Update: My son is eating vegetables!!

Summer is the best season for fresh food. So many different and delicious fruits and vegetables are available, fresh from the garden. I am extremely fortunate to live next to people who have a garden, so large and successful that they cannot eat all they produce. In the past they have kindly shared their excess with me and my family. This year, as they are becoming too old for the shoveling and weeding, I have become their laborer in exchange for an even larger share of the bounty. Besides sitting down to a salad of fresh lettuces, spinach, carrots, and cucumbers, we are also harvesting peas (three different kinds), green beans, zucchini, raspberries, strawberries, potatoes, shallots, cilantro, basil, parsley, thyme, and dill.

But most amazing of all is my son's interest. As you may know from my book or a previous blog, my son does not usually show much interest in fresh fruits and vegetables. But this summer he is. He goes next door to the garden when he is hungry and picks some strawberries and raspberries. He is picking and eating snap peas, snow peas and green beans, stuffing them in his pockets. He searches for cucumbers and loves their flavor and crunch. He also loves to pull carrots from the ground, rinse them with the hose and eat them right then and there. Actually, all of these foods he eats at the garden. Once they are on the table, even if they are still raw and untouched by slicing, cooking or saucing, he doesn't show much interest.

So I am all smiles as he munches away, and my wonderful and generous neighbors are totally welcoming and supportive of his interest as he nibbles away at their garden. As I think back, my daughter never ate a tomato until she tried one freshly picked in our yard. She loves them now and even eats them from the store and served at the table. So no matter where you live, grow something--cucumbers and tomatoes grow well in pots, lettuce doesn't' take much room, and potatoes grow underground beneath their green leafy tops (kids love digging for these in the late summer). If you can't grown foods at home, visit a local farm that sells to the public or visit a farmers market. Most vendors give out samples and it is amazing what kids eat when it is a sample.

Enjoy the rest of the summer. I am looking forward to the harvesting of tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions, apples, Asian pears, plums, more zucchini, and grapes. And I can't wait to see what my son will be eating then.

Avoid Over Eating

I am reading David Kessler's book "The End of Overeating". He has totally reinforced my motivation to convince parents to stop feeding their children an abundance of processed foods. Kessler's book focuses on why we over eat. He takes the reader through the way the brain can react to food cues, smells, and stimulus which then create memories and habits. He then discusses how most of our foods, all those that are processed, are scientifically manufactured to increase our desire and addiction for the food. Lastly he talks about how to break the habits of over eating.

Kessler's premise is that we are all fighting a battle against "Big Food" where food is manipulated to give us the most pleasure with the least effort. Many of the doctors and scientists that he interviews for this book, and the studies that he uses to support their findings are based not only on people who are over weight or obese, but on drug abusers, alcoholics, gamblers and smokers. Addictive behaviors all produce similar reactions in the brain. Foods are structured to melt away in our mouths with almost no chewing. The tastes of salt, sugar and fat are balanced in a way to produce the biggest WOW, and to last even after the food is out of our mouths, leaving us wanting more. As these foods melt away so quickly, we eat more and more, way before our brains tell us we are full. We become accustomed to eating large portions of foods. Habits are formed along with extra weight.

So the most important action you can take to teach your child how to eat is to avoid processed foods. This includes almost all chain restaurant foods (and many others), salty and sweet snacks foods, candy, soda, breakfast cereals and many ready to eat canned and frozen meals. Provide your children with real food: fruit, vegetables, whole grains (oatmeal, brown rice, corn, whole wheat noodles and breads), lean meats, eggs, cheese, nuts, seeds, beans, sea food, and baked goods with real food ingredients only (flour, sugar, butter).

Insist that your children sit down and eat, chew their food, and let their bodies, mouths and minds realize that they have eaten and are satisfied. Serve portions that are small so children see what an appropriate portion looks like, and then allow for seconds if your child still senses hunger. Read Kessler's book- it will really show you how to create a healthy eater in yourself and your child.