Eat Your Veggies

Kids will eat their veggies when prepared properly, offered regularly, and abundantly set in a great colorful variety.

Children will go through a fussy phase. Sometimes it starts when they see another child (older sibling, friend, cousin, classmate) give the puke face to a certain food. But other times it seems to just come out of nowhere. This is to be expected. We have to remember that children have a a much finer palate than we do as adults. They have twice as many taste buds (or taste bugs, as we call them in our family) so sour tastes sourer and sweet that much sweeter. When you think about it, this evolution in our bodies makes sense. As children, a new plant that might cause severe stomach cramps in an adult could kill a child.

We're told to introduce them as infants to veggies first so they don't get a taste for sweet first, but that is not really true. After all, their first food, breastmilk, is very sweet. It is supposed to be like that. So don't despair if you offered your child fruits before vegetables as an infant. It's never too late. You can (and I feel must) teach your child good eating habits as early as possible but it is never too late.

Children are instinctively curious. If they see you enjoying something, they will enjoy it too. So the first and best way to get veggies into your child is to enjoy and eat them regularly in front of your child. They learn by example.

Kids will often be more apt to try something that they chose. Have them shop for something in your refrigerator or with you online or in the grocery store or farmer's market. Have them help prepare it with you. "I did it!" can help instill a sense of pride in their food; with rave reviews on their cooking, they may willingly give it go.

Some kids grow out of their finicky phase gracefully, but some may never grow out of it so don't wait for it to just happen. We need to insist that they try new foods and we have to try new foods too. Be patient, extremely patient for your must stubborn child, and absolutely lovingly yet firmly insist they must try it. Be prepared. They will make gagging noises, cry, scream, threaten, even all out puke, oh gosh, I've been through it myself too. Just be calm, and be ready to sit there for a half an hour if need be, until they take a bite. It starts small but eventually they will start eating their vegetables and actually enjoy them! Your patience and persistence will impact their future so take a deep breath and do it now, no matter their age.

The day they ASK for a certain vegetable will be a gracious reward for all those painful hours that you will finally be able to look back upon and laugh.

How to get your kids to eat their veggies:

1. set a good example
2. offer a colorful variety
3. offer vegetables at (virtually) every meal and for snacks
   
4. let your child choose what to try
   
5. cook with your kids
   
6. prepare them deliciously - do not overcook
   
7. put it on their plate, at least one tiny piece to start
8. be patient, insist that they take a bite, you have all night
9. next step is to insist they take at least three bites
10. offer it again at another meal maybe prepared differently. Insist that they try a new food at least ten times before they express their displeasure (this is ten times over weeks or months, not all in one day.)

It may not be easy. It may be close to impossible. I promise, they will not starve. Eventually they will see that you mean business and they will take a bite without any fuss. But they are clever and know how to push your buttons and they will try and avoid it. Stand your ground. You are doing the right thing. Have them try the new vegetable first or after two bites of another food that they like on the plate but don't wait until the end of the meal. Be patient. Be persistent. It is worth this aggravation.

Roasting vegetables is such a simple and delicious way to prepare vegetables.

Here I have some yellow cauliflower and asparagus.

Just put in a pan, don't crowd it, drizzle on olive oil, sprinkle on some sea salt, and roast in a preheated 425F oven until it begins to caramelize and brown and until tender, anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes depending upon what you're roasting and how thick it is.

Roasting with oil and salt intensifies the sweet flavors and, as you can see, the colors, of the vegetable.

Any vegetable can be prepared this way: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, leafy greens, really any vegetable, give it a try!

I sometimes sprinkle on some dry spices, like the curry powder I added to the green beans, before tossing it with the olive oil. I think it's important that children try a variety of flavors from spicy to sweet, all within reason of course, and I ask them to try it and give their review (while certain words like gross, disgusting, foul, are off-limits) of that food empowering them in their decision. Yet, they know they will have to try it again one day too. We've talked about how their taste bugs change as they grow up.

Other ways to get veggies into the kids:

• have them available in the fridge: have cleaned carrot and celery sticks in the fridge ready for dipping in a nut butter or ranch dip
• add veggies (even pureed) to breakfast frittatas (we love spinach basil pesto and even my fussiest pickiest worst vegetable eater now loves it! Believe me, I have one and I DO understand. See most post on greens for the recipe.)
• You can add a kale leaf to the breakfast smoothie and they won't even notice. If you add 2 (remove the tough stalk) then it will take on an enticing pale green color.
• Juice with your kids! Kale and Apple are a great combo - have them do a blind taste test at first or use a shot glass to have them gobble it quickly until they realize, hey, this is delicious (because it tastes like sweet apple juice - only it's green! I've even said how they can freak out their friends with their green food the next time they're over.)
• Use veggies to decorate the plate - better yet, have your child do that. Use carrots as legs of animals, make a face with different vegetables.
• Add pureed greens to soups, stews, even baked goods if you want. Add pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes. Add pureed butternut squash to macaroni and cheese. Make a sauce from pureed veggies. Add pureed veggies to your egg base before making chicken fingers or fish sticks. Add pureed leafy greens to pasta sauce. Casseroles and stews can hide a multitude of healthy veggies. Add tomato paste to ground beef for tacos or meatloaf. Offer a selection of veggies for homemade pizza.
  
• Get some dried veggies and have fun sampling those.
• Kids may actually eat FROZEN peas cold as a fun treat. (btw, frozen grapes are fun too!)
• Top with melted cheese - melted cheese makes everything delicious.
• Add crunchy bits of bacon - everything is better with bacon.
• Cook in a tablespoon of butter, olive oil, or coconut oil.
  
• Teach good nutrition lessons so they know why vegetables are so important. Explain how many we should eat and why. They will eventually hear you and understand it better.
  
• Play like an animal and have fun eating leaves like a giraffe or a baboon and act them out.
• Include fruits and vegetables in their lunch box.
• Eat dinner as a family, have a good selection of fresh vegetables available, set a good example by eating and enjoying your vegetables yourself.

Instilling healthy eating habits that last a lifetime, teaching and setting a good example, the rewards for this patient lesson (even when you're ready to pull your hair out and give up) is the best thing we can do for their good health and future.

This is part of Food Renegade's FIGHT BACK FRIDAYS where people who are fighting back against the dominate food culture blog about our adventures in real food including:

• updates & stories about our Real Food journey,
• tips,
• recipes,
• anything we think others might find useful, helpful, encouraging, or inspiring.

Let's Clear the Air

I love to travel and explore with my family. At the same time I dread it - being out of my comfort zone, being away from my kitchen where I prepare meals that nourish our bodies with good food and our souls with tradition, and stepping into the unknown of chemicals and cleaners used at the place where we will rest our heads.

Since we've stopped using chemicals and have been eating real food, we notice it, even the kids do. Walking into a shoe or toy store makes our eyes water with all the off-gassing. It's amazing what we can subject our bodies to, lack of nutrition, bombarding it with chemicals and disease, and our lovely bodies continue to function. Our family, thankfully, is more in tune so we can make better decisions knowing what's good and not.

We realize this and are more accepting of the outside world when we travel but there is one thing we cannot tolerate. And you shouldn't either. When you think about it, it's an amazing invention that never existed and now has become a necessary element in making a house a home.

Sprays, plug-ins, plug-ins that self-spray, odor neutralizers, air sanitizers, and aromatherapy candles in just the right scent are all there, something for everyone. Air fresheners seem to work to help erase the smells in the room and clean the air, but actually they work on us. The chemicals coat our nasal passages with a film that deadens the nerve endings. They mask the problem and fool us into thinking the room is fresh, the smell we have learned to mean clean.

The ingredients are toxic and may include things like formaldehyde, fragrance, benzyl alcohol, camphor, ethanol, and naphthalene, among others. Aside from causing asthma and allergies, many of these chemicals are known carcinogens that lead to cancer and birth defects. Many attack the central nervous system which can lead to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis, or SIDs in infants. Children are particularly susceptible to poor air quality which can lead to a host of diseases and premature death. Sound clean to you?

Air fresheners and room deodorizers actually create air pollution. When used in a confined area, like our homes, places of work, or cars, they create an intense amount of toxins in a small area. The EPA ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five environmental health risks to the public. Pollution indoors is oftentimes worse (sometimes up to 500 times worse!) than the pollution outdoors! Sure, tobacco smoke indoors is a horrible contributor to that, but aside from that, indoor pollution is primarily the cause of all the things we use to clean our homes and make our homes smell good. In aerosol form the dangers are multiplied because of the micro-particles that are created of the chemicals that can then enter our bloodstream.

Many natural and health food stores sell aromatherapy candles. Traditional candles are made of paraffin wax, a by-product of the gasoline industry, a petrochemical. The fragrance is either artificial, once again a petro-chemical and many not suited for combustion, or a pure essential oil which, when burned, no longer offers the therapeutic effect and actually converts into unhealthy byproducts. Scented paraffin candles usually contain metal or lead core wicks creating unsafe lead concentrations when burned. 100% of the lead that is inhaled when the candle is burned ends up in the bloodstream which can be particularly damaging to, you guessed it, growing children. What is not inhaled immediately attaches to furniture and walls to be inhaled or ingested later. The black soot created from burning traditional, and especially scented, candles is toxic. According to the American Lung Association - "scented, paraffin candles cause lead poisoning and using slow burning paraffin candles cause poor indoor air quality, and a serious health concern." Once again, instead of freshening the air, they work to mask the odor while adding poisons to the air we breathe in the comfort of our own homes.

Unplug them, stop buying them, save your money and instead, really freshen your air:

• clean instead of masking the odor, use nontoxic cleaners
• open the windows for real fresh air (if you're not in a high rise with smokers on the patio above or below you, or up against a busy street, of course)
  
• empty the garbage frequently and get rid of rotting meats and vegetables
• burn 100% pure UNSCENTED beeswax candles with 100% cotton wicks - not only is it the best alternative to traditional paraffin candles, but pure beeswax candles actually do purify and clean the air and add a warm golden glow
  
• use the box of open baking soda trick from your fridge in closets and bathrooms or put a half a cup of vinegar in the smelly room to absorb the odor
• use a drop or two of pure essential oils in a mister filled with distilled water and spritz
• simmer spices like cinnamon and cloves in a little water on the stovetop
• simmer 3 - 5 organic lemons cut in fourths in clean water for 30 minutes to an hour
• simmer crushed or cut fresh ginger in some water
• simmer herbs like rosemary or basil
• boil some water and then add a drop or two of your favorite pure essential oil(s)
• dab pure organic cotton balls with orange, vanilla, lavender, or lemon extracts or essential oils and place them around the house
• use organic herbal sachets and potpourris or run your fingers against pots of fresh herbs that you keep in the house to release their scent
  
• add potted plants to your room to clear carbon dioxide and other toxins naturally
• use volcanic rocks to absorb the odors
• get freshly cut fragrant organic flowers
• cook or bake, toast up dried spices in a pan, put something in the oven - create a delicious meal and you'll make the house smell good and fill happy tummies with something delicious -it's amazing how aromas of food can fill the air and create memories for our children.

This is part of Natural Body Care Products for Real Foodies for

Join at Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Your Biggest Organ

This is usually one of the last things we change. We get attached to name brands, the smells, and how they make us look and feel. But the fact is that more chemicals get into our body through our skin, our biggest organ, than through eating or what we breathe.

Children and teens are especially susceptible to chemicals. While the FDA does test chemicals and additives to see if they cause cancer, they do not look at the effects these chemicals may have on our growing children. In fact, children products are notoriously toxic. They do not test how it may accumulate in children. They do not test the hormonal effects or potential learning disabilities associated with additives. And then there is the potential problems missed from mixing chemicals by exposure to a variety over a short period of time.

The list of chemicals in any one product is staggering, just look at an ingredient list and try and pronounce them all. Most ingredients that are listed are harmful chemicals proven to cause cancer and birth defects. According to the Environmental Defense Group, some 78% of the chemicals in personal care products have not even been tested for toxicity. While Europe has stricter standards, the U.S. government does not police all chemical ingredients in personal care items. Companies are allowed to do it because it's only a "minute amount" of this or that bad chemical. The theory is that a little bit can't hurt. But the reality is that all those minute amounts are compounded into all the luscious creams, lotions, shampoos, perfumes, sprays, deodorants, cosmetics. On top of that, we use these products daily, thus compounding the cocktail of chemicals into our body on a regular basis. And, unbeknownst to us, the ingredient list doesn't include everything because many combinations are protected as "trade secret."

But we can take steps to safeguard ourselves. Choose companies that take an interest in our health, not just their bottom line in creating effective yet safe products:

• Aubrey Organics
• Badger Balm
• Dr. Bronner's
  
• Earth Mama Angel Baby
• Kiss My Face
• Mercola
  
• MyChelle
• Terressentials
• Weleda

Tips to remember when shopping:

1. Labels on the front are for sales purposes when it comes to personal care items. Organic does not necessarily mean safe for personal care products. It's a marketing ploy. There are currently no certifications for personal care products to be organic, though it is in the works. Choose companies that truly offer organic ingredients not just an organic smattering so they can highlight that on their label or, my favorite, when they say it's 90% organic because it's, oh, 90% water infused with organic essential oil.
   
2. Make sure your hair coloring is lead-free free and read to avoid other harmful chemicals.
3. Personal care items should be free of Sodium-Laureth/Lauryl Sufite or SLS and Parabens, and other harmful chemicals.
4. Lipstick does indeed get ingested as we eat, drink, kiss, and lick our lips . Many lipsticks contain lead. Choose lipstick with ingredients that you would eat since after all, you are going to eat it.
   
5. Choose nail polish that is formaldehyde and toluene free.
6. Perfumes can include a laundry list of items not on the label. Most include hormone disrupters, phthalates, and artificial fragrances. Phthlates are known hormone disrupters leading to issues in fertility; they have been linked to birth defects. Once you understand what's in there, the aroma won't be as alluring. Choose pure essential oils instead.
7. If pregnant, you are sharing what you spray and put on your skin so choose carefully for the health and safety of your wee one.

Or try doing without commercial products altogether. One Generation has great posts on making your own homemade safe and effective:

• deodorant
• shampoo
  

Recently, a friend of ours commented that my family's hair looked great. I laughed. We recently started no-pooing and me with my very curly hair always had frizzy in the humid south Florida climate and now no extra products and no frizz - just simple baking soda/water combo and rinse with vinegar/water/vanilla bean solution. The kids are doing it too and some are happy not to have to wash their hair anymore.

Link for more information:

• Skin Deep, Environmental Working Group
• Are Your Products Safe?, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
• Come Clean Campaign, Organic Consumers Association
  

This post is part of two Carnivals:

Getting Human is the topic for today at

and

Join the Real Food Wednesday Carnival by heading over to Kelly the Kitchen Kop for Natural Body Care Products for Real Foodies and Join the Works For Me Wednesday Carnival by going to We Are That Family.

Alphabet Soup: GMO (archive for FBF)

Link to my previous post on Genetically Modified Foods, how and why to avoid them for FBF.

This is part of Food Renegade's FIGHT BACK FRIDAYS where people who are fighting back against the dominate food culture blog about our adventures in real food including:

• updates & stories about our Real Food journey,
• tips,
• recipes,
• anything we think others might find useful, helpful, encouraging, or inspiring.

Wowee, my first Award

Carolyn from Taste a Beet chose me for the Kreativ Blogger Award and I am ever so grateful! This is what she wrote about my blog: "Annie is amazingly versed in organic foods, green cleaning, how to buy local, and mostly how to live with principle when there isn’t any around you." Thank you, Carolyn! I am honored to be one of your picks and appreciate your kind words very much.

Be sure to head over to Taste a Beet (don't you love the name of that blog! I mean, even if you don't like beets, and if you don't then I believe you haven't had them prepared properly, you gotta love the bold title.) and check out her creative ways to include the eleven best foods you’re not eating.

The way this award works is to pay it forward to 10 other people. So here are my nominees in no official order:

1. Carolyn chose her but I'm going to have to be a copy-cat and offer up this award to Kimberly, The Nourishing Gourmet. Her blog is easy to read and offers a wealth of information that allows the reader to apply new ideas into our lives. I also love her pictures. Follow her journey to good health through real food.
   
   
2. Melinda with One Green Generation blogs about green and frugal living. She shares tips on making small changes in the way we live to help preserve our planet and create sustainable communities for our future.
   
   
3. Edrian is the quintessential creative blogger with her beautiful art work and etsy shop cuties. Her creativity focuses on things kids would like or parents would like for their children and she's working on her first illustrated children's book.
   
   
4. Anne Marie is a Cheeseslave who is passionate about food. Her blog offers a plethora of information on healthy eating based upon Nourishing Traditions. She also organizes the Real Food Media blog network dedicated to slow and traditional food. Her motto says it all: "For the love of cheese. And bacon. And butter. And raw milk. And all those other things we’re not supposed to eat." What's not to love there, right?
   
   
5. Beth at Fake Plastic Fish is an inspiration to plastic-free living, well, as plastic-free as one can get in today's world. Beth makes this challenge seem attainable and admits to her successes and disappointments. She includes information that is pertinent to living a healthier life and tips to help heal the planet and our bodies by reducing the use of plastic.
   
   
6. The New Hunter Gatherer is Justine who adds articles, news information, videos, and shares her no-nonsense approach to frugal healthing living through Nourishing Traditions and the GAPS diet after reclaiming the health of her family through food.
   
   
7. Katrina at Kale for Sale enticed me with the name of her blog because anyone who knows me knows that I love Kale, then it reads: "Grandpa's wooden sign hung on the oak at the top of the hill for thirty years. "What is kale?" I finally asked." and I was hooked with the answer. You'll just have to check it out yourself to find out. Love her pictures, Haiku Friday, Local Produce listing for her area, and her dedication to eating locally.
   
   
8. Bonnie and the great researchers and writers at the Ethicurean have been a long-time favorite. This blog celebrates cooking, keeps us abreast of the laws, discusses food recalls, and honors the ethicurean in us all.
   
   
9. Holly offers up Sustainable Suppers where you will learn everything from no-pooing to delicious healthful recipes. She shares her passion for food in her own sassy style with her very back to basics approach.
   
   
10. Kelly the Kitchen Kop shares her real life changes to Weston Price/Nourishing Traditions eating in her family even with teenagers (and his friends) and shares tips to make it work in your family too. She runs the Real Food Wednesdays which I have enjoyed participating in of recent.
    

Gosh it was so easy to get these 10 and I frequent posts reguarly so I'm sure I missed some other well deserving bloggers. Please don't take offense, I'm sure this award will come your way too.

Congrats Kreativ Bloggers and thank you for making our space more fun and inspirational!