How do we get our kids to eat more adventurously? We’ve all known a picky eater or two in our lifetime. We may have been one or we may be the proud mom of an adorable little picky eater.
It makes it difficult to adhere to the nutritional guidelines when little Johnny will only eat chicken nuggets. We try everything; begging, pleading, trickery and even bartering but nothing works. Mommy guilt runs rampant.
As the parent, how do we get little Johnny to meet us on some nutritionally balanced middle ground? How do we convince our picky eater to try new things and eat adventurously?
Be an adventurous eating example. Try different things always. Go to new restaurants and choose a variety of foods. Never turn up your nose to a food in front of your child. It sends the wrong message.
Start them young. From an early age, serve different foods from different cultures. Let your child know that they need to try every food on at least two different occasions before deciding they don’t like it.
Include them in the planning and preparation of the meal. Provide them with a couple pre-approved meal choices and let them choose one. Then take them with you to shop for the groceries and allow them to help you prepare the meal. They will eat it because they feel like they chose it, and of course it’s edible; they cooked it.
Listen to their input. Once they’ve tried a food twice and voice a dislike, respect their opinion. You can try to reintroduce it at a later date but don’t try to force a food on them once they’ve followed your two-try rule or you will undermine it.
Photo Source: Telepathicparonoia
