I Don’t Like Chickpeas, I Hate Quinoa and YUCK, Kale! Five Tips to Taking These Sentences Out of Your Family’s Vocabulary

My daughter didn’t always eat chickpeas. I can remember a time, though it’s vague, that anything related to chickpeas wasn’t happening in my house. “I don’t like chickpeas.” It was a fact, at least at that time. Just like these days, she excitedly tells me if there is hummus involved at a get-together. Yep, the same kid who didn’t like chickpeas a couple years ago now loves them—or at least likes them enough to eat them all the time, which is really what matters, right?

Count kale and quinoa among other such victories, I mean, um, advances in my daughter’s tastes. It’s not that she loves these things now, or would choose them over a sweet treat or some tortilla chips, but she will now eat them and I’m about to tell you how it all happened. Here it is….ok, well, I’ve got nothing actually. I’ve really thought about of the one magic trick I used to get my daughter to eat these things, but I couldn’t think of anything I did that sealed the deal. All I could think of is the fact that I didn’t give up. Rather than give up, I just kept making these things in different ways. I didn’t make a big deal about it—I just kept making it. It was slow, but the change happened. And now she eats these things, and sometimes, even loves them—remember I mentioned the hummus? You have no idea how much I wanted her to love hummus. It started off with her only eating my husband’s hummus recipe, and slowly, it changed. She loves hummus now. She’s even been caught sneaking kale while I’m making it (this is her favorite recipe). And quinoa, well she’s just used to it. She eats it, and that works.

Ok, ok, so what else did I do—how did I keep trying? I hid it in food, right? I actually never did. Maybe I didn’t offer up the fact that something contained kale or chickpeas, but I didn’t lie if she asked. I asked her if there was anything I did to get her to eat foods she would stubbornly not eat before, and she couldn’t think of anything either. The change was gradual, in a way. We decided to kick out the old foods and bring in the new foods, but I adapted old recipes, using new ingredients and it just became our normal food. Have you ever heard the story about how to boil a frog (OK, so for the record, I would NEVER boil a frog!)? If you throw a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. But put it in some cool water, and raise the heat so the change is gradual, you’re much more likely to keep that frog in there (again, not that I EVER would). My point is, don’t try to throw your family into a big change and not expect them to jump ship.

So here’s some things you can do to get your kids, or your spouse, or yourself, to stop saying they hate quinoa.

1. Keep trying–A person has to try something an average of 7 times before they like it (except for cupcakes—I always like cupcakes the first time I try them). Your taste buds really do change—I promise! There are some things you’ll never like, but you’ll be surprised what starts to sound delicious when you cut out the processed foods.
2. Experiment with recipes It turns out quinoa by itself is not at all tasty! But try this recipe, and you have a family-pleasing and very quick meal. Don’t try just one recipe and when it’s not a hit, give up on a food altogether. Experimentation is fun (unless it’s with drugs…not cool!).
3. Expect a revolt When you mess with people’s food, it’s personal! Don’t expect your family, or you, to love the change—we fear change! Don’t be disappointed when they turn up their noses at your loving creation. Trust me–I’ve tried guilt, threats, sweet-talking…just brush it off and try something else next time.
4. Don’t hide food OK, this might not be popular, but if a person overcomes a new food, they learn that they can like new foods and are more likely to try it again. I’m not saying you have to be totally honest…when my daughter didn’t like chickpeas (or thought she didn’t), when I made her chickpea patties, I called them chickless patties or something like that…she ate them, loved them and then I told her what was in it. It’s semantics. Kale looks surprisingly like basil if chopped small enough. If asked, admit it’s kale, but don’t feel the need to volunteer. Unfortunately, I am not good at hiding, so I usually get caught. Oh well…honesty is the best policy.
5. Limit options You can’t make a new recipe and when it doesn’t go over, whip up a box of mac and cheese when the family doesn’t like it. Parenting 101—the little terrorists will work you over every time—don’t give in to their demands….repeat after me, “We don’t negotiate with terrorists…” So limit options and remember you’re not a short-order cook. Work new foods in slowly. If you serve quinoa for the first time, try to make it a side dish served with some standby favorites so there’s still enough food to fill every one up. You don’t run a marathon without training—start small and work your way up….and don’t forget to stretch.