12 Steps to Whole Foods

Introduction
I once taught my children about the three parts of a grain—the bran
(fiber), the germ (vitamins), and the endosperm (the glue). I’ve told
them that white bread throws away the two good parts and keeps
only the one useless part—the “glue” of the grain. Months later, I
happened upon a conversation between my daughter and one of her
friends, where she was explaining to her friend, waving a bottle of
Elmer’s glue, that the bread her friend eats every day is made of
exactly that substance. Obviously she’d taken what I said far too
literally. Consider it a challenge to explain nutrition principles you
read about in terms a child can understand.
My belief is that parents willing to “walk the talk” and fill their own
plates up with good things are teaching in the most powerful way
possible: by example. But also, as the parents, we believe that we
are in charge. Salad is not an option and it’s not a “side dish,”
something in a corner taking up a square inch or two. I started feeding my kids green salad when they were old
enough to chew. We did have to put it on the fork for them and help them with it, the first few years. In our
family, we eat salad first (to provide enzymes for any cooked food that will follow)—so if you want the rest of
the meal at our house, you are required to eat a big helping of salad.
All four of my kids love and crave raw, green salads. So much for the idea we’ve often heard that if we “make”
them do it, they’ll hate it and “rebel.” (My mom “made” me eat salad every night, too, and my siblings and I all
love salad.) People simply do not rebel against everything they’re taught, and so a sound strategy is to teach
true principles and set sound expectations regardless of any random guess about choices children might make
in 20 years in reaction to those principles and expectations. On the other hand, kids who rarely or never eat
vegetables aren’t likely to make the switch to eating nutritious food in adulthood.
My kids don’t give me a hard time about eating salad because (1) the rule is well understood, (2) they know
exactly why I provide them raw green food every night, and (3) they have learned, from listening to their
bodies, that they prefer how they feel when eating lots of green roughage.
Further, no one person burns out on making salads, because we take turns doing it—washing and chopping
greens and other vegetables, getting a large salad together in 10 or 15 minutes. Only my youngest doesn’t help
with that, because he’s not old enough to handle a knife yet (he can set the table and do other tasks, though).
Not only does this free my time so I don’t burn out on being a slave to the kitchen, but it also gives my children
a chance to contribute to the meal they will eat, a sense of accomplishment for having done a job well, and an
opportunity to learn healthy habits for life. Many busy parents these days do not teach their children to cook.
Not only will teaching them how to prepare a salad give them necessary skills for the future, but your child just
might enjoy it and it can take a task off your plate (pun intended)!
On this next suggestion, I’m going to mince no words: get rid of the worst choices from your fridge and pantry.
Just quit buying them, cold turkey. Especially soft drinks, processed meat, potato chips, and sugar. Life won't
be over or even less fun. They’ll still see those foods on occasions such as parties and barbecues—and that’s
where those foods belong, a once-in-a-while indulgence (if they are important to you), not daily fare. Tell your
family you’re going to learn to make treats that are both yummy and good for them. (Refer to Chapter 11 as
much as you want!)
I want to assure you that “picky kids” will not starve themselves. People who eat sugar every day have tastes
adapted to that very addictive chemical and the dopamine receptors that respond to the chemical. But get rid of
16 12 Steps to Whole Foods
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw