Q+A
Q: Your latest cookbook, The Simple Bites Kitchen: Nourishing Whole Food Recipes for Every Day, highlights the importance of getting kids involved in cooking. How has being active in the kitchen helped your kids to become healthier eaters? I believe that the kitchen and the family table are where healthy food habits are formed, and children will take these habits with them into adulthood. I’ve learned over the years that when the kids help cook (and even harvest produce or shop for the ingredients), they are much more inclined to try new foods. My three are not perfect eaters by any means, but they love a wide range of whole foods and exotic ingredients. When kids cook, they take a sense of pride in their work, and they acquire a real appreciation for the ingredients. Since I’ve given my kids plenty of kitchen time over the years, cooking from scratch has become second nature to them and has ignited a love of nourishing, whole foods that hopefully will last a lifetime. Q: What advice do you have for families who have picky eaters? First of all, start calling them “selective eaters” instead; it’s much more positive! I mean, we’re all selective eaters in some ways. I believe we should recognize that kids are little humans entitled to their own preferences and aversions, as much as anyone. Second, don’t push the food on them, but don’t stop offering it completely, either. Give them enough space to not like something, and yet continue to offer it prepared in different ways.
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It’s rare for a child to take to a new flavour or texture the first time, or even second or third. Most importantly: set a good example. You are their biggest role model, even in their diets. Let your children see you relish in well-balanced meals and avoid junk foods. Before long, this will also be their mantra. Good habits are worth being intentional over, especially with little ones looking on. Q: What does a whole foods lifestyle mean to you?
I focus on feeding my family nutritious food: unprocessed, unrefined, fresh, organic when possible, vegetarian most days, homemade when we can. We eat a flexitarian diet with everything in moderation, focusing on whole ingredients while reducing our meat intake. The whole foods lifestyle means that we strive for balance in everything—growing a bit of food, scratch cooking most nights and eating in season.