Issue link: http://hvparent.uberflip.com/i/484999
6 Hudson Valley Parent ■ April 2015 Publisher TERRIE GOLDSTEIN tgoldstein@excitingread.com Editor KATY WEBER kweber@excitingread.com Executive Assistant to the Publisher BRITTANY L. MORGAN bmorgan@excitingread.com Media Advisors KIMBERLY MAYER kmayer@excitingread.com Community Liaison PAMELA PERRY pperry@excitingread.com Web Ad Designer LESLIE CORTES Layout & Design ENGLE PRINTING also publishers of MY TripPlanner.com family MY TripPlanner.com family baby The HUDSON VALLEY G U I D E Hudson Valley Parent is published monthly by: The Professional Image Marketing & Public Relations Inc. 174 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550 Phone: 845-562-3606 • Fax: 845-562-3681 hvparent.com This publication is copyrighted by the publisher. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Hudson Valley Parent welcomes submissions, although we cannot accept responsibility for work submitted nor guarantee publication. A MEMBER OF M y picky daughter always put other picky eaters to shame. I've tried hiding veggies in smoothies. I've tried cooking with her. I've tried asking her to choose what she'd like to try. The end result is almost always the same: Nope. Nuh-uh. Nada. Not touching it. When she turned 4, I instigated a rule at din- nertime: You must take one bite of your vegeta- ble. Just one bite. She reluctantly complied, but never went back for more. For years, I lectured her about the importance of good nutrients for a healthy, growing body. Once she stared back at me and said: "Mom, vegetables can't be that important. After all, I don't eat them and I'm still growing." She had a point. In January of this year, my hus- band decided to take advantage of our now 8-year-old's extreme stubbornness and determination. He announced, "If you eat all of the vegetables on your plate every night for one year, you can pick out any toy you want from the toy store at the end of the year." "ANY toy?!" She then gobbled up her plate of broccoli. Well, we're one quarter of the way into the year and she's still holding up her end of the bargain. I'm not proud of our methods, but I have to admit it's working. I'll occasionally chide, "There's no way you'll make it a whole year! I won't believe it until I see it." Which makes her even more determined to prove me wrong. Reverse psychology wins again! Over the past few months, she's discovered that she loves sautéed Brussels sprouts. She even asks for seconds. She now free- ly admits that she loves green beans, roasted but- ternut squash and brocco- lini. By appealing to her competitive nature, we found an outlet for her to experience and enjoy veg- etables on her own terms. I have no idea if she'll continue to eat them all once the year is through, but my fi ngers are crossed that she'll simply come to accept them as a delicious part of her dinner plate. I'd love to know what methods have worked for you and your picky eaters. Email me your tips! Food & nutrition Our April magazine is the fi rst of four issues this year dedicated to exploring healthy food and nutrition right here in the Hudson Valley. This region is unique in its environment and demographics — fertile soil, am- ple water, an abundance of farmers and communities with progressive attitudes toward supporting the local food movement. As parents, we want to make sure our kids are eating the best food we can afford, and we're currently living in one of the best regions to take advantage of local farming. This month, we feature a story on page 10 about helping your picky eaters embrace nutritious food at every age, along with expert tips from local registered dietitian Liz Westinghouse. We also document some of the "farm-to-school" education programs in the Hudson Valley on page 14. And we feature Westinghouse as our "I am a Hudson Valley Parent" profi le on page 8. Enjoy! Whatever works, right? KATY WEBER Editor's Journal