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. Today I want to provide some tips that will help ease the battles between you and your picky eater. This is coming not only from a dietitian, but from a recovered 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 – Let’s 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 once in a while – fill a nice large leaf of lettuce with a tablespoon of shredded lettuce, corn kernels, black beans, cubed chicken, low fat shredded cheddar cheese and top with 1 tbsp. each chopped avocado and tomatoes.
For a super easy colorful appetizer – 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 to 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.
Pleasing meatloaf – Every winter I pull out my old fashioned (did I say super simple) meatloaf recipe that the aroma alone even makes our dog beg for leftovers. Just five ingredients: 1 pound ground turkey*, 1 cup pasta sauce, 1 cup quick oats (or seasoned bread crumbs), 1 egg, ¼ cup chopped onions and black pepper to taste. Mix well and place on a meatloaf pan or divide on 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. * You may use a vegetarian substitution, which will decrease your bake time to about 30 minutes in the oven.
Plan meals together – Sit down with your kids and plan a few meals together; they will be more incline to eat something their plan for the family. Also, take the family grocery shopping. Everyone can learn to read the nutrition labels and about the nutrients in each food or product.
Teach them 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 class together in your community.
More dinners at home – A shared 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 table offer great benefits for everyone in the family; just keep your conversations positive.
Live life and love it. Eat well
