This is part 2 in a two-part “I wrote this way too long for one post” article. Check out Part 1 and then head back here to finish!
My Top Ten Tips For Encouraging Picky Eaters to Eat…Continued.
6. Make It Fun
Rocket ship sandwich courtesy of Kristin Fitch of www.ziggityzoom.com
Food with faces is fun. Food on sticks is fun. Food cut in unusual shapes is fun. And kids-no kidding-like fun food, and will try things they otherwise never would have.
You don’t have to be a food artist to shove a stick through a piece of chicken or cut a sandwich in fourths instead of half-and kids will dig the effort. If you want to be more creative than that, though, check out the great recipe for that adorable veggie-filled rocket-ship sandwich and lots of other great creative food crafts by mom of 3, blogger and author Kristin Fitch.
7. Keep Junk Out
A couple of you mentioned this in the comments to Part 1, and I couldn’t agree more: if you don’t want your kids to eat junk, then don’t make it an option. The vast majority of kids are not going to let themselves starve (I realize there are always exceptions) and if all your children have access to in the house are good-for-you foods like whole grains, fruits, legumes, and veggies, then sooner or later that’s what they’re going to eat. On the other hand, it doesn’t take many handfuls stolen from that bag of chips in the cupboard to fill up a small belly through most of the evening. If you like the occasional sweet treat, hide it in your bedside table and only indulge when nobody’s looking. It’s for their own good.
8. Try It A New Way
My kids all insisted they hated cooked carrots until we started roasting them (so did I, actually.) They gagged on their broccoli until I stopped boiling and started steaming. They refused to try beans until I put them on nachos. Don’t make a big deal about it when your child dislikes a food. Just try serving it again another way and act as if it’s a totally new, completely original dish. If you “act as if” of course they’re going to love it, chances are good they’ll at least give it a shot.
9. When All Else Fails, Hide it.
You remember a few years ago when The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lupine and Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld, the dueling “hide broccoli in the pancakes” cookbooks, were new on the market and causing hot debate? Two camps seemed to form in the mom world: those who were in favor of getting nutritious foods into their kids by any subterfuge necessary, versus those who felt we should encourage children to like and embrace healthy foods rather than trick them into eating well.
My position is somewhere in the middle. I would much rather my kids chose broccoli or green beans without my having to trick them into it. And frankly, all this planned trickery (The Sneaky Chef suggests creating a bunch of purees ahead of time that you can then sneak into a variety of foods) sounds like a lot of work, which doesn’t fit my “simplify meals whenever possible” mindset. But if you have a child who is so food-averse that you’re worried he’s not getting good enough nutrition, by all means, sneak away.
I’m not sure how I feel about creating a multitude of nutritious purees ahead of time-I think I’d personally go with a simpler, more streamlined method of trickery (like maybe serving zucchini muffins with a little spinach beaten into the batter in, or a healthier twist on a child-friendly staple, like sweet potato fries.) That’s mostly because, well, I’m kind of lazy, and I don’t like washing my blender. But if you love to blend and have the freezer space, why not?
I also think that any food, whether it’s a muffin or a meatball, made from whole grains or with beans, veggies, whey powder, or fruit mixed in is just going to taste different from a highly-processed (i.e. bland ) version of the same food. So in a way, serving your child these sneaky treats is helping develop their palate to recognize and accept healthier, whole foods. They just don’t know it.
In addition to purees, Jeannette Bessinger, CHHC and Tracee Yablon Brenner, RD, CHHC, the Real Food Moms and authors of Simple Food for Busy Families—a great resource for moms trying to figure out what and how to feed their kids, complete with information on different nutrition-packed foods suggest mixing a little whey protein powder into a child’s cereal (for cold cereal, mix it into the milk first) or creating nutrition-packed smoothies containing healthy oils, nut butters, protein powders, eggs, milk, tofu, fruits, and/or veggies (but probably not all at once!)
One last thought on hiding food: I don’t think failing to announce “Hey Kids, There’s Tofu In That Ravioli!” is quite the same as being sneaky or deceptive. I don’t give my kids a list of every ingredient I used to make each meal. No harm, no foul.
Which brings me to the last tip…
10. Make It Work For You
Pickiness is SO common-it almost seems like it must be biologically necessary, doesn’t it? And while we have different ways of encouraging our kids to eat well-whether we encourage healthy snacking or limit snacks between meals, or whether we make kids the kids try a bite of those Brussels Sprouts before they can have dessert, serve dessert along with the meal, or skip desserts entirely-the truth is there’s no one way that’s been proven best to handle picky eaters. And there’s no guarantee that we can have that much impact on their adventurousness when it comes to trying new things, either. All we can really do is figure out a plan that works for us and our own families, try to ignore critics and naysayers, and encourage our children not to belch, gag, shudder or yell “OH GROSS!” at the table. Because when it comes right down to it, probably the most important thing we can teach our kids about food is that it’s something to be respected, something to be shared, and something to be enjoyed. So whatever your picky-eater plan, make sure it’s something you can live with. After all, Mom deserves to enjoy her dinner, too, instead of just playing the “one more bite” police.
Can you believe November is over tonight? Me neither! Thank you so much for talking about food with me all through this month-I learned some things, and I hope you did, too. I know I promised you a post about grocery shopping-but it’s going to have to wait for another time, because I am ready and raring to go on our December theme: Rituals, Routines & Rhythms. Please check back tomorrow for my intro post!
PS: I didn’t forget to choose winners for the Cooking at Home Giveaway! Check back to the post to see if you won.
Great conclusion to the article! I really like the point about try it a new way, great advice.
Great advice.
I think the most important thing for parents to remember is not to stress out or worry too much about their picky eaters. It is so easy to get wrapped up in it all and worry excessively. More often than not, they are not as picky as we think they are and are getting the nutrients and vitamins they need.
And I guarantee they won’t be picky forever!
One thing that gets overlooked frequently: Respect Real Dislikes! Everyone has food that just doesn’t taste right to them and that, as adults, we choose not to eat. Kids are no different. My 4-year old really, sincerely dislikes fresh tomatoes and any kind of zucchini. We don’t require that he eats these things. Strangely, when tomatoes or zucchini are on the menu and he is allowed to pick them out, we actually have to press him less to eat other things. I think it is because he feels like his preferences are valid and therefore a power play on his part is not necessary.
Meagan, I wrote up a list of go-to easy and (mostly) healthy foods to feed my picky toddler. I wonder if you would approve: http://www.rookiemoms.com/what-to-feed-a-picky-toddler/