Children do not have a super human ability to metabolize sugar!! I'll say it again... Children do not have a superhuman ability to metabolize sugar. There is a common perception out there that because kids have a spontaneous and seemingly unending supply of energy that they are somehow in need of a steady sugar fix! THIS IS NOT TRUE!! Kids have the exact same nutritional needs as adults. I think that their nutrition should be given even MORE attention, as they are very impressionable, not just mentally, but their palate, their digestive system, digestive flora, and food preference overall.
I have heard before that kids have a natural preference for sweet and succulent (fatty) tastes because these food sources are typically nutrient dense, in other words, kids are hardwired to prefer these food tastes because it will deliver the caloric content they need. However, the problem with this is that in nature (think 10,000 yrs ago) this was very beneficial to young humans. Nowadays, unfortunately, food supply is high and food quality is low (for most Western cultures).
That being said, just because kids prefer sweets doesn't mean that they require them. Next time kids ask for something sweet, give them pineapple, strawberries, apple slices, pears, or have them try some new fruit! And not just once, or twice, but have them try it (and see you eating it!!!) until they eat it too. And if you open the refrigerator and don't see any fruits, ask yourself if it is because you ate all the fruit within the last few days, or if it is because those bottom fruit/veggie drawers are now full of water bottles.
So Nick, my friend and soon-to-be world famous chef pointed out some very interesting facts after reading the above post. He is a sous chef at a restaurant that prepares only in season locally grown produce!! www.harvestcafenp.com He told me that yes, kids tend toward sweet foods as their tongue can only detect sweet flavors. As they mature they develop other flavor sensors like sour and bitter. His point was this... Fruits and veggies grown in soil, in season, harvested fresh and prepared properly are true to form in their intended flavor. But we've all had that experience of biting into a peach that was rock solid, or a mealy apple, or a tomato that was pith...
ReplyDeleteApply that idea to kids! If you give them an "out of season" fruit that has artifically matured sugars, or that has spent weeks in a dark cargo bin crossing the oceans and borders to get to your fridge, then it is understandable that a kid may not detect those "true" flavors, and may even find it undesirable.
The research (or "they" as we generally refer to researchers) currently recommends that kids try a new fruit/veggie upwards of 50 times before dismissing it as a truly "undesirable flavor." So I believe that it is fair to assume that out of even 10 tries that a young pallate is BOUND to encounter a "truly" flavored fruit/veggie that will find enjoyable! So go for it. Encourage a new dinner-time attempt, don't get overly-excited with a successful swallow, and as always, be the example.
Takehome message? Buy fruit from the local farmer's market. Pick veggies out of the garden. Learn what is in season from your grocery store's produce guy. And most importantly, let the kids be the judge.
5 YEAR OLD SAYS " I LOVE LENTILS! "
ReplyDelete1:07pmEST on May 22nd - My 5 year old exclaims.."Yummy I love lentils!"
This is a HUGE moment - we have been offering Sam lentils for about a year now - everytime we do she makes the scrunchiest ewwy face and says "NO" - time and time again we say "Okay, maybe someday" and move on with dinner.
KEEP ASKING THEM TO TRY! There are so many things going on in a kids life and in their little growing body - keep asking - you never know :)
Excuse me while I pat myself on the back ;)