Veggies in the Nude...

Those of you who know me well know that I love to eat. And I love to cook. And I am pretty fanatical about making sure my family eats healthy food. (At least 80% of the time! No one should have to go without pizza, chocolate chip cookies or ice cream on occasion!).

A recent article in the NYT highlighted the top 6 food mistakes that parents make. I thought it was interesting and worthy of posting here, to share the love.

Here they are:
1. Kicking kids out of the kitchen: If you want to give your child good eating habits, let them help, or at least let them watch you prepare and cook food.
2. Blackmail and bribery: In the short run, you might be able to coerce a child to eat, but in the long run, they will be less likely to eat those foods.
3. Hiding the good stuff: The taboo factor increases desire and decreases control. If you’re going to have cookies and sweets in the house, offer them openly, don’t make kids resort to stealing them. Alternatively, keep healthy snacks in the house and offer the kids free access to them.
4. Dieting: Kids are tuned into their parents’ eating preferences and are far more likely to try foods if they see their mother or father eating them.
5. Serving vegetables in the nude: Pimp your veggies. Nutritionists say parents shouldn’t be afraid to dress up the vegetables. Adding a little butter, ranch dressing, cheese sauce or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can significantly improve its kid appeal
6. Raising the white flag too soon: Parents should keep preparing a variety of healthful foods and putting them on the table, even if a child refuses to take a bite.In young children, it may take 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce a food