For my five-year-old fruits and vegetables have always been more
prevalent than junk "food". Therefore, she has learned to like and
appreciate them, because it's what she has known since conception.
Yesterday, for breakfast, she had an apple. For lunch, she had a
vegetable salad of spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and carrots and another
apple.
(I don't remember if she had an apple for breakfast or not. We've
bought them as they are in season and she's on an apple kick.) She also
had a slice of whole wheat bread and guacamole hummus. For a snack, I
treated her to a granola bar, when she will usually have a pepper. For
dinner, she had vegan lasagna (veggie soy crumbles, pasta sauce rice
cheese, whole wheat noodles), whole wheat bread and green beans. Today,
she started with an apple for breakfast and she'll probably have a salad
again for lunch....
I neither agree nor disagree with dips. I've heard people claim that
they eat salads (and therefore eat "healthy"), but load it with meat,
cheese and then drown it in a dressing made with unhealthy fats. My
daughter got to liking yellow mustard with peppers. It's actually good
as it's a nice mix of spice (mustard) and sweet (the red, orange and
yellow peppers).
However, she will eat vegetables without the dips as
well. So it works. If it comes to the point in which the only way a kid
will eat vegetables is if they are covered in something, then there
might be a problem. (I laugh at the Hidden Valley commercial-- OF COURSE
kids always eat their vegetables if they are covered in the dressing.)
Plus, the fat in the dressing (and meat and cheese) counteracts that the
vegetables are fat free. I'll either put yellow mustard on my dressing,
olive oil and vinegar or honey mustard (the sandwich condiment and not
the salad dressing. The former has less calories and fat and is
cheaper.)
Also, my daughter didn't think she liked colored peppers until she saw
me eating one one afternoon as a snack. She wanted a bite and I shared.
She now eats them. Sometimes, it just takes seeing the parent do
something (good or bad) for the child to follow suit.
Other than the vegan chocolate chip cookies and banana bread and vegan
chocolate cake I bake, my daughter didn't have conventional cookies,
cakes, etc., until well after she was two. I do the same with my son,
though he does occasionally get white bread (like the small piece of
bagel last week after church during coffee hour).
I don't agree with "hiding" vegetables, i.e., pureeing them and putting
them in with other things (For example, purreeing a vegetable or two to
mix with a box of overly processed macaroni and cheese, or hiding it in a
cake.) For one, the child does not even know he is eating vegetables
and the parent is lying to him. Also, he will not learn to appreciate
and even like the vegetables or even recognize them. I also think that
some of the nutrients might get baked or cooked out as well. So what
happens when the child is at a formal dinner and has carrots and
broccoli on his plate and he does not even know what it is, let alone
vocally refuses to eat it? I've seen it happen. Ive also gotten
compliments on how well my children eat their fruits and vegetables.
However, mixing vegetables and beans together in a nice big soup/stew is
a great idea. Three or four times during the winter my husband will
make a large pot of soup and freeze the leftovers as well so we have an
easy dinner for nights when we don't have much time for dinner, or we
don't know what else to have.... (It works good with my homemade whole
wheat scones.)
At least you are on the right track in wanting to get your child(ren) to
eat more. My husband's sister is one of those who said that her
children wouldn't eat them, so she didn't make them or offer them.
However, they have grown up on a plethora of junk "food". The eldest
once called me weird when I said I never liked potato chips. Well, I
grew up in a home in which whole, real potatoes were much more available
than potato chips or French fries. (Likewise, fruits were also
available whenever I wanted them as opposed to cookies, cakes,
candy....).
