Any other vegetarian/vegan families?

SIL/BIL think that veggies are odd

My BIL would be similar, even though his wife (aforementioned SIL) is veggie . He can't even conceive of a meal for himself that doesn't contain at least 30% meat!

As a nation we eat far too much meat. It is something like 3 times as much as we ate in the 50s and we were all much healthier then. It is also incredibly bad for the environment to produce and eat so much meat - It is a very inefficient way to produce food and that is to say nothing of the issue of animal welfare but I won't go there!

It really isn't necessary to have meat in every meal

The nursery my friend sent her kid to (in Aus) was entirely vegie. They were using a complete range of veg + pulses and my friend would occasionally get a take away from the nursery for herself. It was cheaper for the nursery than getting in the quality of meat they would have needed. It also made it easier for the nursery as they didn't need to prepare 2 sets of meals for the vegie and non-vegie kids.

no offense taken here either, no worries.

LOL to being mean for not providing endless e-numbers! Well done you, I shall look forward to tips on that...

A question for you all, how do you feel is the best way to encourage a varied diet? I know for example that meat has a very strong flavor, as a veggie its obvious a mile off even if its sitting on the plate let alone if someone tried to feed it to you! How do you go about introducing strong flavors veggie or otherwise? We eat alot of spicy and chilli flavored food, how do you go about introducing that (salt free of course) I was assuming that they will need to be older not be scared off spices. Also tofu. I love home marinated tofu but it does have a texture that many adults don't like, does anyone have children who are keen?

If your babies eat interesting foods, how do you think this has come about? Also, I remember Shevi saying her boys love lentils, I eat a lot of lentils but have never met a child that does, is it just a question of (when the time comes) presenting them with lentils and letting them know I think they are delicious and then being persistent!? At least that way they would have to try them!

I would say that certainly up until now Charlotte will just eat what is presented to her including spicey chilli and curry. Textures are certainly more difficult than flavours iyswim - she didn't like bananas for ages because of the slimeyness but would happily eat them pureed. She is just getting to the age now where I think she is getting a little more fussy occasionally but we just ignore it and keep serving up the food. After months of eating courgettes in her cheesy pasta she picked them all out for the first time the other week and refused them You will find that what is a favourite one day will be detested the next and vice versa. Also someone once told me that you had to serve something 100 times before you can be sure they don't like it - just because they turn their nose up the first 10 times doesn't mean they don't like it.

I find that (for Kayleigh) anything on my plate is more tasty than the exact same thing on her plate. I'd say if they see you eating it, they will want to try it. Kayleigh even wanted to try some red wine the other day. It took her 3 sips before she stopped coming back, but the look on her face was priceless.

Yes wine and beer are favourites of Charlotte's

Mr CP does love his wine, there is usually a bottle open, I suspect on that basis we are heading for two alcoholics! It is amazing to see them slurp away when they cannot possibly like the taste, but then, perhaps your little ones are just terribly sophistocated!

Its good to know that persevering is the right thing. My parents were a bit hideous about food (eating cold mashed swede for days in a row after not eating at the appropriate dinner, tunafish sandwitches for breakfast as not consumed the night before etc etc ) I don't want to be like that at all, but I do want to persevere in the hope of a varied diet. Its interesting to know that they will happily eat things for months then pick them out at a later date.

This is a very helpful thread

CP + Beans

i've not found a problem with kids eating lentils.

the main thing i have found with eating / fussiness etc is it helps if everyone gets exactly the same - so i have always eaten exactly what the kids had for lunch so they can see it is edible.

the same goes for not actually telling them when they are older what they are eating - for example one of 'my' 3 yr olds would happily eat 'special circles' as a favourite food and be happy they were on her plate, but if i called them fish cakes they would not have been touched as a comment like fish makes me sick would have followed

i also got a gadget called alligator onion chopper which dices onions and everything else so making a veggie sauce has some texture but you can't always idetify what is there.