Eat Your Vegetables: Ways To Combat The Picky Eater
Written by Jana Angeles
It can be tough trying to feed the children, especially if they’ve grown accustomed to eating chicken nuggets, mac and cheese and other unhealthy goodies we like to indulge in once in a while.
When you’re a parent, you feel like you’re in a war when it comes to your child spitting out their food they don’t like and this can be draining if you’ve spent hours cooking a meal for them. It’s time for all of us to take one for the team and battle this war together, so we give you the best ways to combat the dreaded picky eater:
Prepare meals they actually like and slowly offer them new food to eat
If you’re having trouble introducing new food to your child, slowly start this process by preparing meals they love and start putting the new food to the side while they eat. Children are after all curious people and they can’t help but be inquisitive when it comes to something new. If you’re having pasta one night, you can always put a side of salad near them if they haven’t had one before. This will encourage them to try the salad after eating some pasta – the curiosity will get the best of them!
Offer healthy dips/condiments when it comes to eating food
With different yoghurts, sauces and dips available, it’s not hard to encourage healthy eating from your children. If you’re struggling to get them to eat their vegetables, make them a cheese and veggie board that has all the veggies with delicious dips. From hummus, garlic and tomato sauces to avocado dips, you can offer them a variety of tastes and textures when feeding them their veggies. It’s also fun to dip, so if your child is still a growing toddler, they will take interest in the different flavours and might even be motivated to try all of them!
Get them involved in the food preparation
Although they’ll be prone to mess in the kitchen, it’s always a good idea to get your child involved when it comes to food prepping. With close supervision, you can help them appreciate the effort it takes to cook family meals. It will also give you time to bond with each other. If your child is a picky eater, this can motivate them to eat meals they’ve already prepared. Besides, they’ll realise it’s a lot of work when it comes to cooking, right?!
Keep in mind of your child’s food sensitivities
If you know that your child hates mushy food or doesn’t like anything that is the colour green, etc, take notes of these food sensitivities and think about how you can incorporate these into meals they love. Being able to note these can be extremely helpful when it comes to preparing food they will actually eat. Maybe they don’t like potatoes mashed, but they loved bake potatoes, or they might hate stir-fried veggies but love them in their raw form. Be creative and knowledgeable when it comes to the food they can and can’t eat. When you be mindful of these, you’ll start to notice your picky eater child will have better eating habits!
Avoid showing disgust to new foods
If you hate brussel sprouts, celery, etc, try not to show disgust to foods you know that are actually good for you and your child. Always show enthusiasm to the food you eat and your child will do the same. Be mindful of the fact that they mimic your every move when you’re eating and want to be like you. If you know your child’s a picky eater, always show (or even pretend) that the food you’re feeding is delicious! Sometimes, having a change in attitude and turning it into a positive experience can make all the difference when it comes introducing them to new foods, even if you don’t like them personally.
Dealing with a picky eater has its battles, but when you actually win during the war of food, you feel good and you can add it to the chapter of ‘Feeling Good About My Child Eating Carrots” in the parenting section of your life. With a little creativity and genius, you can keep track of your child’s eating habits and surely enough, they’ll be on the path where deciding what food to eat will be the only problem!