Do you hate wasting organic food?
By lumenmom
@lumenmom (1986)
United States
December 4, 2008 12:57pm CST
I know that when it comes to children and food, you have to keep introducing foods for them to try and it may take several tries before they decide they like it (if they ever do). I come from a background of poor dietary habits and I am obese and suffering from weight related illnesses. I am trying to pave a different path for my daughter which is made more difficult by her starting out her first few years eating too much of the wrong kinds of foods. Now that I know a little better I try to do the best I can by trying new fruits, veggies, whole grains, and especially eating more organic. I have come to love the taste of organic food so I buy it whenever I can and I offer it to my daughter also. My dilemma is when she tries food and does not like it which is often) and I have to throw it out. I find organic food to be somewhat pricy, but worth it if eaten however I can't afford to keep buying foods that get thrown away. Any ideas?
1 response
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
4 Dec 08
We switched to an organic diet (as much as our food budget allows) and my 5 yo son was kind of iffy about eating much of the food. He loves fruit, so that wasn't a problem, but to call something organic caused a problem. I read somewhere that children, especially the males will follow their Dad's eating habits and when I showed my hubby the report, he made it a point to at least try some of the veggies he never liked as a child.
It really did work, when our 5 yo saw his dad eating acorn squash, he tried it too and liked it. If he likes the food, he'll eat it because Dad makes it a point to tell him what a great job he's doing eating healthy. Our 5 yo is sold on eating organically now and asks if any or all the food at a meal is organic.
Best of all, the allergies he has suffered from since birth have been diminished greatly and he no longer takes a daily allergy pill. The longer our healthy diet goes on, the less he's needed any allergy meds (he's now gone 21 straight days w/o allergy meds) and we've begun giving him homeopathic treatments for his sinus issues.
Keep at it with your daughter. It does take awhile to get a child started, but the more she hears about the benefits and is encouraged, the more she'll take to the change. I'm hoping she'll embrace it as our 2 boys have...it really has made a big difference in our overall health! Best wishes to you!
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
4 Dec 08
Thanks for the encouragement. I do know that some days some of the children at school introduce her to things that she later ask me for and says she likes it. Most of these children are vegan or vegetarian so they have even introduced me(through my daughter) things like chreese (veg cheese), organic cereal bars, squash, etc. My daughter also has allergies and tends to catch colds and viruses a lot so I know it is imperative to keep working at the diet. Another big challenge is limiting sugar and getting her to try whole grain breads.
@creationsbyrobin (3071)
• United States
5 Dec 08
This may help you with the whole grain bread. Our youngest didn't care for it much, so we used whole grain bread as toast, with organic butter and raw honey. We began using it for peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey sandwiches. He actually picks out whole wheat bread at the store, instead of the potato bread he used to eat. I truy believe getting him off wheat gluten and enriched flour is helping the most with his allergies.
We also buy organic desserts as much as we can and have switched to organic sugar in the house. He enjoys granola and the organic snack bars, so it hasn't been tough to get him to stop eating sweets, like chocolate around Halloween (and we try to buy a small organic chocolate bars... when we can afford to)
It's very hard to do sometimes, especially when we're out, but every little bit you can do is a step in the right direction...and you never know when your daughter will begin to adopt eating healthy.
Getting children started at a young age, is so beneficial to their well-being and the way they view their future. Congrats to you for trying to do best by her! 
