Growing up in Bangladesh between '80s and '90s, vegetables were part of our daily diet. It began at breakfast time with round rotis and a preparation from mixed vegetables. Then during lunch time, vegetables were a must too. Lunch began with spinach or some other kind of leafy vegetable, a single or mixed vegetable preparation, meat or fish and dal (pulses). Here in the United States, however, daily diets of adults and children rely heavily on meat and carbohydrates. Potato is probably the most common vegetable in American diet. But I never treated potato as a vegetable before moving to the U.S. - potato is considered a source of carb in the part of the world where I grew up.
In the past 6 years, I met very few American kids, who said they loved veggies. Parents are not to be blamed alone for their children's distaste toward veggies - it's an acquired taste. Besides, healthy foods are more expensive in this country. Meat costs much less than vegetables. In large families, parents are more worried about filling their children's stomachs and hence, resort to chicken, red meat, bread, pasta and canned foods. It's a sad scenario. I feel that there is often a lack of awareness too. Many parents do not even understand the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables - they themselves did not grow up eating them and often do not understand why they are necessary for a child's growing body.
Low income is often an issue but I would rather cut my spending on eating-out or shopping to feed healthy foods to my family. It's sometimes about how well you manage your money...
Healthy foods keep you lean. It's the unhealthy foods that add extra pounds to a human body, leading to obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, hypertension, heart disease and other chronic illnesses. This is no new information, but there are millions of people out there who still do not fathom the importance of vegetables in daily diet. Anyway, let me share my story of introducing veggies to my child.
Avocado was my daughter's first vegetable. After my daughter turned 6 months, I introduced it to her. Avocados are amazing - they are rich in healthy fats, which help a child's growing brain immensely. They are also packed with important vitamins and minerals. To this day, I try to feed her half of an avocado daily.
I feed my daughter broccolis and carrots. I usually buy them organic - they cost more but they are worth the extra few cents or a dollar. When she was little and was yet to learn to swallow, I would just put steamed broccolis or carrots in the blender. At the end of the day, it is about the baby getting the nutrition she needs! It does not matter if she eats it in solid or semi-solid form. She is 1.5 years old now and dislikes chewing raw carrots. So, I blend steamed carrots in milk and feed it to her with a spoon. She loves it! From the day my daughter was born, I promised to myself that I would not raise her, feeding the typical American diet whose apparent highlights are meat and bread.
I feed her whatever I eat. When I eat sautéed peas, spinach, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd or okra, I give some to her. Yes, these exotic vegetables are widely available in Indian, oriental, and also some American grocery chains across the country. Maybe my daughter does not eat a whole lot when I offer them to her, but she tastes them all, and that's what matters. Maybe one day, she will begin to love veggies just like her parents, or maybe not! But as a mother, I just cannot stop trying.
*This piece was written 1.5 years ago.
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