One of my friends has been eating ramen noodles in a cup since he was a child because both his parents worked. Now his mother is retired and she cooks at home, but he still won't eat her homemade meals. I asked him why he keeps eating noodle cups, and he said it's because he loves them. His sense of taste has been influenced by chemicals.
Showing children what to cook and how to cook is important. By learning how much is involved in cooking, a child is more likely to stop and think about things that aren't "always available" and begin to care about what he or she eats.
I think it's especially important that single-parent families eat together so that children learn to value mealtime and the time spent with their families. It takes time and effort to make healthy eating part of a daily routine.
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