I celebrate each time that my magazine ‘Bon Appetite’ arrives in the mail.  I soak up the colorful photographs of food and tear through the pages, dreaming of dinner and how I will magically transform from a simple housewife into a culinary genius.  I find the greatest pleasure in unloading my grocery sacks and filling my fridge with colorful, healthy food.

As much as I love food, there lies a challenge in raising a child that sees kale as a gorgeous green vitamin packed food and not a slimy green monster lurking around their mashed potatoes.  There are some very practical solutions to making good food magical for children.

We loved our summer CSA and picking tomatoes and berries at grandmommy and granddads.   Japanese culture creates art of food for kids in the art of bento.   You can invite your children into the kitchen as you cook, letting them knead your bread, even if it is messier and takes longer to get things done.  Our little copy cats will learn through your daily grind of activities.

One of the simplest things that you can do to promote love of food in your child is to breastfeed.  That’s right, the simple act of breastfeeding exposes your developing infant’s palate to the foods that you eat while lactating.  These flavor changes are subtle, but in way, prime the palate for more sophisticated food in the future.

Check out more info on this great breastfeeding study by Danish Researcher Helene Hausner.