I've eventually come to terms with the fact that just like you never hear of kids heading off to college still wearing diapers, you also never hear of kids heading off to college intent on eating only grilled cheese for the rest of the life. That being said, it is incredibly rewarding when your child finally tries something new. In our case, I think it helped that we introduced a ton of foods when our daughter was young, from a trillion kinds of veggies to Thai and Indian. She's pretty flexible at dinnertime, although she would still exist on only mac and cheese if given the choice. We've had surprisingly good luck when we explain where something has come from--the arugula from the CSA, the rock shrimp from Florida, etc., etc. Our other fallback has been to make sure the vegetables we serve have flavor. Sure, steamed and raw is often tasty, but a little olive oil and salt also go a long way.

We have a rule that the kids have to try a bite of any new food we present before they can have the 'good food' on the plate. My daughter now likes spinach, my son likes crab, and they both like beets. I also got them to try new foods by growing a vegetable garden. They help with the garden so they are eager to try the food that they grew. It's not a large garden (3x3) but we are growing peas, tomatoes, green beans, squash, peppers, and several herbs. We have also planted strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries along our fence.

We have the best luck when we get the kids involved in the process. They come with me to the CSA pickup or the grocery store and decide what we should get. Now that they're older, they are just expected to try new foods. They aren't allowed to make faces or call it yucky, but it is OK to say they don't care for it. However, they either eat what's on the table or go hungry until the next meal. There's always *something* that's not new - bread, salad, a familar veggie, or a sauce that's easily scraped off.

I've come to believe that some of it is "luck," in a certain way -- some kids really are pickier than others. But I also strongly believe that something Kate wrote makes a lot of sense -- introduce the foods you want your kids to eat when they are young. Doesn't mean they'll love everything -- who does? -- but it's a good start. And keep trying. My little guy (now 6), wasn't interested in greens at all until just recently. Now he'll ask for lettuce and will eat other greens (at least a few bites) if I saute them. I also think it's important not to give in and cook two meals -- one for the parents and one for the kids. This is hard, I know, especially with busy schedules. Sure, some nights I'll throw a quick salad together for myself and make my son a grilled cheese, but I also try to at least combine some of it: He'll also get his own little salad or a side dish of some of the veggies I've cut up for my salad.

My first child was a dream. She ate everything, or at least took a taste and now at 5, she pretty much eats everything from baba ghanouj and moussaka to crab cakes and hot sauce. My other daughter? Not so much. She would be content to eat grilled cheese til college. My pediatrician told me long ago not to look at what they eat in a day but what they eat over the course of a week because some days they do just want carrots for dinner. So I try to keep that in mind as i'm asked, yet again for something with melted cheese all over it. I too make one meal--I'm a mom NOT a short order cook. If it's something spicy, I pull out the important parts and spice the rest. Fortunately, neither of my girls have yet to meet a fruit they won't eat but veggies... Sometimes at the store I have them pick out a veggie and I let them help cook it for dinner. I have gotten them to eat (or at least try) things like beets, spaghetti squash, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage this way. Other times I fall back on my previous advertising experience and just change the presentation. How about Green Grinch (spinach) pasta or Green Grinch (kale) Chips or Egyptian Hamburgers (falafel patties.) Serving veggies raw w/a dipping sauce works well too. If all else fails, I whip up a smoothie stuffed full of avocado, kale, wheat germ and flax seed all masked with the taste of blueberries, OJ, bananas and yogurt. And if they like something good I'm okay with serving it over and over until they expand their palates.

Great ideas! I'm a dieititan and mom, and have written two books about feeding kids and families. My latest book, No Whine with Dinner, tackles the #1 obstacle to getting kids to eat a well balanced diet - picky eaters who whine and complain! This is according to a survey of 600 moms we did two years ago. Some of the tips from fellow moms that we share in No Whine with Dinner include getting kids involved with the shopping and preparing of a meal. Let them pick out a 'try it' food every week and then decide how to prepare it together. The farmers' market or CSA is a great place to do this. Growing your own veggies is another great way to encourage kids to try new foods. One of our moms plays the 'three pennies game' with her kids. Everyone starts the meal with three pennies and has to give three compliments about the meal, paid with a penny each. The object is to get rid of the pennies before the meal is over. This helps teach kids manners as well! Positive peer pressure is another way to encourage kids to eat. When their friends are eating a new food kids are more likely to try it as well. Another important thing for us parents to remember is that we can't really control what our kids eat. Our job is to provide a wide variety of healthy foods and it's our kids' job to decide what and how much to eat. Often, the more you push kids the more they push back. So we need to relax and have foods in the house that we want our kids to eat, set a good example, and enjoy our food!

I have both of Janice's books and attest to the fact that they are a great resource. It's easy to get stuck in a rut with cooking--always falling back on what they'll eat--so I'm constantly looking for new healthy ideas to add to my kids eating repertoire.