Baby Loves Veggies

Is it true if I introduce fruits to my baby first,
   she won’t want to eat veggies later? 

By Shane Valentine

I get asked this question quite a bit, and the answer is: No, it is not true. Your baby will probably like veggies because you like veggies—or not like veggies if you don’t eat veggies. It has nothing to do with whether or not you give her fruit first. Do not underestimate the power of modeling! Dr. Alan Greene, MD explains this in more detail (check out DrGreene.com and his discussion of food imprinting). Basically, babies are constantly observing and recording everything you do, making you their role model—not Britney Spears or LeBron James.

Here are four tips for raising veggie-lovers:

1.  Eat your veggies.
When you make one meal for the entire family—including baby— kids will grow up eating and liking whatever you make. If you don’t eat veggies, guess what?

2.  Be consistent. And persistent.
Know that it can take up to 14 times for a baby to get to know and like something, so if they don’t go for it the first time, just keep re-introducing it. (You don’t have to make them eat it 14 times, just let them taste it every day for a couple of weeks, and you will be amazed.)

3.  Buy fresh, organic and local—wherever and whenever possible.
Hands down, this is the best way to taste food! Food grown this way is pesticide-free and picked at its freshest point, when it is bursting with amazing flavors and colors!

4.  Plant your own organic garden.
You don’t have to have a lot of land—pots and window sills work just fine. Invest in a great organic topsoil/compost mixture and find some awesome organic/heirloom seeds or “starts,” and you are on your way. You haven’t really tasted food until you’ve grown it yourself. Plus, baby will learn that food comes from the ground—not jars and boxes.

If your little one is 6-13 months old, it’s the optimal time to lay that foundation for healthy eating habits, so go for it! Introduce them to anything and everything that’s fresh, green and good.

© 2010, Shane Valentine
Reprinted with permission from the author and courtesy of TheBabyCuisineCookbook.com

Shane and his wife, Chantal, live in San Rafael. They have a 3-year-old daughter and twin baby boys. His hands-on cooking workshops for moms and dads are offered at Whole Foods Market Culinary Centers at Arden in Sacramento and in the Bay Area. Author of The Baby Cuisine Cookbook, Shane will be signing books and sharing tips at SP’s Babies & Bumps event: Sunday, March 27 at the brand-new Citrus Heights Community Center.