Why do we care about food education?
Many families around us at the moment are less concerned with the foods their kids eat than we are. Adults have been giving M so many chocolates and sweets while not understanding why I object to this practice. Spending time in a different culture, seeing other families' approach to child rearing, and especially their approach to food consumption in their homes makes me reflect on how we chose to introduce M to new foods, and the reasons behind our decisions.
Five years ago we read a couple of books on how the French approach introducing the love of food to small children. We read multiple books on how to introduce a variety of foods, flavours, and textures to your baby. I also have been reading whatever I can find on nutrition and eating a balanced diet. These readings shaped how we approached the topic. For example, when M was very small, I created a checklist of flavours to introduce, what we can serve and at what quantity at 4 months, 8 months, and 12 months. A few years ago we started making a weekly meal plan, which helps us be more conscious and thoughtful in selecting the foods we eat, and ensuring there is enough variety and substance over the week. We've been doing the same thing for years now, so I think now is a good time to stop and reflect on why we do what we do and whether we should continue doing so.
Reason one: I would like M to eat a healthy nutritious diet that will help her grow strong, healthy, and be able to focus her attention. This means eating low GI whole foods that do not spike sugar blood levels. To do so, we need to eat a variety of wholesome foods. Babies are predisposed to liking the foods their mum regularly eats because they have been exposed to those flavours in utero. However, babies and young children do not automatically love everything they try.
Relying on children to decide what to eat can mean they will not consume what they need. Evolutionary theory tells us kids generally gravitate towards sweet foods because bitter green foods might mean a warning for dangerous or poisonous food. They can develop a negative association with green foods and learn to distrust the flavour. So we serve a variety of foods and flavours and ask M to try everything on her plate (she doesn't have to eat it all, but she has to try everything). The intent is that repeated small exposures to those unwanted (for now) flavours build familiarity. We can think of this principle as the more we are exposed to something, the higher the chances we will like it.
Reason two: if the child is snacking every one to two hours, they will never be hungry enough to be willing to try new foods or even finish a meal. We eat on a schedule with 3-4 hours breaks between meals. The added benefit is that we do not have to carry bags of food with us everywhere to ensure our kid is not cranky because they are hungry all the time. Works for adults too!
Reason three: I would like not to be limited with our culinary options when we leave the house. I don't want to have to find a place with kid menu options every time. For that I need M to eat a variety of foods and flavours. This also ties to a personal reason for me. I was a very picky eater as a child and I know how much frustration that brought my family. I do not wish to experience it as a parent.
Going back to eating nutritious food, we can buy highly-processed foods everywhere nowadays. We can buy foods that we can just heat and serve. Just think of how convenient this is with our busy work lives. Ultra-processed foods, consist primarily of extracted or synthesised ingredients. They usually lack fibre, and have high amounts of sugar, salt, and fats. They are designed to appeal to our taste buds (what Dr Karl calls flavour bombs), have longer shelf-life, and contain more calories that we need to consume in a day. There is mounting scientific evidence showing correlation with many chronic diseases and health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and more. Eating highly-processed foods affect our gut activity and general health. At home we try not to serve ultra-processed foods and limit the amount of processed foods we consume. Instead we go for home cooked meals made with many fresh ingredients. This is easier for us because we work from home but is possible for everyone with a bit of prior planning -- did I mention we plan our meals ahead of time every week by any chance?
Here are this week’s recipe suggestions for you to try:
Fried chicken with caramelised honey and spice - one of our favourite fried chicken recipes. It will be a bit of work, but definitely worth it.
Creamy cauliflower and leek soup - going to make this again this week!
Grilled pumpkin bread - might be the right season for some people here
Smoothie: banana, mango, maple syrup, cardamom, turmeric, and coconut yoghurt
Sautéed mushrooms:
A bunch of mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, sliced
2 tsp salt-reduced soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
Eggs, cooked your way, to serve
How to?
Mix the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar together.
Heat up the oil in a fry pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic first until the garlic begins to sizzle but not brown, about 30 seconds. Then add the mushrooms, stir, and fry for another 30 seconds to a minute.
Add the sauces mix, season with salt and pepper, and fry for a few minutes until all moisture is evaporated, and the mushrooms begin to brown.
Serve with eggs your way.
Aside
I usually serve these mushrooms with fried eggs for breakfast.
If you're in the mood for pasta, instead of the sauces mix; fry the garlic, then mushrooms, then add a splash of white wine, 1/4 cup of cream, and 3 tablespoons of grated cheese.
Our meal plan from last week can be found at: https://foodfamily.app/public/meal_plans/8be2af23-19e6-48c0-a98c-951025a1c662
Once again, please let us know if you make any of these recipes, how you found them, what you changed, or just drop us an email to say hi.
Thanks and see you next week,
Elle, Lachlan, M, Ginger, and Edward