Just an idea or two here--not intended as criticism of anyone at all, but merely as food for thought(so to speak!):
From the time they were born, I was really determined never to have battles with my kids around food, because my own childhood had been very painful in this regard. I realise our solutions (works in progress, like all parenting!) won't work for everyone, because of where we live, and the luxury of time that I enjoy, but what we do is grow an awful lot of our own food (fruit, vegetables, eggs), we freeze, can and preserve it, we make everything (baked goods, sauces, etc.) from scratch, and we buy all of our meat from our neighbours--my children never waste meat, I am convinced because we eat whole animals (not all at once!)--they see a part of Mr. Walter's pig, not just a pork chop, if you see what I mean. (My boys have also spent a lot of time listening to First Nations stories, in which honouring the life that was sacrificed that you might be nourished plays a significant part.) They also help me do a lot of the cooking, during which I encourage lots of experimentation--they are better about eating when they "own" the meal, I find. We also make mealtimes an occasion, insofar as that is possible on a daily basis.
All of these things seem to help--even if most of this won't work for you, I think finding some ways in which children feel more involved in getting the food to the table helps them more fully realise the communal nature of a meal, and to want to share in it.
I realise I've wandered far from the original premise of the thread--forgive me!
peace
minnie
