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Spicy Tots for Tots?
Can Flavorful Foods Help Your Child Become a Better Eater?
By Renee Roberson
Dr. Renna, mother of three and author of the upcoming book Growing up Healthy the Next Generation Way: How to Add Years to Your Child's Life, and Life to Your Child's Years (SelectBooks, Inc., 2007), counsels parents daily whose children only want to eat one or two of the same foods and nothing else. She believes introducing children to a variety of nutritious foods from the time they are babies can prevent some of the dilemmas parents of picky eaters face.
Ashley Koff, a registered dietitian and author of Recipes for IBS: Great Tasting Recipes and Tips Customized for Your Symptoms (Fair Winds Press, 2007), also believes that toddlers should be exposed to foods with a variety of texture, flavor and color.
"In terms of spiciness, it should be appropriate based on the cultural choices of the household as well as the consideration to the child's digestive system," Koff says. "If the child has issues with digestion, gas, bloating, etc., it may be inappropriate to give them spicy foods until the digestive problems resolve."
"My daughter is 2 1/2 and from the age of 1 she has eaten everything that we eat," says Melenie Borden, a mom from Charlotte, N.C. "She eats curries, strong spices, olives, sauerkraut, strong cheese and any fruit and vegetable. Personally, I believe that kids will eat what you put in front of them. If they are offered spicier, more flavorful foods, that is what they will like and eat. If you offer them only nuggets and fries, then that is what they will prefer."
