Sara Floor Miller, MA
Sara Miller
About me:
Sara Floor Miller started using the MealsMatter.org in 2001 when she moved out of Manhattan and learned takeout was no longer a viable daily-dinner option. In 2006, when she joined Dairy Council of California as Communications Manager and was delighted to promote the very website that helped her learn how to cook and plan healthy, affordable meals.
Sara holds a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Wells College and a master’s degree in Public Communications from Fordham University. She is an active member of the Capitol City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. In her free time, Sara enjoys reading, designing jewelry and volunteering at the River City Community Food Bank and Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue and Sanctuary in Sacramento.
Follow Sara on Twitter: @saramiller928
Connect with Sara on LinkedIn
Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters is a blog series by parents and dietitians whose stories and advice reminds us that we can overcome the challenges of feeding children. Subscribe to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.
Growing up, my sister and I were given two choices at the dinner table—eat the food in front of us or go without. Preparing individual dishes based on our likes or dislikes was never an option in our household.
Mom’s job was to prepare one nutritious, balanced meal for the entire family and our job was to eat at least a tablespoon-sized “no-thank-you” helping of each dish.
We were also raised to eat first and ask questions later. By not always knowing what was in a dish, we were far more likely to accept and eat different foods. This was a very wise strategy, because we learned that what tastes good to the tongue does not always sound good to the ear.
Our friends would cringe as we described our delicious dinners of venison stew, freshwater fish like smelt, perch, walleye or pike and cauliflower with cheese and sour cream- a dish we playfully called “brains.”
This take-it-or-leave-it, eat-first-ask-questions-later approach to food may seem a little extreme, but it taught me to approach food with a sense of adventure lacking in many families today. More often than not, I see friends asking their children what they want to eat and catering to their wishes instead of setting the tone and serving one meal for the entire family.
No-thank-you helpings ensured that we tasted foods multiple times, increasing the likelihood that we would begin to enjoy something previously rejected. Looking back, I realize that mom would pair favorite entrees with less desired side dishes, or vice versa, so she knew we’d never go too hungry.
Trying new foods was a big part of my childhood and I continue to be an adventuresome eater as an adult. “I’ll try anything twice” is my food motto. How do you encourage adventuresome eating in your family?
Subscribe to our Eat, Play, Love: Raising Healthy Eaters blog series to find ways to build lifelong healthy eating habits for your children.
For more tips and information on raising healthy eaters, follow @mealsmatter and the #eatplaylove hashtag on Twitter.
Sara Miller