This is just an excuse for me to talk about Matt Damon, and another subject that I have much more personal experience with (unfortunately), kids being picky eaters. Hot dad Matt Damon was at a fundraiser called Cooking Live, to benefit a group called The Family Reach Foundation. Damon got involved with the cause thanks to his brother and sister-in-law. The Family Reach Foundation provides support to families with children suffering from cancer. (Damon’s dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010.) Damon explained how he cooks for his daughters, and it was really sweet. He said he just cooks simple food like pasta and steamed broccoli. As a mom with a kid who will only eat specific foods, I can relate. Damon has daughters Alexia, 14, Isabella, 6, Gia, 4, and Stella, who turns two next month.
“I’m a terrible cook, but I do a little bit of it at home,” Damon, 41, tells PEOPLE at New York’s Cooking Live fundraiser, held Tuesday and benefiting the Family Reach Foundation. “I’m relegated to kids’ fare and I can make more of the functional stuff.”
Case in point? A favorite dish the Elysium actor frequently makes for daughters Isabella, 6, Gia, 4, and Stella, 23 months, as well as Alexia, 14, only contains three ingredients.
“I cook pasta with butter and steam broccoli,” says Damon. “It’s all about getting enough healthy food in front of them every three hours.”
The trick to vegetables, the Oscar winner says, is that “it’s all about starting early.”
“My wife [Luciana] and I introduced it to them at a very young age and they just don’t know any different,” he admits. “Luckily, I found out all three of my youngest girls love broccoli. There are times where I can’t get them to eat protein or a little piece of fish because they are going crazy over the broccoli. Sometimes they’re the ones bribing me to eat more of my vegetables.”
Especially when it’s Brussels sprouts being served — Damon doesn’t like the taste.
“That was always a tough one for me — and I was never crazy about cauliflower either,” he shares. “But I grew up eating a lot of salad. My mother made a salad with every single meal we had, so I was raised thinking that’s how you eat. It’s a good balance that I’m trying to teach to my own kids.”
What I wouldn’t do to get my kid to eat a salad. Believe me, I’ve tried. Did you know that it’s genetic whether or not broccoli tastes bitter to you? I saw a kids’ science show about it. My son eats broccoli, and he used to eat pasta with butter all the time. Now he prefers rice, chicken, green beans and red peppers. (He’ll eat some other fruits and vegetables too, usually uncooked and always separated.) It’s hard to get him to eat anything new or with sauce on it, unless one of his grandmothers makes it for him. If I make a new dish I’m lucky if he tries it. So in that case I can relate to Damon. You make what the kids will eat, there’s less drama, and it’s much healthier for them than fast food or something from a restaurant. Why did “chicken nuggets” and “pizza” become kids food? (Not that we don’t eat those too.)
This just makes me love Matt Damon more. He has picky daughters, and he’ll make exactly what they’ll eat. I get the sense he gets down on the floor and plays with them too. He’s probably even game for tea parties and dolls.
Here’s the trailer for Promised Land, the film that Damon wrote with Jon Krasinski, who also stars. It looks SO good. Damon plays a representative for a natural gas company who convinces farmers to open their land for drilling. It’s out January 11.
Here’s Matt at the airport with his family on 8-16-12. Credit: FameFlynet
Cool guy, beautiful family. I love how he seems to be so sweet and nurturing with all his girls.
As for food, we lucked out and have kids who pretty much eat anything and want to avoid fast food. They eat salad every night, lol. They’re 11 and 13 now but even when they were younger the wait staff at restaurants were always surprised that they didn’t want to eat the dumbed-down kids’ menu items.
I’d say I started them with simple, healthy fare like his pasta and broccoli, and gradually made it more complex. I see all their friends, who range from good, healthy eaters to the pickiest of picky (one will only eat McDonalds hamburgers and plain pasta and plain bagels and will not touch a fruit or vegetable) and realize that no matter what the parents do, I think it’s somewhat of a crap shoot as to what kind of eaters kids grow up to be.
Congrats on having kids that eat a healthy and varied diet. But I have to disagree with you that no matter what parents do they can’t affect what type of ‘eaters’ they will raise. Being picky is a luxury we have because on a world scale, we are rich and have abundance. You won’t find a picky child in a refuee camp in the Sudan. Our children in the wealthy west are afforded the luxury of being picky. I have 4 kids and although each has preferences (they are not forced to eat something they revile), they know that if they don’t eat the healthy meal that is put in front of them, they can go hungry until the next meal. No options. They are remarkably healthy and happy eaters. Overly picky eats are created by parents who are willing to accommodate them.
I agree with you 1000%! My kids eat everything and avoid fast food too – but saying my kid is a picky eater is the biggest cop out. Of course they won’t like everything but I have friends who say their kids will only eat chicken fingers or the likes. Its called lazy parenting. And I am not talking about kids who have autistic issues and so forth – just to be clear.
I like Brussels sprouts more than broccoli, which I have to choke down. I cut them in half, then mix them with olive oil and put them cut-side down on a pan and bake them until they’re very soft and browned. Put on some salt and a bit of grated cheese – yeah, baby!
Yum. That sounds similar to a recipe my one son loves from Epicurious that’s called “Brussels sprouts for people who think they hate Brussels sprouts.”
ALWAYS buy fresh Brussels Sprouts, the smaller and tighter the heads, the better. STEAM (don’t boil) them.
They are AWESOME cold (left-over) doused in balsamic vinegar, as are wax and green beans. 😀
He’s so cute with his 5 girls!! 🙂
I started my eldest son early with vegetables and it still took 4 years to get him to willingly eat them. I tried everything. I should write a kiddie cookery book. I found out early on that wrapping food in pastry, and hiding veges in pasta bakes was a good way to go, but even then it was dicey. I had trouble getting him to eat most foods, though. Except bread. Dry bread and water.
Jessica Seinfeld already wrote that book. Or rather some say she plagiarized it!
Matt Damon has a 14 yr old?!!??? Am I reading that right?
That’s his stepdaughter from his wife’s first marriage! I didn’t want to make a big distinction, because he does consider her his daughter too.
I agree with you and am glad you didn’t make the distinction, CB!
I remember an interview where Matt was asked what it was like to be the father of three girls, and he made a point of correcting the interviewer and saying that he had FOUR daughters. It’s one of the many reasons I adore the man.
She’s his wife’s daughter from a previous relationship. But he has been in the girl’s life since she was very young.
When Matt got with Luciana, she already had an 8 year old daughter from a previous relationship, but she is just as much his daughter as her sisters.
I’m just going to put it out there that I think some Americans baby their kids too much when it comes to food.
I am born and raised in the states with immigrant parents from Asia and grew up in an Asian church. I can hardly recall any of the Asian kids I grew up with any food issues regarding veggies and whatnot – except me. I’ve always hated eating meat with a passion. I’m not saying all the kids I grew up with loved vegetables – quite the opposite. But they they ate their vegetables and it was never a huge deal when they did. There were no rewards or praises. It was just expected.
With Asian parents, they normally cook a few dishes and everyone eats the same food. They don’t really “ease” kids into adult fare. Everyone eats the same thing.
There are usually a few dishes that consist of cut up meat and veggies, cooked greens, fish, tofu & veggies, etc. I grew up hating meat but had siblings who couldn’t get enough. My mother never catered to me or them. You would just eat whatever dish you wanted and that was that. With Asian dishes there are always all types of fresh veggies incorporated into dishes with all types of different sauces.
I’ve seen Supernanny and I’ve noticed that some Americans seem to cook separately for the kids and make such a huge fuss over the veggies that I think gives the kids a negative image when it comes to veggies.
My son had a sitter from Africa for a while and their culture was the same way. She had him eating stews and dishes that most American parents probably would never consider trying with their young toddlers.
I do think it’s true that parents in the U.S. today cater too much to their kids in a semi-fearful way. But I think that’s a relatively new phenomenon. When I was a kid, if I didn’t eat what my mom made for the family, I didn’t eat.
I think some parents get so anxious about introducing various vegetables into their kids diet that they go overboard on the praises and rewards that it makes the kids feel like they are doing something out of the ordinary instead of the normal. Kids catch on quick and will try to manipulate it to their advantage.
I think kids can handle foods adults eat. Ever see a Korean kid grow up on kimchi and other spicy fare? No harm there.
Your mom’s philosphy was pretty much the same as my mother’s and ever Asian mother I knew.
^^This. My mother cooked every single night, a meat, 2 veggies, rice (or a starch) and a piece of bread. Glass of milk to drink. If you didn’t like it, you didn’t eat, and that was that.
Thanks to that parenting style, I have grown into an adult that loves basically all fruits and veggies and am up for trying anything.
If my parents had catered to me, it probably wouldn’t be that way.
I went to a wedding a few weeks ago and there was a 26 year old male there that had the bride special request chicken fingers and french fries for him, because that’s the only food he will eat. TWENTY-SIX.
I’m loving all of this… I feel the same way about not catering to kids’ demands. I was working as a nanny for a family over the summer, and the mother told me she makes FIVE meals every night… one for each of the 4 kids and one for the adults. I just smiled and nodded but inside I was yelling “SERIOUSLY??”
I’ve always been a good eater, but my mother always told us “I’m not a short-order cook, eat your dinner or go hungry”. It was always good, well-rounded meals with veggies often incorporated, and I ate well but my brother usually pushed everything around his plate. Even now, the kid barely eats anything exciting while I’m a foodie and will try almost anything. I’m sure the “kids are picky eaters” is partially a palate issue, but it should be taught early in life that sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, and eating more than white bread and potatoes is one of them.
@ Brown — I would have totally declined that little turd’s request and told him to grow the eff up. Oh my god, what is wrong with people?
American with husband from strict European family here. I cook balanced meals with a decent variety of foods (first course, main dish, salad, cheese, vegetable side) at each meal. But the bottom line is that the kids have 2 choices: (1) Eat it; or (2) Don’t.
Kids will emulate what their parents eat. If you all eat at the table with manners? Kids will model that. Give only the kids the veggies and refuse to eat them or make a big deal about them yourself? Kids will model that to. That said, some kids are just picky eaters regardless of what mom/dad do.
My parents ate veggies and other food like it was no big deal. It’s yummy and we’re eating it and you’re eating it to. We ate what they ate for the most part. The only time I ever refused to eat my breakfast, my mother refused to give me any of my usual snacks of raisins/bananas/orange slices and I had to wait until lunch time. According to her, I never pulled that stunt again.
My mother also fed us traditional asian food. Although koreans have mild rices and dishes for babies as well-I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone feeding a 3 month old kimchi. She did get yelled at once for giving us bulgogi and her response was ‘ They’ll be fine. Millions of kids their age eat this everyday’
@Brown. OMG, is that where the picky eaters of today are headed tomorrow? Scary. Although I can top that. My friend’s husband (late 40s) eats very few things. I was having a dinner party and I basically said I’d cook around his preferences but they said not to worry about it. Then at the party he did not eat a bite of anything, just sat and watched everyone else eat. I thought it was creepy. And kind of rude.
@brown I know a girl who is similar. Fries, chicken nuggets, pasta, tomato sauce and that’s IT. And she wonders why she doesn’t get invited to dinner parties.
@esmom I hate people that go to dinner parties and don’t eat anything (unless they have a health issue e.g. celiacs, diabetes etc) You asked what he wanted like a good host, and he just sat there? Rude.
I know. How hard is it to choke down a little bit of something just to be polite? I never invited them again, lol, and try to only see her on “girls nights” so I can avoid his picky, immature ass.
I know, I was totally blown away by this guy. We are not friends but have mutual acquaintances so we have been around each other multiple times and each time his weirdo chicken nugget love has come out.
Once in college, a group of us went to this NICE sushi restaurant (sushi is my fave food) and he tried to order chicken fingers and fries. They told him they only have the children’s portion from the kid’s menu. He ordered 2. TWO KIDS MEALS. At a NICE SUSHI HOUSE. WTF?!
The wedding took the cake though. They had beef tenderloin, steamed veggies, wild rice, fish, quite a spread. And there was this dipshit, with chicken fingers and fries. And his girlfriend was giggling like “oh, this is so typical of him…”
@lin234 Totally true….In an Indian household, no separate food is made for kids. Whatever food is prepared is for the whole family and kids have to eat the same. As someone pointed out, parents here dont praise or threaten kids to eat veggies. You have to eat up whatever is served on your plate. Thats that. This is how I grew up. And I turned out to be a good eater n not a picky one.
I’ve always cooked the classic southern “meat and three” or things like stir fries and soups or stews with fresh bread. I also always made a point of having a bowl of fruit of some kind on the table with every meal. No meal was without fruit and/or veg, even breakfast, so you’d have a piece of canteloupe on your plate with your pot roast and mashed potatoes and green beans, or you’d have a bowl of berries with your omelet. I also made a point of exposing my kids to a wide variety of foods. Not just fruits and veg, but ethnic cuisines as well.
They’re both good eaters now, but when they were growing up, one would eat almost anything and the other often acted like I was trying to poison her. But my “picky” girl still ate a better variety of foods than most of her friends, so I didn’t stress about it.
My “rules” were like what you and some others here are describing. They ate what I cooked or they didn’t eat. I never played short order cook, and I expected them to try at least one bite of everything, and did not allow them to make disparaging remarks about food. I didn’t get into power struggles with them or make a big deal over it, and they knew that once they tried one bite they didn’t have to eat it if they didn’t like it (and if they really hated it they could go and spit it in the trash), but if they didn’t eat what I cooked, they didn’t get anything else until the next meal. They could save their plate to reheat later if they just weren’t hungry, but that was it. No other options on the menu. I never denied dessert if they didn’t eat their vegetables or whatever. No battle of wills. I just expected them to eat and if they didn’t, they didn’t and they got to be hungry.
They’re in college now and have friends who won’t eat anything but fast food type foods. No vegetables, no fruit. My kids are eating Thai food and alligator sausage and dragon fruit, and their friends are still eating chicken nuggets and Kraft dinner.
Whatever, I read a book recently called French Kids Eat Everything, and it’s about the differences between how Americans and the French feed their children. It was very interesting, but I would say French people’s expectations for even very young children at the table and the foods served in their school cafeterias were revelatory. I recommend this book to anyone with kids or planning on having kids.
It’s funny how none of their children have dark hair. I would have thought her dark coloring and dark hair would have really shown up in the children, like Lola, Madonna’s daughter, has the hair and coloring of Carlos Leone, her father, especially when Lola was a toddler.
Well, I guess the kids might have Lucy’s skin tone. It’s hard to tell in this weather with tans and all, but definitely Matt’s hair color.
My son is an EXTREMELY picky eater. The fruits and vegetables he use to eat when he was younger he won’t touch now (he’s 8). He doesn’t like to see spices in his food. He doesn’t like any vegetables anymore. Only fruits he’ll eat are apples and bananas. The boy is going to waste a way. Damon’s kids don’t sound that picky in comparison lol!
Has he maybe developed some sensory issues? My “picky” girl had some sensory integration issues and food textures were a big one. She still ate better than a lot of kids we knew because she had exposure to a wide variety of things, but compared to my son she hardly ate anything. Some kids do have other stuff going on, not just parents that cater to them.
I Nannied for a family that acted like the kids deserve a gold medal if they ate a freakin apple. The family doctor actually got involved, asking the mom to feed them at least ONE fruit or veg per day, and that was a struggle because the bad eating had already been going on too long. The kids survived on bagels, crackers, pizza, nuggets. They needed to take mirilax every morning so they could go to the bathroom. I actually felt like an abusive caretaker feeding them bagels and mirilax. Not good. I really think its all about starting them early, so good job Matt!
The school lunch program has changed in our area ( a great thing) to include more fruits and vegetables, students are required to take it. The PARENTS are griping and wanted it changed back, cause their kids are hungry when they come home. I was hungry too when I got home from school and we had fruits/veggies/home-style meals back in the day for school lunches. (none of this pre-packaged crap) Parents must not have heard of after-school snacks.
Parents have to get involved more, demand changes and make it start at home and feed your kids a snack. Good job, Matt.
Yeah I’ve heard about that “healthy food backlash” in schools. Sigh. So much wrong with that. Not to mention the socioeconomic divide — junk food is cheaper, bottom line, and in bad neighborhoods junk is all that people have easy access to. So sad.
We had hearty, relatively healthy homestyle cooked meals when I was in school, too, and whether I ate or not I was STARVING when I got home from school. So I think that’s a BS excuse, parents thinking their special little snowflakes can’t tolerate not being catered to. It’s ridiculous.
I’ve worked with at-risk youth for 10 years and I can tell you that a kid who is truly hungry will eat whatever you put in front of him. When my client’s parents MARVEL at us getting them to eat a variety of foods and ask “how do you do that?!” I just tell them this isn’t BK and you don’t get it your way. Eat or don’t eat but don’t expect a short order cook to come out and cater to you.
Damn, his wife is lucky!
How many of us made noodles with steamed broccoli, butter & cheese for our kids today? haha.
As a kid who ADORED pasta with butter (and a little garlic, some herbs…I digress), I love this about him! My kids also enjoy a nice bowl of pasta and butter, or my (or Hubs) home-made sauce (which could be ANY kind of sauce!).
But we also eat a healthy amount of fruit & veg, and I wouldn’t touch chicken nuggets with a 10-foot fork! Actual chicken breast strips (nothing with the words “mechanically separated” or “reconstituted,” thankyouverymuch) are welcome, but not the normal fast food fare.
I also love sweet potato fries. I understand they’re still fries, but they taste SO. MUCH. BETTER.
We’re all over the sweet potato fries here, too. Yum.
I love Matt Damon so much!
he’s sooo HOT!!!!!!! UGH His wife is so lucky!!!! T_T
It takes up to 12 introductions of a new food into a person’s diet before they become acclimated to the taste.
Agreed about making separate food for the kids: it serves only to separate “children’s food” from “adult food” and makes it harder to get them to eat regular meals.
I want kids (so badly!) but when I have them it’s going to be eat what is in front of you, or don’t eat at all. No special meals, no snacking after dinner if you don’t finish your plate.
Then I HIGHLY recommend the book “French Kids Eat Everything,” by Karen Le Billon. My kids are grown now, so it was published too late for me, but what’s in it is similar to how I grew up and how I raised my kids, and I can tell you, it works. There are some things in it that I wish I had thought to do when my kids were young, but I did a lot of it (only one snack a day, parents choose the menu and schedule the meals, kids eat what adults eat, food is never a reward or punishment, they have to taste everything, etc).
“Maaatt Daamooonn.” (Team America voice)