How Parents Can Reform a Picky Eater

Got a picky eater or three in the family? We’re under pressure to feed our children right, but if said children won’t cooperate, it can be a real parenting headache. Here are some tips from a teacher, preschool director and mom of four about how to unpick and reform the picky eater.

* Examine your own eating habits. The majority of picky eaters, are raised by equally picky eaters. Though he may not show it, your child trusts your judgement. If you won’t try new foods and have a dislike list a mile long, you communicate food fear to your kids. If you turn your nose up at many foods, your kids figure that you must have a good reason and they do likewise.

* Take baby steps. To learn to run, we first learn to crawl and then to walk. It’s the same with unlearning picky eating habits. If you’ve discovered that you are a picky eater, start slowly to add some new foods to your diet. Give your children the same growing space. The goal isn’t to get her to eat everything (I will never, ever eat catfish ever). The goal is to expand her food horizons.

* Appeal to her good judgement. Tell your child why it’s so important that she develop healthy eating habits. Show her how unhealthy eating habits can affect her (obesity, tooth decay, liver damage, heart disease). You’re not trying to scare, just to inform.

* Bargain. Allow her to say “no, thank you” to one menu item per meal. If she declines a vegetable, she should eat another one in its place. You can also make trades. For every new food she tries, she gets something she likes.

* Avoid the clean plate club mentality. Don’t make your child eat every bite of a portion size you determined. She should generally eat all she takes, but should learn to recognize if food is spoiled or improperly cooked food.

* Don’t overlook illness. Just because a child is picky doesn’t mean there may not be a good reason why she is refusing this meal.

* No dessert without dinner. Within reason, a child should eat a good portion of healthy food, particularly protein and vegetables, before eating sweets (even fruit). Sugary foods literally do “kill” the appetite without adding nutritional value.

* Serve water with meals. Milk is healthy, but it can also fill kids up before they have eaten much dinner. Never serve soda or chocolate milk as a beverage. Those are desserts.

* It’s all in the presentation. Fragrant food, served with an eye to color and arrangement will tempt almost any healthy eater. A small portion of saffron-roasted chicken breast, with jasmine rice, broccoli and carrots, both looks and tastes good.


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