The case of the missing veggies: a (mild) wednesday rant

But there are a few things about food and kids in our society that irk me and YES, I'm using my own space to mention them.

Recently, we were out to eat and I ordered a buffalo burger plain with a side of roasted veggies for Avi. It came with french fries. "They all do," the waiter said. We took the burger and veggies and sent the fries back. "It's included in the price, you can keep them. It's not an extra charge." he insisted. I felt bad for this guy -- just trying to do his job and calm my fears of an extra charge on the bill. Poor bugger hadn't a clue that I couldn't give a shit about the money. He had no idea that this brief exchange got my blood boiling on a societal level. Why are raising kids parents to believe that kids will only eat french fries (or chicken nuggets or everything dipped in ketchup).

What I -- Jenn and I -- have noticed about children's menus at most restaurants (even healthier minded places - and we have lots of those in Boulder) they have two common denominators: fried and cheese. Really? (Didn't I read in the news that even the worst of the worst, McDonalds, has added veggie sticks to their happy meals)? 

Further, I'm a bit disgusted saddened disgusted that many children's books that I come across insinuate that children don't like veggies. Whether it's blatantly saying it or showing it in the illustration with a character's tongue sticking out. And these are books with otherwise pretty forward thinking messages.

Sharing Broccoli with his cow friend.

Snap peas and blueberry snack in the sandbox.

Helping make dinner :: spinning the salad. 

Enjoying the aroma of a fresh picked tomato :: he didn't eat this one.

A chat about cucumbers with our lovely neighbor Sahand.

Now, anytime we make smoothies, he reminds me we have to add kale and avocado. 

Carrots to share with the goats, but since there weren't any takers on this day, Avi ate them himself. 

I love that our boy loves his veggies. Carrots, cabbage, kale, broccoli, peas, tomatoes picked from the vine, purple beans, lemon cucumbers, and many many more. We have raised him eating a variety of foods and that doesn't mean he likes everyone of them all the time. But we keep re-introducing him to veggies in a variety of ways -- Steamed, roasted, mashed, baked (into a chip - think kale chips), fresh, or mixed into soups, smoothies, casseroles, rice, eggs, etc. -- and he keeps trying them, eating them.

And at our neighborhood picnic this past weekend, I was chatting with a neighbor from up the street. "Well, you know what it's like," he (the Dad of a three year old) said. I was happy to reply,  "No, [I don't know what it's like to have a kid that only will eat chicken nuggets and ketchup]. Avi's never had either."

I leave you with a statistic: "Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese." source


And I ask you: What choices are you making to help your kidlet eat healthier? What have you avoided? What have you caved in on? What do you keep re-introducing? What do other's say/think about your choices?