My Picky Eater E-book
I recently became involved in an interesting online conversation about the word “picky eater” with some mommy bloggers. Christina Le Beau who has a blog, SpoonFed. wrote a recent post that makes the argument that labeling kids becomes a crutch for parents and sets up a self-fulfilling prophecy. Plus it minimizes the very real food issues that some kids do have (allergies, sensory issues, etc.).
I’ve always felt that language is really important. I’ve written loads about how the food industry runs the show by controlling the language. I believe strongly that labels are for jars, not people.
It’s probably not a good idea to label a child as a picky eater. I’ve had more than my share of both personal and professional experience with kids of all ages who are not adventurous when it comes to food. I’ve written a great little E-Book called Winning the Picky Eater War……maybe I need to look at changing that title.
Let’s talk personal here. I’m the mom of three amazing and beautiful daughters, ages 20, 18 and 13. The two older gals could almost be considered Foodies. They love to eat, they love to cook. But my 13 year old continues to give me a run for the money. While I’ve declared victory from time to time and she does eat way more veggies than she used to, I would still classify her on the picky side.
Sadly, compared to other kids her age, she IS more adventurous than many. That is the really scary piece that my mommy blogger friends might not realize. Picky eating behaviors, or whatever we should be calling it, are now extending beyond the toddler years into the tween, teen and even college age. My older daughters tell me stories of the peers who eat nothing but junk. Imagine a 20 year old ordering pasta with butter, how crazy is that? What do you call that? Picky? Dare I say “stupid”? What these kids are missing out on is huge. There is a whole wide world out there filled with amazing, delicious food.
This is one of the reasons she is accompanying me and my husband to Italy this week. There aren’t any chicken nuggets in Italy, right? She’ll experience a wonderful “slow” food culture first hand. We’re even going to take a full day cooking class in Florence.
In addition to the art, the history and the language, I hope my daughter finds herself inspired to expand her palate while on this trip. Stay tuned for more photos and recipes. My plane leaves in less than an hour!
Ciao!
Hey, Susan, thanks for the shoutout. Glad to see others reconsidering the use of this phrase. Frankly I’d be happy to never hear the term again. I truly believe it does a huge disservice to kids.
In fact, I’m willing to bet that a lot of the tweens, teens and college students you’re talking about were labeled “picky eaters” as little kids. Which too often is just a convenient way for parents to deflect responsibility and fall back on the so-called “kid foods” that are really nothing but chemicals and anti-nutrients. So it’s no wonder those eating habits carry over to the older years.
I hope you and your daughter have a lovely, tasty trip to Italy. I’ll be back in the states being a mommy, and being a blogger, but not being a mommy blogger. 😉
Chris
Spoonfed: Raising kids to think about the food they eat
http://www.spoonfedblog.net
Hurray! I am also a big fan of Christina’s blog and am so happy that her post struck a chord with you. I teach children to cook and love to look their parents in the eye and tell them that their children will love what we are making today…no matter what it is! So much of our children’s eating habits are based in our own behavior and attitude. While we are eliminating the term “picky eater” can we also have a go at Kid’s meals and kid’s menus? How about smaller portions of any entree on the menu, instead of the predictable flavorless items that can be found in restaurants all over our silly nation.
Have an amazing time in Italy. And even if she is eating pasta – it will be fresh, full of flavor and wonderful!