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What is Your Biggest Food Issue?

by Claire on July 1, 2012

Alright, I’ve been doing the Your Child’s Food 1 Year Challenge and writing posts on various food issues for a while now. I would just like to take a moment to check in with you and see what you would like more information on.

So please tell me, what is your biggest food issue right now? Where are you having troubles with and would like to improve?

Thanks,
Claire

Permalink | Comments (18)

Comments (18) -

Emma
7/2/2012 3:37:47 AM #

Getting the 2 year old to stay at the table and getting them both to try the first bite of something that is at all different - usually then they are then fine to eat the rest.  
Persistence does work, but it is tiresome!

Reply

Claire
7/2/2012 8:15:16 AM #

Thanks Emma,

It sounds like your persistence is working if you can get them to stay after the first bite without much trouble. It is hard work tough, isn't it?

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

mamawolfe
7/2/2012 9:09:21 AM #

I have teens...and so much of what they eat isn't monitored by me anymore.  I have pretty good eaters, but want to increase their desire to try new foods.  Especially veggies!

Reply

Claire
7/2/2012 4:24:51 PM #

It is so much harder to influence your children's diet once they are teens. I think the best thing you can do is to model the behavior you want them to have. Show your love for veggies (or learn to love veggies).

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

pamela r
7/2/2012 4:46:14 PM #

well I past the young picky eaters---although now my daughter is on a  fruit and noodle diet-tweens -- might be worse then the baby yeaers for me! =O

Reply

Claire
7/2/2012 5:07:12 PM #

Thanks Pamela,

Fruit and noodle diet huh? Well, at least fruit is good for her. Each age brings its own unique challenges! Good luck.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

Rosann
7/3/2012 4:50:47 AM #

I have a 7yr old and a 3yr old.  Getting my 7yr old to drink milk is like pulling teeth!  Also getting her to eat her veggies.  She ate so many of them when she was a toddler but now they just sit on her plate.  Grrr...

Reply

Claire
7/3/2012 9:58:35 AM #

Thanks Rosann,

It is frustrating when your child stops eating what she used to eat. Have you thought about talking to her about alternatives to get the nutrition in the milk or veggies? If she knows why something is important, and the different ways she can get them, she may feel more in control, and be willing to eat spinach because she knows it counts as a veggie and helps her get some of the nutrition that is in milk, for example. Good luck!

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

Michelle
7/3/2012 11:01:48 AM #

My kids are 5 and 8 and I have a hard time getting my 8 year old to eat vegetables.  We're trying to get him to eat more salads and stuff this year, but it's like pulling teeth.  You should hear the cries of "But, MOM!  I just ate salad last week. . . "  We're trying to do a whole food revolution thing this summer.  Trying to cut out some of our "okay" snacks and replace with vegetables.  But, we'll see how it goes.

Reply

Claire
7/3/2012 3:41:35 PM #

Thanks Michelle,

Your whole food revolution should go well. It is surprising how much we eat depends on what is convenient to eat. I wish you the best of luck.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

Nan @ Playful Decor
7/3/2012 12:54:48 PM #

Hi CLaire, what an awesome project!! I need to read more but I'd love to post a button on my site to help spread the word. I didn't see any 125x125 buttons, do you have one? I buy about 50% of our food organic adn my kids (7&5) are good with that. I've even found organic treats for them to have once in a while. I've really pulled us off sugar and starting to pull back from grains in favor of almond flour for baking. Last night we had salmon, broccoli and strawberries & apples for dinner. That was it and we were all satisfied, full and the kids were asking for more salmon! Back to your question - seriously, my biggest issue is my hub eating better - lots of travel time though he now gets more salads at the fast food places and I'd like a huge cut-back on sausages & bacon burgers with him as well!

Reply

Claire
7/3/2012 3:46:48 PM #

Thanks Nan,

I will follow up with you on the button - I can create something 125 by 125.

It sounds like you do well with the food. An extra side of fruit can be a great replacement for grains. Samantha loves fruit, so I scale back on her grains some allot.

I hear you on getting the hubby to eat better. After all, he is your equal in marriage, not your child. I've found that setting a good example has helped with my husband. Over the years, he has slowly started eating better. When Samantha was born, he started caring more because he doesn't want her to eat badly. A note on fast food salads; pay attention to what is put in them. Many places have started making them just as bad as their other fast foods.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

Rossel
7/3/2012 10:01:24 PM #

My daughter is a picky eater. She doesn't love vegetables very much so I am always trying to make twists on my menu with vegetables. I also let her help me in the kitchen and make her own salad or tacos.

Reply

Claire
7/5/2012 8:26:13 AM #

Thanks Rossel,

Having your daughter help with the food is great! It will significantly increase her likelihood of eating the food. I also think that variety can really help.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

Momfever
7/6/2012 12:17:27 AM #

My biggest issue is using biological vegetables, but they're too pricey...

Reply

Claire
7/6/2012 10:02:14 AM #

I am assuming that by biological, you mean organic? I have found farmers markets to e a good place to get quality organic produce at a reasonable price. Also, if you are so inclined, growing your own can be fun for the family.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

pepper tan
7/6/2012 1:35:04 AM #

My problem with my six year old girl is it takes so long for her to finish a meal. She's not really a picky eater. She just tends to stuff food in her mouth before chewing and swallowing. What do I do? Thanks in advance

Reply

Claire
7/6/2012 10:09:30 AM #

Thanks Pepper,

My daughter, at one, is struggling with the same thing. With her, we are doing the "give her a small amount of food at a time" approach, especially on her favorite foods. When she stuffs her mouth and asks for more, we tell her she needs to chew first. This is our first step towards teaching her manners. Specifically, teaching her to chew slowly, and talk in-between bits. Teaching your daughter more about manners may really help her. Starting next week, manners will be the main focus of my posts four about four weeks. Best of luck.

Thanks,
Claire

Reply

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My parents raised me right. Food has enriched my life from childhood. Now that I am a mother, I am taking a one year challenge to enrich my daughter’s life through food. I invite you take this challenge with me, for your child.

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