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Spicy Tots for Tots?
Can Flavorful Foods Help Your Child Become a Better Eater?
By Renee Roberson
It's a common dilemma with parents: Your toddler or preschooler has no problem eating, as long as the menu includes chicken nuggets, fish sticks, hot dogs or macaroni and cheese. From the time their children are babies, 
parents worry about what kind of rice cereal to start them out with, how long to feed them pureed and mashed up foods, and finally, figuring out the most nutritious table foods to offer them.
But many toddlers go through picky phases where what they want to eat isn't always the healthiest choice. Is there a way for parents to vary their child's diet with fun and flavorful foods and make them more likely to be better eaters later in life?
"I think if a parent slowly introduces spicy foods early on, and in increasing amounts, a child can grow accustomed to the food of his ethnicity, or of any ethnicity," Leite says. "And perhaps that will lead to greater curiosity about food, people and the world."
Leite rediscovered his love for Portuguese cuisine after the death of his grandmother. "I almost lost my connection with my heritage after my grandmother died and many of our family specialties died with her," he says. "Looking back, I would've been bereft of the memory of her and a sense of identity had I not actively ferreted out recipes from my mother and aunts." Leite is currently putting together the first cookbook ever to combine both classic and modern recipes from Portugal.
From the time her two small children were 6 months old, Charlotte, N.C., resident Melissa McAtee fed them everything she was eating, spices and all, in small and pureed portions. "As a result, I think my kids have a varied palate," she says. "They love fish, fresh greens and ethnic foods. In fact, my daughter's favorite food is grilled shark, and my son's is octopus. I didn't stray from eating anything I normally did when I nursed, and I think that also introduced their taste buds earlier to a variety of things."
