Produce Progress

I think the entire world knows that I have a couple of really picky eaters for kids. Friends often offer me advice or send me articles promising new ways to get picky eaters to eat healthy foods. I genuinely appreciate the advice. But I have definitely become pessimistic over the past few years about whether anything will actually work. It's hard to not get discouraged when, although the books say my kids may need 10-20 exposures to a food before trying it, my boys have been exposed to most healthy foods hundreds of times, and still refuse to even touch them.

(A snack tray I prepared for a playdate at my house. I hoped the peer pressure of seeing other kids eating fruits and veggies would inspire my boys to try them. No such luck this time.)

So you can imagine my excitement when we had two mini break-throughs recently. I was at Costco the other day with Lucas and I purchased a large clamshell container of organic raspberries. When Lucas saw them in the package he immediately wanted to eat them, right in the middle of the store. You better believe I let him! (They don't need to be washed right? They're organic!). The next day I put a couple on his lunch plate and he immediately handed them back to me. I figured the raspberry eating had just been a fluke. But then the next day he saw me washing the remaining raspberries in the clamshell container and ended up eating at least 10 right out of the package. I'm still not sure why he liked eating them out of the tray but not off of his plate. But I may try serving more food family style, where Lucas can see all of the portions right in front of him at the table.

With Ryan, I don't think he has touched a vegetable in at least a year. I would like to get him exposed more to picking out and cooking food with me. I have always heard you should cook with your kids from an early age, but it's just not realistic for me to do with Lucas at this age. And because Lucas is always with me, I never get a chance to be alone with Ryan and cook with him. A couple weeks ago I was about to make dinner and Adam was playing with Lucas. Since Lucas was occupied I asked Ryan if he wanted to help me make the kale for dinner. He agreed and pulled up a chair. He helped me saute the kale, squeeze in the lemon, and add in the garlic. He was in such a good mood that night he set the table and served kale onto everyone's plate without me even asking. I was shocked. When I asked him if we should try the kale we had made, he said yes and took a bite! I was speechless. He said he liked it, but didn't take another bite. Still though, it was huge progress! A week later we had just left the store when I exclaimed "Oh no! I forgot to get kale!". Ryan immediately told me we needed to go back to the store to get some because he likes kale now. What?! So am I confident he will try it again next time I make it? No. But at least he tried a bite of a vegetable and it gave me a tiny sliver of hope that someday he will willingly eat green food!