I wonder if...

[thyme4change]

I went to MSN and there was a headline that said "11 hot food trends for 2011" (or something like that.) It clicked me through to a website called Delish. I don't recall being redirected before, so I'm wondering if the food section of MSN also got banished to a third party website.

After clicking on the headline, and then being directed to a page full of headlines, and then clicking on it again, and then I had to click on it a third time, I finally got to an article where there 20 upcoming food trends. 3 of which were (and I will quote) "Nutritionally balanced children's dishes"; "Children's nutrition" and "Fruit and vegetables as children's side items." I guess technically the third is different from the first two - but I will say the list as a whole is pretty lame.

I wonder if the people who used MSN as a source for Food news are as disappointed in Delish as we are in Bundle.

www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/2011-will-be-year-of-the-local-according-to-nations-chefs?OCID=FIT11

[cael]

What?? haha, that is pretty bad. Why do they write this crap? And... it's really sad that "fruits & vegetables as children's side items" is an 'upcoming food trend'... no wonder kids these days are fat :/

[thyme4change]

Yes, out of 20 - 7 things are basically local, organic or "farm-branded" - which all have a very similiar appeal to a specific consumer base. They have several things that are spciality or artisan, which kinda has the same appeal as local. They mention sustainability twice. Plus, is this really news for 2011? I thought the whole local thing started a couple years ago.

The only 2 things I see on here that are really worthy of mentioning are the Culinary cocktails and the ethnic breakfast items. Those are things that actually sound like viable trends.

[cael]

Yeah, the locally-grown and sustainable food thing isn't new, to me at least.

It makes me sad to think that feeding kids healthy food is a novel idea you can be damned sure my kids won't be eating the crap I see most kids eating these days (I feel like an old fuddy-duddy saying that, and I'm not even 30!)

[thyme4change]

My personal experience as a parent, I don't totally restrict my kids from crap - especially since they are school aged now, and they get snacks that aren't exactly what I would feed them. But, I also keep stuff around the house that is not considered healthy food in any way, shape or form.

But, the kids know that there are restriction. Their poor friends know it. A little girl told me she was hungry and I told her that I don't give snacks out an hour before dinner. If she was so hungry she had to eat, she would have to go home and get a snack. Her family has horrible eating habits, and I'm not going to let them bleed into my house.

At the end of the day, my kids are great vegetable and fruit eaters, and have no problem eating a healthy, balanced meal. We don't get too much fuss at dinner, and they are willing to try a lot of new things. But, they also don't feel deprived of cookies, candy, ice cream, etc. So, I'm hoping they are learning moderation and balance and will be able to cultivate a healthy relationship with food that will last their whole lives.

[cael]

Oh yeah. Totally depriving them of sweets or junk is no good, you have to find a good balance with it I imagine. That's mostly what I got growing up - some junk once in a while, but mostly just a good baseline of eating healthy. Although sadly, now I have a wicked taste for cola that I periodically try to curb. Lately it's been upsetting my acid reflux, so I've been off it & am hoping to stay off!

My DF's mother feeds his younger brother (14) McDonald's probably at least 3 times a week, barely cooks and if she does it's pasta. His diet's been horrible since he was born though, and he's a stupidly picky eater like his father. All he eats is crap. His teeth are horrible, she barely makes him brush them either when he visits us we make good meals and half the time he just sits there & barely eats, then later says he's hungry. I direct him to the leftovers. Makes me so mad and sad for the kid!

[thyme4change]

The Chef-Boyardee Ad campaign bugs the crud out of me right now. It is where there is a full serving of vegetables in the can, and the mother knocks over the display to keep the kid from finding out. Maybe my kids are outrageously special, but I never told them that vegetables are something to hate, and they never showed an aversion to them. No wonder adults are so crappy at eating if our parent had to trick us and force us to eat vegetables. Stop telling kids that vegetables suck, and maybe they won't hate them so much.

My kids eat peas, green bean, artichokes, brussel sprouts, asparagus, lettuce and broccoli (although my daughter will only eat the rabe.) And I don't have to mash any of that up and hide it in tomato sauce. I just lay it out on the plate.

[thyme4change]

My favorite hilarious story about my daughter. She was doing a sport and they moved her from a rec situation to a more competitive situation. With that, practices went from 90 minutes a week to 5 hours. She had a hard time adjusting, and one day she just broke down. She started crying in practice saying she was tired and hungry (practice was at dinner time.) I immediately took her home and made her a scrambled egg and toast (it was the fastest thing I could think of.) She looked at the plate, still crying and just beat down and said "Will you please get me a vegetable or fruit or something??" Really?? I guess when your kid thinks peas and carrots are comfort food to turn to when you are in the middle of a total emotional and physical breakdown, you really just can't understand why other parents have to force their kids to eat vegetables.

[cael]

LOL, that's great. I guess if you treat fruits & veggies like normal, regular food and nothing special to your kids, it shouldn't be a big deal eating them.

When my brother was really little (4ish), he hated rice and wouldn't eat it. I don't know, he has a problem with textures of food to this day.... anyway, my mother would put it in meatloaf to get some into him. I ratted her out once so he refused meatloaf for a long time he did eat veggies pretty well though

[thyme4change]

I didn't know rice was a mandatory food group.

I would just skip it. I don't think there is any nutritional value in rice that you can't get elsewhere, very easily.

My son won't eat salmon. Although it is very, very good for you - it just isn't worth it. My daughter loves it - so we just make my son a peanut butter sandwich and the rest of us eat salmon.

[cael]

It may not be. Just an example of how some people have to try to trick & connive kids into eating healthy food (or what they think is healthy food - rice is good for you but yeah, you could get the nutritional value elsewhere).

My brother refused fish for most of his life too, until recently for some reason - he finally realized he likes it. My dad used to make us fish all the time, yum!

[Abby Normal]

Stop telling kids that vegetables suck, and maybe they won't hate them so much.


If only that were true. My boys it just depends on the day. Last week one of them loved cauliflower, last night not so much. We just keep feeding it to them, some days they love it, and some days they'd rather die than eat vegetables. My youngest has always hated squash. One day, I fixed it a certain way, and he says "Mom I really like this". DH and I damn near choked.

[thyme4change]

I made a spaghetti squash the other night, and I had used the fork to make a giant pile on a cutting board on the counter. Then I put that in a pot with some garlic, tomatoes, olive oil and asparagus. My daughter just kept eating it off the cutting board. At dinner she had some of the mixed up kind on her plate, but then asked if she could just eat the un-oiled version on the counter instead. She had already picked out the asparagus and tomatoes, so - sure sweety, knock yourself out!

My boys it just depends on the day.

It sounds like you are doing great. My husband is the same way.