Woes of a Foodie in a Chicken Nugget World

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Andrew Zimmerman has made a career out of exploring the strange and unexpected of the culinary world. His catchphrase, “If it looks good, eat it!” is echoed in each episode of his Travel Channel docuseries whether he’s pulling wings off termites for the wok or digging for precious roots for broth.

I would absolutely love to follow in his foodsteps. 

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From unpronounceable mushrooms to insects and ox tails, I absolutely adore less-than-traditional cuisines. If I could pitch a tent in Jungle Jim’s, I would. My kids, of course, enjoy gazing at the collected oddities strategically suspended about the store. The challenge of it though was getting them to eat the foods we had gathered together once we left.

Surprisingly, I was never a Gerber mom. I made my own baby food because I actually found it much cheaper and way easier than I had originally expected. I fed my son the foods I ate. I took him to ethnic restaurants. He joined me in the kitchen, cracking eggs and filling measuring cups. Somewhere along the line, though, his palette began to taper.

Fried and microwaved foods crept in at daycare and family gatherings. Worse of all, I got “lazy.” Let’s face it – chicken nuggets are a great solution to the post-work, pre-bedtime time crunch. There is also the issue of cost. A recent study conducted by Utah State University estimated that eating healthy can cost a family twice as much annually as a family who did not make efforts to better incorporate healthier food items.

My youngest son, Isaac, is more adventurous than his older brother when it comes to trying new things and that includes new foods. With Jackson, who is now 7, I had to consult the authorities. I began reading health articles and various blogs, hoping to expand his diet, which consisted primarily of cheese and carbohydrates. There are several themes that run consistently across the available resources on the matter. Here is a list of some of the primary commonalities:

Start them young. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control, children should be introduced to a wide variety of foods by the age of 7 to 8 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that for most children, you do not need to give foods in a certain order. Your child can begin eating solid foods at about 6 months old. By the time he or she is 7 or 8 months old, your child can eat a variety of foods from different food groups.

You also have to follow the rules.

This can include buying things that you don’t necessarily have on your grocery list. All of us with online shopping instant lists have come to the recognition that we buy the same thing over and over, with a few variations. Now is the time to break that cycle. Try adding four or five different vegetables, ethnic items, or recipe staples to your list each buy. Keep switching it up. Explore new items with your children. They’ll enjoy the fact that you are part of the process, too.

Avoid the snack attack.

It can be so tempting to allow children to graze on whatever sugary item was on sale on our last excursion to the grocery store. Unfortunately, snacking is a very dangerous component of unhealthy eating. Just like us, kids eat out of boredom and not necessarily because they are hungry. We may worry that we are being overbearing by monitoring their intake but they are depending on us to help with that.

Finally, in terms of limiting the costs of eating right, HealthLine offers a great list of tips to stretch the dollar and expand the palate.

Food is a part of a cultural and social experience, influenced strongly by childhood exposure and parental example. It can even serve as a language in many ways or as an international gesture of kindness. Just as children model their social relationships, they also model their relationship with food. They may not always like the same things we do, but they will, for the most part, adopt the approach of their parents when it comes to trying new things.

So you don’t have to cut out the chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and mac n’ cheese entirely (whew!), but remember to mix in some adventure here and there. It can certainly make a big difference. Bon Appetit, moms!

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