On hold

I had so much fun writing this blog for a few months, but unfortunately schedules have not permitted  consistent posts.  I sometimes have a moment when I think of something I want to write about, but there is never time.  My biggest concern is that I have lots of recipe tips and tricks that aren't really RD "worthy" - not always the healthiest dishes.  I advocate whole foods and plenty of good fats and I am a fan of butter, which is not a "good fat" but at least is all natural.  My family is also on an extreme budget, so sometimes our meals are about the fast and cheap rather than the most healthful.  Tough decisions!
But one thing I have been wanting to say is about feeding kids.  My 18 month old son is so much more picky than my girls were.  It blows my mind how picky he is.  I realized recently that how I present the food to him makes a difference.  This kid can sense the slightest twinge of hesitation on my part.  If my face at all reads hopeful "please try this!" he shuts it down immediately without a second whiff.  If I plunk the food down with too much enthusiasm, he also smells a rat and won't try it.  So I shoot for a happy medium.  I put it down without fan fare- no big deal, here is dinner and you need to eat it.  I try not to study him carefully to see if he tries it, I just observe in my peripheral vision while I enthusiastically enjoy my meal- trying to set a good example.  It seems to help a little.  The most important thing is that I not think of him as picky or that he only likes certain kinds of food.  Kids have to be exposed to foods many, many times before they might even try them.  So we keep trying!
~Here's to Healthy Eating, signing off for now.
Tara