Kids Hate Salad
Cooking apart, together.
“Parenting: It’s a long game.” - Emily Oster
There are certain foods you know your child will undoubtedly refuse to eat. For my son, that has always been leaves. Full rejection of all leafy greens, raw or cooked.
It was clear at the age of one, two, three years that leafy greens were not welcome food for him. It was a tireless, unthankful challenge, but eventually (like very, very recently) the battle has softened, actually to my own great surprise. Even though “but I don’t like leaves” has been his relentless response, it didn’t mean we stopped eating leafy greens.
This is my repeated, and crucial, bit of advice for all parents: feed the leaves anyway. Cook with greens, get creative, eat leaves yourself (often!) in front of them. Over and over and over. Until one day - near or far - they’ll eat leaves. Suddenly they’ll eat leaves without blinking. They’ll eat leaves so swiftly you’ll check the floor under the table before you believe it. Somehow the meticulous hunt for anything leafy (to then be lazily dropped on the floor), becomes a simple request “more sausage and greens!” Even his own toddler term, leaves, is forgotten.
Kids Hate Salad
Emily Oster, author of Cribsheet and Expecting Better, also writes a newsletter on Substack called ParentData. Last week she shared a post called Kids, Food, and Picky Eating, which obviously sparked my interest (side note: I love that she named the behavior ‘picky eating’ and not the label/term ‘picky eater’ per my previous post The Problem With The Term Picky Eater).
One early point from Oster is that feeding children doesn’t have to be a struggle. If your child refuses certain foods and you’re OK with it, then that’s what works best for your family. And she makes this note particularly in consideration of parenting in a pandemic, which is important for us all to remind ourselves right now.
However, she also references extensive, data-driven research on: children who are more likely to eat varied diets, flavor exposure, and repetition theories (mindful, not forceful). And all conclude, that generally children who are offered varied diets at a young age are more likely to eat varied diets in later childhood, and as an adult.
“Putting this together leads to some general advice: offer your very young child a wide variety of foods, and keep offering them even if the child rejects them at first.” - Emily Oster
Great news.
This is also not claiming that ‘offering a wide variety of foods and flavors’ or ‘repeatedly serving children refusal foods’ is simple or easy. That’s why I started TWK, to help you face these challenges and acknowledge that we’re not alone in food fits & fights.
I do heartedly believe that committing to the merits of healthy eating early in a child’s life, by introducing a wide variety of foods, & flavors, & enjoyment around eating/cooking/mealtimes, will lead to healthier eating habits overall, and long-term. As always, I know this requires flexibility, strategy, healthy boundaries, and realistic expectations all based on your own ideas and food rules that feel right for your family.
That’s OK.
Continue to make your own healthy food rules.
Keep trying.
And I’m here to help. It’s a long game.
The majority of parents I talk with about children’s ‘refusal foods’, not surprisingly mention that leafy greens, salad, leaves are typically a challenge. Why?
A few straightforward thoughts to consider:
Bitterness: Bitter foods are harder to introduce than sweet or salty. OK. But not impossible! Early and often is key.
Hard to chew: Fair. A leafy leaf doesn’t have much tangible chew, especially for new, early chewers. This means leaves can cause gagging and struggle simply due to their leafiness. Try very bite-size pieces (more suggestions below) until leaves are more palatable.
Side salad is sad: Salads that are an afterthought - bagged greens with bottled dressing - are not appetizing. Greens should be crisp, fresh, vibrant. Find them in your local markets and from farmers you trust. Grow them in your garden. Pair them with exciting, savory flavors like cheese, nuts, zippy vegetables or grilled proteins. Dress them with bright flavors like lemon and vinegar and fresh green herbs. Love preparing and eating them yourself, and kids will learn to love them too. Hint: July is a great month for salads.
Vegetable in very vegetal form: There’s no denying that salad is a vegetable. Keep the course, and keep trying.
So how do we help young children learn to eat leafy greens and salad?
A few approaches to try:
Deconstruct the salad: Instead of serving a large bowl of leaves with high expectations, try a few leaves. Pair them them with other sliced vegetables (preferably beloved ones), sliced cheese, olives, crusty bread or croutons, hardboiled egg, salty fish, etc. Try a plate.
Various leaves, especially watery, chewy leaves: Honestly, I don’t get overly excited about mixed greens or arugula, either. Try some sturdier leaves like little gems, romaine, radicchio, escarole, endive, etc..
Dippable leaves: Crisp, firm, watery leaves (like the above) are great to serve along with other crudité with sauces, pesto, dips. Kids love dip.
Leaf wraps or cups (boats?): Little leaf pockets filled with other beloved foods. I tried it with leftover chicken and green sauce, and it actually was a hit. The finger-food aspect was definitely the appeal. You could also try larger leaves like butterhead and fully enclose/wrap/roll.
And if leaves are still not the best option (I understand), keep trying. In the meantime, don’t give up on greens altogether, here are my favorite tried & true (& successful!) ideas for incorporating greens:
Green Sauces: salsa verdes, chimichurri, pestos, etc
Dark, leafy greens and herbs puréed into soups or pasta sauce, pizza sauce
Confetti’d (finely chopped) with rice (Green Rice) or pasta, eggs, and of course, kraut quesadillas
Green hummus or various dips
Kale chips
Bon Appétit! Bonne Chance!
As always, I would love to hear from you. Please be in touch!
I’ll be on *staycation* next week! The next TWK in your inbox will be mid-July. Wishing you all a flexible, hopeful, mask’d and healthy start to July summer.
I’ll regularly be posting recipe tips and pictures on Instagram. Please follow along!
If you’re cooking this week: Please be sure to tag @thewholekohlrabi, or share the newsletter with old friends, new friends, colleagues, family, etc.