Mommies Home has a great article on getting kids to eat vegetables. Like her, some of my kids were pretty fussy eaters when they were young, but a few of them were not. At around age 11, all my kids ate just about anything set in front of them (sometimes under duress, lol). I just didn’t serve much else besides the ikky healthy stuff, and they learned that unless they ate what I gave them, they were going to go hungry. Now, they eat eggplant, zucchini, bean soup (which I hate), and they’ll even eat peas if I threaten loudly enough. But the key, I think, was giving the children no other choice. We rarely ever go to McDonald’s (maybe once a year or two), rarely eat out (maybe once or twice a year). We do eat take-out Chinese (more vegetables!) and we do eat pizza. But overall, I think the kids eat very, very well. And since we grow our own food in the summer, that’s basically all we eat- vegetables.

But the Mommies Home article made me think, espcecially when she asked:

But with the fast food culture, and many children fixed on chicken nuggets, hot dogs and mac and cheese, how do you get them to get to the recommended amount?

That’s it right there- the fast food culture.

If you are an Entrecarder like me, you no doubt have seen all those Asian blogs, where the bloggers are always talking about their food. And what kinds of foods are they always talking about? Rice, fruits, and vegetables! And what do American and Canadian bloggers blog about when they discuss food? Chocolate, diet soda, fast food, and diet pills. I think the difference between the two is very telling.

So the idea that children are fussy eaters because they are children is an illusion. Our culture has a lot of influence of our health, for better or for worse. And I think in our Western culture, it’s for the worse.

Our food industry is bankrolled by those who have more concern for their bottom dollar than public health. Just look at this propaganda piece made by the high-fructose corn syrup lobbyists.

What a disgusting ad, as if we are just a bunch of idiotic peons who don’t know what’s good for us. And to rebut the ad that says HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is fine “in moderation,” well that’s just an outright lie. We all know that no American gets HFCS in “moderation.” That poison is everywhere, and in everything. But they treat us as if we are tongue-tied idiots. Grr.

So no wonder kids are fussy, fat, and sick all the time. Really, we need to start growing our own food, don’t you think?

NEVER shop when you’re hungry. Never surf cooking websites when you’re hungry, either. I am now STARVING! And what’s worse- I’ve been surfing for recipes- found some incredible seafood recipes- and there’s not a sliver of seafood in the house. AGONY, I tell you!

I just love domestic seafood. Skip that stuff from China and Italy (never liked octopus anyway *shudder*). I love good ol’ Atlantic salmon and Texas “jumbo” shrimp. Mmmmm. I prefer domestic seafood for it’s cleanliness, sustainability, and that it’s the patriotic thing to do. :) Best yet, there’s a huge cook off contest coming up, in Louisiana. The winners will be announced in November, but the folks at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off are giving us lowly eaters the chance to choose a winner, and someone could win a trip to New Orleans; details are at www.GreatAmericanSeafoodCookOff.com. The prize package includes two Southwest Airline round-trip tickets, hotel accommodations, and a culinary seafood experience that would make even the ocean-dwellers drool! I decided to enter- I chose Texan Chef Mark Holley’s Texas Gulf Shrimp. I LOOOOOVE shrimp, especially jumbo shrimp, where you get more shrimpy goodness per bite than the other, well, shrimped shrimp. Check out his recipe yourself; doesn’t it look scrumptiously shrimpy? Vote for your favorite recipe, you might just win the trip! There are five contenders for the Seafood Cook-Off’s chef’s throne; all recipes look really good. It was actually tough to choose from them. And it’s kind of odd that all the contestants are men! That doesn’t bother me as much, just as long as we women get to eat it. :)

Entering the contest can’t hurt! (You have to enter your name, email, and zip code). And the recipes are GREAT! So what have you got to lose? Nothing. But you have everything to gain. :) Enjoi!