Not a day goes by without a mom asking me how to get a picky eater to start eating healthy foods. Without a doubt, picky eaters are of great concern to moms, but easing their worries is no easy task. It seems like moms have exhausted all their tactics.
I’m a mother, a dietitian, a member of the PediaSure Mom Brigade and a former picky eater myself, so I understand how hard it can be to encourage your picky eater to eat well. Here are some tips that will help ease the battles between you and your picky eater.
Relax – Unless your picky eater is below the 25% in the growth chart, you should relax a little and try to work in some of the tactics below, before you make them sit at the table for hours until they finish a few bites.
Get creative – Have some fun creating very tasty healthy food. Here are some tips that will keep your kids wanting more and more:
- “Lettuce forget the bread” sandwiches – fill a nice large leaf of lettuce with a tablespoon of shredded lettuce, corn kernels, black beans, cubed chicken or ham, low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and top with 1 tsp. chopped bacon.
- Try easy, colorful appetizers – Mix 1 cup light cream cheese with ½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise and spread mixture on a serving platter. Layer salsa, chopped tomatoes and low fat shredded cheese for a real fiesta dip. Or make my kids’ favorite: layer your favorite pasta sauce with thin slices of low fat turkey sausage, cheddar Mozzarella cheese over the same cream cheese mixture.
- Try this pleasing meatloaf for the whole family:
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup pasta sauce
- 1 cup quick oats (or seasoned bread crumbs)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup chopped onions
- Black pepper to taste
- Mix well and place in a meatloaf pan or divide into individual servings in a muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or 20 minutes for a muffin pan. While the meatloaf bakes on the upper rack – slice carrots and potatoes in thin coins, drizzle with olive oil and bake on a cooking sheet right on the bottom shelve of you oven also for 1 hour.
Plan meals together – Sit down with your kids and plan a few meals together; they will be more inclined to eat something they plan for the family. Also, take the family grocery shopping. Everyone can learn to read the nutrition labels and learb about the nutrients in each food or product.
Teach your children how to cook – I can’t emphasize how important is to teach our kids (boys or girls) how to cook. Cooking is an art, which develops an appreciation for delicious healthy foods. If you are not skilled in the kitchen, take a family cooking class in your community.
Eat more dinners at home – A shared meal at the family dinner table can be a positive influence on shaping children’s eating habits. Children who eat more family meals tend to consume less soda and fried foods, and more fruits and vegetables (Archives of Family Medicine, 2000). The family table offers great benefits for everyone in the family; just keep your conversations positive.
