may even like it.

¨ Be committed to the cause (part II).

Just because your child doesn’t take to the new food the first few times you offer it is no reason to avoid it. Try the food again in a few weeks or months. Tastes change, perhaps a few months from now that food won’t seem so bad.

¨ Have fun with it.

I’ve never been a big fan of the whole “don’t play with your food” movement. Food is an experience and a social event as much as a source of nourishment. Enjoy your meal!