الجمال10 أكتوبر
//
شارك المقال
Loading...
أنتم لستم وحدكم، نحن معكم في كل خطوة.
حمّلوا تطبيق 360Moms وانضموا إلى مجتمع يضم أكثر من 100,000 عائلة، لدعمكم في رحلة الأبوة والأمومة.
حمّلوا تطبيق 360Moms وانضموا إلى مجتمع يضم أكثر من 100,000 عائلة، لدعمكم في رحلة الأبوة والأمومة.
نُشر في Invalid Date
9 دقائق للقراءة
By: Mira Jarrar – Jamie Oliver’s food revolution ambassador in Jordan, and the owner of Mira’s Young Chefs’ project.
I don’t like fish! I don’t want to eat! I want a bag of chips! I don’t like eggplant! Our picky children fascinate us from time to time with some of these phrases; therefore I will share with you some of the tips from my personal experience as a mother and from my experience with the Young Chefs.
I found these tips really effective with dealing with these situations. My mother and father love vegetables and fruits and healthy food, and because my children are attached to their grandparents and very close to them, they grew up accustomed to eating various types of healthy food.
When children see this variety and see how everyone is snatching the food and eating it, they will definitely want to try it. And so, making eating various types of food a habit in the household is highly preferred:
My father used to help me in picking the children up from the nursery after attending noon prayers at the mosque. At this time, there happens to be many merchants outside the mosque selling all kinds of delicious fruits and vegetables for excellent prices. My father used to challenge my children and let them guess what types of vegetables he got: Heart shaped fruit …. Heart healthy too … What is it? … Strawberry! Throw my outer … cook my inner … Eat my outer …. Throw my inner … What is it? … Corn J The vegetables make healthy and strong! This made my youngest check his muscles after every mixed vegetable meal! We also used to wash the vegetables and organize them on the table in a pretty manner, and then my father starts playing farmers market: where he is the farmer selling his produce and my children are the buyers! Who will by broccoli for one Dinar? Don’t miss the chance! A box of pomelo for two dinars! Who wants to buy?
My youngest son’s kindergarten teacher used to ask him all the time what he will be having for lunch that day. He used to surprise her with types of food even some grownups don’t like, such as cauliflower and pumpkin. My son used to pass by his grandmother before he went to school. It was the time she started preparing food, and he used to help her with that most of the time. Many of the Young Chefs in my cooking lessons don’t like lettuce or cabbage, but at the end of the lesson they eat the salad! Yes, they eat it to the utter surprise of their parents. How and why? Because the child washed the lettuce and dried it with the fun drying machine, and then cut it with the knife! Yes, we have to teach our children how to hold the knife (but of course by using the rights tools and with very close supervision) just like we teach them how to read and write, because this will prepare them for a healthy lifestyle.
I had a pizza lesson once, and at the end of the lesson while we were eating what we prepared, one of the mother approached us immediately and took out all the olives from her son’s slice and said: “my son doesn’t like olives”! I was surprised, because her son wasn’t complaining and he was eating the olives on the pizza. Sometimes, we are the ones who encourage picky eating.
Do tell your children this saying that had an effect my young son “if you don’t plan for your health, then you are definitely planning for your illness”. After hearing that, he decided to buy a box of strawberries instead of a bag of potato chips.
My middle son Ahmad used to sit with his grandfather when eating, and he used to organize his plate just like his grandfather would do and he would imitate the way his grandfather ate his food. For example, his grandfather used to eat radish with spinach, and green olives with lentil soup, and Ahmad used to do the same thing. His grandfather used to eat molukhieyh with bread like a dip, and Ahmad used to imitate him even if this meant having to take him for a bath immediately! Yes, let your child eat with people and with his hands, even if his clothes and the table got messy, and some food fell on the floor. Don’t let meals become a time of screaming, coercion and pressure, because this will not make things work. And in case your child refused to have his meal, continue with yours and enjoy it, and describe to your child how you, or your aunt or uncle love this dish and how healthy it is.
These are some of the tips that I found to be useful through dealing with my children and the Young Chefs, and through watching how they interacted with food and their reactions to it. Try it and remember that your effort will translate into a healthy life style that your children will enjoy now and in the future.
