How to Use “Negative Reverse Selling” at the Dinner Table

May 19, 2009 by

Salesman

Your child has a problem: he needs to eat. You have the solution.

Unfortunately, just like a traditional salesperson, you may have some trouble convincing your potential “buyer” that your solution is just what he needs (even if it is free).

·Do you feel like you need a motivational seminar to recapture your enthusiasm and get you back on those front lines of getting your child to eat?

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Celery Root Salad a la Viennoise

May 7, 2009 by

Celery root This salad is new and different, I'll bet – a good first step to eating as varied a diet as possible. I'd never heard of celery root before I lived in France, and I never come across recipes for it now, but it is available in some grocery stores. I wonder who else is buying it and what they do with it. I have a soup recipe or two that include it, but this is a really tasty, easy way to discover its flavor.

Variety in food is the number one rule to follow in feeding children. I try to continually bring into my family's diet as many different foods as possible. It keeps things interesting, guarantees a variety of nutrients, expands our horizons, eliminates fussiness. Eating a wide variety of foods also prevents getting much…

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The Myth of 'Kid Food': Wanton Gods in a Hostile Universe

May 1, 2009 by

Humanseasy prey

The design of the universe must be shoddy, or perhaps the universe and its gods are outright hostile to humans. One of the most ironic examples of the gods’ cruel mockery of us is that we humans are born with no desire for the healthy foods our bodies need. Instead, we’re born craving junk food. Or so the thinking goes.

I’ve observed that at gatherings of both adults and children there often will be Real Food for the adults and “kid food”—usually pizza, maybe hotdogs, but generally highly processed—for the children. Because that’s what they like, don’t they? That’s What They Will Eat.

Some parents make two separate meals at home:…

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Kid-Friendly Gourmet Recipe on the Cheap with a Few Strategic Replacements

Apr 23, 2009 by

I found a recipe that sounded yummy, healthy, quick and easy in my Food & Wine 2008 annual cookbook: “Italian Tuna, Green Olive and Tangerine Salad on Grilled Bread.”

So I headed to Central Market, where they have almost anything under the sun, including run-of-the-mill items, to look for the ingredients. I was pretty sure I’d find everything I needed there.

I started out by looking for the prescribed jar, not can, of “Italian tuna in olive oil.”  Who…

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It’s National Turn Off the TV Week: Do It For Healthy Eating’s Sake

Apr 23, 2009 by

Campaign_DigitalDetoxWeek Turning off the TV, not just this week but every week, is one of the best moves parents can make if they hope to get their children in the habit of healthy eating. For a child who watches more than an infinitesimal amount of TV, efforts to build healthy eating habits may well be futile.

Of course we all know, whether we act on that knowledge or not, that the more we sit in front of the TV, the higher our risk of being overweight.

But the problem is not simply that we are physically inactive as we sit there, when we could be playing outdoors. Passive TV viewing, instead of working up our healthy appetite through activity, also gives us an unhealthy urge to…

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