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I am a preschool teacher who serves countless chicken nuggets to children on a weekly basis. Increasingly, I am bothered by the lack of variety in children's diets. Now, I am taking an anonymous poll for a statistics class I am in. So tell me, what does your child eat?
Answer
I have three kids, and of course they have different tastes. I'll sum up what each of them eats:
My 9 year old daughter eats most things you'd expect a kid to like. She doesn't like anything remotely spicy (tacos, burritos), anything with tomatoes, onions, green or red peppers. She'll eat a few veggies but doesn't like green beans or cauliflower. She likes fresh fruit and will not eat canned, except pineapples. I dinner she'd love would be meatloaf, broccoli, and sliced canteloup. She doesn't really like chicken nuggets but will eat them if I make them for lunch.
My 5 year old son will eat almost anything. He likes chicken nuggets just fine, but since he'll happily eat just about anything else, I don't usually give them to him. This kid loves sushi and will only eat a turkey sandwich if it has spicy brown mustard on it. Even though he'll eat whatever I put in front of him, he doesn't eat a lot of junk because I like to cook good meals. We usually have fresh fruit with meals too.
Now, my 3 year old son. He's the challenge! This is the kid who DOES eat chicken nuggets on almost a daily basis because it's one of the few things he will eat. Not just any chicken nuggets--dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. He won't eat any other kind of meat. Once in a while he'll eat some roast chicken, but that's it. I think he likes this one particular type of chicken nugget because it doesn't have a lot of seasonings, so is pretty bland. He'll also eat cheese pizza, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, plain pasta, cereral, bread, American cheese slices, and most "snack" foods like crackers and pretzels. He will not eat any veggies at all or any canned fruit. He'll eat apples, pears, bananas, watermelon, strawberries, and raspberries. He's the main reason we eat so much fresh fruit! His favorite meal is chicken nuggets, sliced strawberries, and cheese. We always have milk with meals. Soda is only for parties, juice boxes are for school snack, and between meals or with snacks, the kids have water.
Usually I plan meals around what my two oldest kids will eat, and give my youngest something else if it's not on his list of approved foods. I don't try to make him eat anything he doesn't like, but do encourage him to try things. He will take a little bite, and genuinely seems to not like anything else. He has actually improved a lot--when he was about a year old, he would literally eat nothing except bread and cheese. No fruits, no veggies, no meats at all. I figure, if he continues to gradually branch out, he'll probably have a normal diet by the time he's grown up. ;)
I used to work in a daycare center, and the menu repeated every three weeks. It wasn't bad, but a lot of the food was so processed. Mostly canned vegetables and fruits, frozen pizzas and chicken nuggets, pasta with too much butter on it, white bread instead of whole grain, etc. My daughter is the only of our kids to have lunch at school, and most days she packs a lunch. Even things she will eat at home, she doesn't like at school. It must be hard to feed hundreds of kids at once, fit in fresh produce that can go bad quickly, or spend extra money on healthier choices, and then prepare mass amounts of food in an appetizing manner.
Also, I'd keep in mind that just because the kids don't eat a lot of variety at school, doesn't mean they don't have variety at home. If the lunches you serve at the preschool are brought from home, maybe you could gently encourage parents to send in healthier items. Does the preschool have a monthly newsletter? If so, add an article about healthy school lunch ideas. Maybe feature a different "recipe" for each newsletter. If the preschool provides the lunches, you're restricted by state nutrition guidelines, budget, and ease of preparation. I have heard that some schools partner with local farms to provide fresh, local produce for school meals. You could look into something like that. Is there space on the school grounds for a small garden? Or space in the classroom for a container garden? The kids could help grow some plants and then make a snack from the resulting vegetables. The kids will learn something new, and probably end up trying something new as well. Good luck!
I have three kids, and of course they have different tastes. I'll sum up what each of them eats:
My 9 year old daughter eats most things you'd expect a kid to like. She doesn't like anything remotely spicy (tacos, burritos), anything with tomatoes, onions, green or red peppers. She'll eat a few veggies but doesn't like green beans or cauliflower. She likes fresh fruit and will not eat canned, except pineapples. I dinner she'd love would be meatloaf, broccoli, and sliced canteloup. She doesn't really like chicken nuggets but will eat them if I make them for lunch.
My 5 year old son will eat almost anything. He likes chicken nuggets just fine, but since he'll happily eat just about anything else, I don't usually give them to him. This kid loves sushi and will only eat a turkey sandwich if it has spicy brown mustard on it. Even though he'll eat whatever I put in front of him, he doesn't eat a lot of junk because I like to cook good meals. We usually have fresh fruit with meals too.
Now, my 3 year old son. He's the challenge! This is the kid who DOES eat chicken nuggets on almost a daily basis because it's one of the few things he will eat. Not just any chicken nuggets--dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets. He won't eat any other kind of meat. Once in a while he'll eat some roast chicken, but that's it. I think he likes this one particular type of chicken nugget because it doesn't have a lot of seasonings, so is pretty bland. He'll also eat cheese pizza, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, plain pasta, cereral, bread, American cheese slices, and most "snack" foods like crackers and pretzels. He will not eat any veggies at all or any canned fruit. He'll eat apples, pears, bananas, watermelon, strawberries, and raspberries. He's the main reason we eat so much fresh fruit! His favorite meal is chicken nuggets, sliced strawberries, and cheese. We always have milk with meals. Soda is only for parties, juice boxes are for school snack, and between meals or with snacks, the kids have water.
Usually I plan meals around what my two oldest kids will eat, and give my youngest something else if it's not on his list of approved foods. I don't try to make him eat anything he doesn't like, but do encourage him to try things. He will take a little bite, and genuinely seems to not like anything else. He has actually improved a lot--when he was about a year old, he would literally eat nothing except bread and cheese. No fruits, no veggies, no meats at all. I figure, if he continues to gradually branch out, he'll probably have a normal diet by the time he's grown up. ;)
I used to work in a daycare center, and the menu repeated every three weeks. It wasn't bad, but a lot of the food was so processed. Mostly canned vegetables and fruits, frozen pizzas and chicken nuggets, pasta with too much butter on it, white bread instead of whole grain, etc. My daughter is the only of our kids to have lunch at school, and most days she packs a lunch. Even things she will eat at home, she doesn't like at school. It must be hard to feed hundreds of kids at once, fit in fresh produce that can go bad quickly, or spend extra money on healthier choices, and then prepare mass amounts of food in an appetizing manner.
Also, I'd keep in mind that just because the kids don't eat a lot of variety at school, doesn't mean they don't have variety at home. If the lunches you serve at the preschool are brought from home, maybe you could gently encourage parents to send in healthier items. Does the preschool have a monthly newsletter? If so, add an article about healthy school lunch ideas. Maybe feature a different "recipe" for each newsletter. If the preschool provides the lunches, you're restricted by state nutrition guidelines, budget, and ease of preparation. I have heard that some schools partner with local farms to provide fresh, local produce for school meals. You could look into something like that. Is there space on the school grounds for a small garden? Or space in the classroom for a container garden? The kids could help grow some plants and then make a snack from the resulting vegetables. The kids will learn something new, and probably end up trying something new as well. Good luck!
I want to become a vegetarian, need some good recipes to convince my husband meals are fine without meat!?
sunni4avon
My entire family loves meat, but after seeing a video about KFC's slaughter houses I don't think I can ever buy meat again. I knew they where not killed with kindness but I had no idea how bad the animals where treated. I need some really good recipes because my husband is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy and I need to convince him vegetarian meals are just as good! I am also wondering if cutting out the meat will cut down our grocery bill? We are on a tight budget and if he see's less money going towards the store I think he would be more open minded about the change.
Answer
Learn to cook without meat and make it seem it seem like you did. If you don't have a BBQ, buy one. People associate that smoky flavor with charred flesh, but its really all about the charcoal or wood chips you use. It WILL be cheaper without a doubt if you use bulk TVP and homemade seitan or even grilled extra firm tofu as your main meat replacements instead of pre-made frozen stuff at the store.
I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:
Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.
Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke
Lunch: vegan "sausage" sandwiches, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.
Dinner: sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs
I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com
You can go to a veggie restaurant and steal ideas.
http://www.happycow.com/browse
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
There have been vegan Olympic gold medalists and a vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Lewis
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML_(Draft).htm
Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-about
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Danzig
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams/profile?id=WIL271115
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresults/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.
You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.
When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.
A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.
Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat. Fruits and vegetables are always important but they DO NOT make up the largest portion of any healthy diet.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.
A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.
If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.
If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.
Learn to cook without meat and make it seem it seem like you did. If you don't have a BBQ, buy one. People associate that smoky flavor with charred flesh, but its really all about the charcoal or wood chips you use. It WILL be cheaper without a doubt if you use bulk TVP and homemade seitan or even grilled extra firm tofu as your main meat replacements instead of pre-made frozen stuff at the store.
I'm vegan and these are some of my favorite things to eat:
Breakfast: bananas, cream of wheat with brown sugar and soy butter, cereal, pancakes or french toast with real maple syrup, vegan "sausage" patties, smoothies.
Snack: BRUSSEL SPROUTS =) no joke
Lunch: vegan "sausage" sandwiches, sandwiches with vegan deli slices(Tofurkey is the only one that's kinda funky), fruit, dinner leftovers, couscous salad, vegan sushi, potato or pasta salad.
Dinner: sloppy joes, "sausage" and gravy with homemade biscuits, Spaghetti and Trader Joe's "meatballs" or TVP, lasagna, Thai pad see ew, pad khi mao(drunkard's noodles), pad prig king, tofu+eggplant with basil sauce, yellow thai curry with tofu or vegan chikn and veggies and jasmine rice, Indian dal with homemade roti or dosai, channa masala, aloo gobi, vegetable or minestrone soup, pizza, STEAMED "PORK" BUNS with potstickers or spring rolls, sweet&sour/orange/lemon chikn, vegan pho or wonton soup, baked tofu, BBQ homemade seitan (tastes like BBQ'd ribs), kabobs
I use these sites to find recipes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com
http://vegweb.com
http://www.recipezaar.com
You can go to a veggie restaurant and steal ideas.
http://www.happycow.com/browse
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
There have been vegan Olympic gold medalists and a vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Lewis
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/advocacy_933_ENU_HTML_(Draft).htm
Here are some more veg people:
http://www.mikemahler.com/index.html
http://www.vegetarianbodybuilder.com/index2.html
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios
http://www.andreascahling.com/andreas-about
http://www.billpearl.com/career.asp
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-23-27/Salim-Stoudamire-Runs-on-Broccoli.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Danzig
http://www.scottjurek.com/career.php
http://www.nfl.com/players/rickywilliams/profile?id=WIL271115
http://www.brendanbrazier.com/raceresults/index.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you want to become a lacto-ovo vegetarian, the transition should be quite simple. Almost all meats have widely available commercial replacements. All that you have to do is replace any flesh in your diet (beef, pork, poultry, seafood) with meat analogs or just leave it out altogether.
You should keep in mind that a journey such as this can be quite short but should just be the beginning of a longer one to a plant-based diet with no animal products. This is because of the reality of factory farming in which animals that are kept alive to produce milk, eggs, etc suffer much more and longer than animals that are raised to a certain weight and then slaughtered.http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://meat.org
Some people use the word "vegan" in reference to this idea, but be aware that applying that label to yourself should always come with the inclusion of wise activism and advocacy.http://www.veganoutreach.org/advocacy/index.html
Two extremely important examples of this are that you should never speak to someone about vegetarianism/veganism without their consent and genuine interest or as a comment on what they are eating AND your dietary beliefs should never be used as an introduction or explanation of who you are as a person. Veg*ism should be something that comes up AFTER people get to know you and they offer you a situation that makes it confusing to withhold the information/discussion. Also, if you are presented something that you choose not to eat or you are
ordering food/eating together somewhere/picking the best place to eat.
When you you hold off on the subject until it's necessary and then act like it isn't a big deal at all, people are usually surprised and WAY more interested and curious than if you were to bring it up when someone's eating or just using it as a conversation starter.
A responsible vegan ALWAYS studies the subject of their own health and how to keep their body completely provided for in every sense. http://www.veganhealth.org/sh
To neglect their body is to define a plant-based diet as unhealthy and is the opposite of helping the animals.
Just to clear things up, the vegetarian/vegan diet is not composed of salads, vegetables, fruit and fake meat. Fruits and vegetables are always important but they DO NOT make up the largest portion of any healthy diet.
A balanced plant-based diet includes grains(breads, pasta, rice,cereal), legumes(soy, beans, peas, lentils), fruit and vegetables.
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/food_groups.html
http://www.peta.org/accidentallyVegan/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/eating.html
Being vegan can be an art, one whose challenge is to take things that involve the suffering of the innocent and change them into something free of cruelty.
A vegan woman can create an ENTIRELY NEW,HEALTHY HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER. Many of these children stay vegan and grow up to be perfectly healthy adults. So just keep yourself educated about what you eat and don't let anyone tell you that a veg diet is lacking anything essential.
Technically the term "vegetarian" does imply that you don't consume anything that comes from the body of an animal that requires killing it. Many ingredients such as gelatin and glycerin are found in many candies, Fig-Newtons, and many of other foods as well as rennet found in many cheeses.
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal-ingredients.html
The best thing to remember is to take your time so that for example: when you are comfortable not eating beef and pork you can then give up chicken when you are sure you can make the commitment permanently.
Depending on your age or reliance on parents or regional options, it may not be best to give yourself a label. The important thing is to do your best to make progress and be committed to your compassion towards animals. Never put your focus onto what you or other people use to describe yourself.
If you meet someone that talks down to people for eating meat, dairy, etc or to you because they think they are "more veg" than you, laugh in their face and tell them they are a disgrace to the entire philosophy. People like this only hurt the idea of veg*ism AND the animals. The point of all of this is to live compassionately and and as free from cruelty as you can, all the while maintaining your health and a positive attitude. People who don't maintain either, need not open their mouths and represent our beliefs.
If you actually choose to read all of this, I hope it helps. If not, feel free to e-mail me if you have questions.
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