My first veggies

Does early introduction of the green stuff help prevent the Vegetable Wars?

By Janis Hashe

Photos by Julie Hogue

One of the world’s most respected parenting experts, T. Berry Brazelton, admitted in a recent column that he doesn’t like vegetables and never has. And most parents dread the day their formerly cooperative child refuses to eat “anything green” or is regularly caught offering her broccoli to the dog under the table.

The evidence points strongly to the contention that those who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables from the very beginning are healthier. Yet we know that most Americans do not eat enough vegetables—not even close—and far too many go days on end without consuming a single one.

So Chattanooga Parent decided to ask both parents and experts: Will introducing vegetables to your baby as soon as she’s able to eat solid food lessen the risk of Vegetable Wars later? And what can concerned parents do to ensure that their little one’s palate is prepared for a lifetime of not just enduring, but enjoying, vegetables?

From breast milk to brussels sprouts

Tracey Seaman is the kitchen test director for Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine and author, with Tanya Wenman Steel, of Real Food for Healthy Kids, published last year. In the chapter “First Foods: Great Recipes for Six to Thirty-Six Months Old,” she states: “As hard as it is to believe, it will never be easier to get your kids to eat broccoli puree or spinach pie than at this age, so this is the time to truly feed them well. Hopefully, they will end up liking many of the things you first feed them; plus, you will have given them a healthy start.” In recipes named for the alphabet, the authors offer suggestions for preparing everything from butternut squash to yams.

In an interview with Chattanooga Parent, Seaman urged parents to think beyond bananas.
“Bananas are fine, but there are many other choices, such as avocado, that are nice and tender. Texture is important, because a baby’s taste buds are not fully developed,” she says. She also emphasizes, “Don’t do a sweet taste first, then try to follow it with savory. Always give the savory items first.”

Local mom Jackie Turnbow’s experience backs this up. “I am a parent of a 3-year-old girl,” she told us by e-mail. “I introduced the grossest veggies to her first—or should I say, what I considered to be the grossest. I gradually went to fruits, as they are sweeter.

“My daughter eats all of her veggies now. At meals she is given her vegetable before she can have anything else. This way, when she is initially hungry, she does not have the option of going for a more appealing food item, and she knows that as soon as she eats the veggie, she will get the mac & cheese!”

Seaman’s vegetable suggestions for the first six to 12 months include acorn/butternut squash, green beans, peas, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, zucchini and potatoes. She also suggests mixing breast milk or formula into some of the recipes, including “V is for Veggie Mash,” included in this article.

And it might be possible to introduce vegetables even earlier. Dr. Jennie Fisher, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, says experimental studies have shown that infants might be influenced to accept flavors their mothers consumed during pregnancy and while still breastfeeding. In other words, what’s good for the goose is good for the gosling.

But Dr. Fisher notes that her own twin 4-year-old boys emerged from babyhood with different tendencies—one a “very good eater,” and the other “picky.”

Confronted with salad for the first time, one twin “stuffed it in his mouth and said, ‘What’s this?’” while the other was more hesitant. When the choosier child rejects a food, Dr. Fisher will reintroduce it later—another key aspect of veggie acceptance.

If at first they spit it out, try, try again

“A lot of parents give their baby a food once, and if he rejects it, don’t try again. But it can take up to 12 times before he accepts the food. Don’t give up,” says Seaman.

When the child is a little older, he can be introduced to the “No, Thank You Bite” concept, she explains. “The idea is that they agree to take one bite. If they don’t like it that time, they can say, “No, thank you,” and they don’t have to eat the rest. But then you can ask them to try it another time.”

Dr. Fisher concurs. “Children learn to accept food through experience. And these experiences are important to get kids to the next stage of eating.”

Homemushed meals

All the parents we spoke with had one common denominator: They make their own baby food. And all emphasized that it doesn’t have to be time consuming and expensive to do so.

At the Williamson house, 7-month-old Louise eats vegetables cooked by mom Leonora with help from dad Frank. “Louise prefers savory to sweet,” Leonora says.

“She loves avocado, and fennel is another one of her favorites. We put fresh herbs in with them—mint with peas, cilantro with carrots.” The Williamsons usually give Louise the same vegetables that they are eating, and often mix them, pureeing sweet potatoes with green beans, for example.

Leonora swears by the Beaba Babycook, a French baby-food maker available through Williams-Sonoma, among other outlets. It’s pricey—around $150—but if it eliminates the cost of buying pre-made food, it may well pay for itself fairly rapidly. Other parents achieve similar results with slow cookers.

Leonora also freezes cubes of puree for later use, saving time and money, she says.
Dena Jackson and husband Paul eat a mostly vegetarian diet, Dena says, and son Dagan, 7 1/2 months, who is still getting breast milk, is also being introduced to both fruits and vegetables. “We send him to Siskin twice a week, and we prepare the food he eats there,” she says. So far, Dagan eats winter squash, green beans and corn. He’s also getting homemade popsicles, “from which he just sucks the juice out,” she says.

Pink Brouillard, at 10 months, eats foods prepared by her dad, Mark Brouillard. “Mark is a very good cook,” says mom Terri Rieth, “and she eats mashed carrots, peas, corn and potatoes.” The older kids in the blended Brouillard/Rieth family—Sage, 10, Maria, 9, Grant, 11, and Olivia, 14—are all enthusiastic vegetable eaters, Mark says. “Grant asked for asparagus for his birthday meal,” he adds. “And Maria loves brussels sprouts!”

But if you simply do not have time to prepare your own baby food, don’t despair. Most major baby food producers offer a wide range of vegetable offerings, and you’ll find your baby will accept—and like—at least some of them.

Monkey see, monkey do

Parents and experts agreed that it’s important for children—even babies—to see their own parents eating vegetables.

“Both Mark and I model healthy eating,” says Terri Rieth. “It seems to work. Our kids much prefer home cooking.”

“McDonald’s is not an option for us,” says Dena Jackson.

“Have the baby close by while you are preparing vegetables,” suggests Tracey Seaman. “Make up cute names for them and make a game out of it. Children learn by looking, so you need to be eating with them.”

Look at it this way: If you, like Dr. Brazelton, grew up not liking vegetables—here’s your second chance.

REAL FOOD RECIPE

Try this recipe for little ones aged 6 to 36 months, from the book Real Food for Healthy Kids:

V is for Veggie Mash
Prep: 5 minutes
Roasting: 20 minutes
Makes 2 to 4 servings

You can roast just about any vegetable for this mash. If you don’t have time to roast the veggies, you can steam or boil them until tender.

°    1 parsnip, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/3-inch slices
°    1 carrot, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/3-inch slices
°    1 small yam or sweet potato, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/3-inch slices
°    Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
°    1/4 cup formula, breast milk or milk

1. Preheat the oven to 450º F and line a large, shallow baking sheet with foil. Transfer cut vegetables to the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the oil on top, toss well, and spread the vegetables out on the pan.

2. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and golden brown on the edges. Let cool slightly and transfer to a bowl, add milk or formula, and mash to the desired consistency.

For more baby-friendly recipes, visit HarperCollins.com, type Real Food for Healthy Kids into the search bar, and choose the “browse inside” option.