Picky eaters

One thing that was bought to my attention most recently by my daughter is her evolution in regards to food. This was on an ordinary mommy and daughter having dinner together night.

For the past year her eating habits have changed drastically. It started with replacing all beverages with water. We both decided to make additional changes to our eating habits at the same time but hers have just continued to move her in a whole different direction.

The eye opener comment was a simple “mami I love water”.

Now just to give you some back ground we have never been a household to indulge in processed foods, sweets or any other things in excess. I raised my daughter with the usual first year of milk (whichever form worked best) and water, then the foods in stages as well as other items and drinks. Once the teeth came in and she was a toddler  we went onto our typical Dominican dishes( my family comes from the Dominican Republic) which include but don’t just stop at rice, beans, meats, salads, plantains, fresh fruits and veggies and then the staples of certain pasta dishes, burgers, franks, shrimps, soups, the usual cereals, and other breakfast items. I never allowed her too much sugar, everything in moderation. We also never had soda in the house; we only drank soda at party’s or BBQ’s. McDonalds and any other fast food places were treats (yes I know, treat? Not). I never made it a normal thing to have fast food as a means for dinner. I always packed her school lunches up until sixth grade (when she decided she wanted to see what “school lunch” was like), they included jello, yogurts, fruits, milk, sandwiches, Polly o string cheese sometimes it was a Lunchable. By the age of 8 our house changed to no red meats only on special occasions that was her father’s input. He felt we were consuming too much red meat and it was contributing to our digestive issues; once we began to reduce our intake we noticed a huge difference. We then switched to turkey or chicken for our burgers and franks. We found that as we made these changes we also ate less and less outside the home or called for takeout.

So now we get to present day and where she once didn't like anything whole wheat or grain she loves. Where most veggies were at some point an enemy now they are her daily friend. She even cuts her own carrots! She continues to love her yogurt but now adds granola to the mix.

Among the dos and don’ts she is no longer eating any type of fast food, no ketchup, no type of juices just water or water with slice of lemon. No cereals with added sugar, no ice cream, rarely any cookies, no candy except for an occasional bag of m&m’s and never any chips. This is where I am on a different road; I am in the mindset of moderation, not yet ready to give up some of those things.

So back to our dinner, Salmon (grilled) and a green salad with cranberries, she commented to me that the reason perhaps she did not care for certain things as a child was because the flavors were masked with the juices or other beverages she was drinking. That certain food together don’t allow for the full flavor to be enjoyed. That perhaps had I enforced more of the water more often as I introduced certain food items, she would have been more open to the suggestions.

Which led me to stop and think.....just how much masking of flavors we all do on a daily because we may not drink enough water? WATER!!! Who would have thought?