Why Won't My Child Eat Vegetables?

First off, I never had a child. I used that title for the sake of the millions whose children won't eat vegetables...

My theory is that it's the preparation and/or processing of the vegetables that is to blame. Fresh picked, steamed vegetables are a treat; but put it in a can with preservatives, or cook it with grease or margarine or too much salt, and it really sucks. I submit that kids can sense this and that is why they reject the food.

Here is my personal experience: It seems that, circa 1970, canned foods were worse than they are today -- either that or I was much more attuned to how bad they were back in the day. For a long time I was convinced that I didn't like peas in particular. But then something changed.

When I was six my parents took me to a pea farm where we could pick our own peas. Then we went back to our hotel room and simply steamed them -- amazing! Peas instantly became my favorite food.

My parents knew that we couldn't hang out on the DelMarVa Penninsula and pick peas all the time, so how were they to get the fresh peas back home in Baltimore? They decided that frozen was close enough to fresh if it was gently steamed, and it pretty much worked out (although it wasn't quite the same.) Our sensitive young palates had identified the subtle flavor of the fresh peas, and could pick it out in gently prepared frozen peas to some extent. It was enough. We never got another can of peas, and I never again rejected peas.

I saw Super Nanny do something like this for a troupe of finicky youngsters on TV, and it worked for them too!

So to sum up, if you make the vegetables as healthy and delicious as can be, children might just come to love the vegetables. I think that what I disliked 40 years ago was salt, not peas.