Wednesday, February 21, 2007

"I always eat my broccoli"

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. I never used to eat the stems until recently. They're great added to stir frys and soups. I remember reading an article in college about how to get children to eat vegetables like broccoli. It said the key was to pair it with a food that the kids enjoyed (i.e. cheese). This supposedly creates a positive association with the vegetable and soon enough you won't need to pair it with another food to get kids to eat it. So start your kids off with melting cheese on top of broccoli (or on all veggies for that matter) and I'll bet that they'll end up being broccoli lovers. I also plan to educate my children about the health benefits of eating such foods. I think it's disempowering to tell children to do things and not explain why. It's a lot of work being a conscious parent, but I can't imagine anything more rewarding.

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