Dealing with Picky Eaters

In addition to meeting the basic needs for nourishment, family meals should also be pleasant occasions for sharing information, planning events and enjoying one another’s company. Dealing with picky eaters can spoil the mood and turn the family meal preparer into a short-order cook. To help ensure happy mealtimes and a single preparation for each meal, try these tips:

Children learn by example. It’s less likely that your kids will turn into picky eaters if they see mom and dad enjoying a wide variety of foods. Some studies even show that kids will tolerate foods their mothers ate during pregnancy, so it’s best to start early to increase the variety of foods in your diet.

It’s also more likely that kids will make more nutritious food choices if the adults in the family do. Good foods to choose for both meals and snacks are nutrient-dense items from the main food groups. These include: vegetables; fruits; whole-grain foods; lean meats, poultry, fish and seafood and meat alternates, including eggs, peanut butter, cooked dried beans, nuts and seeds; and low-fat milk, reduced-fat cheese and non- or low-fat yogurt. Children will be exposed to many less healthful choices later in life. Setting a good foundation early on can help them make nutritious choices later.

Children tend to develop more enthusiasm about foods when they’re involved. You can:

1. Let kids participate in choosing foods at the supermarket. If vegetables are the big sticking point, let children roam the produce aisle to pick out appealing veggies. Differently colored fruits and vegetables often contain different plant nutrients, so encourage them to choose a rainbow of differently colored items. If you have the space and time, you can also plant a vegetable garden and let children help with planting, weeding, watering and harvesting.
2. Give kids finite choices when you’re preparing a meal. Would you like scrambled or fried eggs for breakfast? Do you want peas and carrots for dinner or would you rather have broccoli? Do you want the spinach in a salad or should we cook it? The message is that we are having X today. Which would you like or how would you like it?
3. Let kids help with preparation. Even toddlers can stir food in a bowl if you put a wet dish towel under the bowl to make it skid-proof. Older children can add toppings to a scrambled-egg burrito or a homemade pizza. Although it takes time and patience to teach children to cook, you’ll save much more time than you’ve invested once they’re able to make foods on their own.

Children learn by experimentation. Introduce new foods regularly. You can make a game of it by setting aside one day each week to try a food the family has never before eaten. Let the kids participate by helping to plan the menu. Young children tend to be less tolerant of strong-flavored foods, so start with foods that are milder in flavor. If a new food doesn’t go over well, try, try again, perhaps using a different preparation style. For young children, it may help to puree, shred or finely chop a small portion of a food the first few times they sample it. And, sometimes a preference for a new taste simply has to grow on you.

Children like routine and familiar things and are skeptical of the unknown. If all else fails, you can use subterfuge by sneaking good-for-you foods into foods that kids already like. For example, puree or shred veggies and stir them into spaghetti sauce or introduce a new meat by using it in meatballs.

Along with all these positive steps, there is one don’t – don’t use food as a reward or punishment. Encourage good behavior with rewards less essential to life than good food – perhaps a movie, staying up a little later or having a friend stay overnight. To atone for bad behavior, children can lose similar privileges.