It's hugely important for parents to introduce fruits and vegetables to a child at an early age. Growing up, vegetables were part of our daily diet. It began at breakfast time with round rotis and a preparation from mixed vegetables. Then during lunch time, vegetables were a must too. Lunch began with spinach or some kind of leafy vegetable, a single or mixed vegetable preparation, meat or fish and dal (pulses). Here in the United States, however, daily diet relies heavily on meat and carbohydrates. Children grow up eating calorie-packed burgers, fries and pizzas.
Parents are not to be blamed alone - healthy foods are more expensive in this country. Meat costs much less than vegetables. In large families, parents are more worried about filling their children's stomachs and hence, resort to chicken, red meat, bread, pasta and canned foods. It's a sad scenario. I feel that there is often a lack of awareness too. Many parents do not even understand the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables - they themselves did not grow up eating them and often do not understand why they are necessary for a child's growing body.
Low income is often an issue but I would rather cut my spending on eating-out or shopping to feed healthy foods to my family. It's sometimes about how well you manage your money...
Healthy foods keep you lean. It's the unhealthy foods that add extra pounds to a human body, leading to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Anyway, let me share my story of introducing veggies to my child.
Banana was my daughter's first solid food, followed by oatmeal. Well, banana is many babies' first food 'cause it is easy to swallow. After my daughter turned 6 months, I introduced avocado to her. Avocados are amazing -- they are rich in healthy fats, which help a child's growing brain immensely. They are also packed with important vitamins and minerals. To this day, I try to feed her half of an avocado daily. Sometimes, she refuses to eat, I then mix mashed avocado with half & half milk. Most of the time, she loves the taste and eats it without complaining.
I try to feed my daughter broccolis and carrots. I usually buy them organic -- they cost more but they are worth the extra few cents or a dollar. When she was little and was yet to learn to swallow, I would just put steamed broccolis or carrots in the blender. At the end of the day, it is about the baby getting the nutrition she needs! It does not matter if she eats it in solid or semi-liquid form. She is 1.5 years old now and dislikes chewing raw carrots. So, I blend steamed carrots in milk and feed it to her with a spoon. She loves it!
I feed her whatever we eat. When I eat sautéed peas, spinach, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, eggplant, okra or whatever else, I give some to her. Maybe she does not eat a whole lot, but she tastes them all, and that's what matters. Maybe one day, she will begin to love veggies just like her parents, or maybe not! But as a mother, I just cannot stop trying.
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