7 Tips for Feeding Picky Kids

By , Julie Negrin, Food Network’s Healthy Eats
Getting kids to eat healthy has become the Mount Everest of parenthood. Every day is a rocky, uphill battle with daily obstacles thwarting parents’ best intentions: bake sales, kiddie menus, birthday parties and vending machines are everywhere. It doesn’t help that kids are still wired like their early ancestors to gravitate towards sweet foods to maintain their weight in case of a famine and avoid unfamiliar foods that may be poisonous. Fast forward to the twenty-first century with easy access to store-bought processed products and introducing kids to cauliflower can sound as daunting as climbing a mountain.

The good news is that there are plenty of tactics to encourage healthier eating habits in kids. 

Involve kids in the meal preparation. When kids help make the meal, they are more likely to eat it. Ask them to wash produce, chop vegetables with a safe butter knife, and help with other kid-friendly tasks like whisking, mashing, mincing, grating, seasoning and garnishing.

Modify recipes. In order to make foods more palatable, modify recipes to be kid-friendly but still sophisticated enough for adult eaters to enjoy. Offer new foods as miniature versions, on a skewer, or in taco shells and Asian wrappers. Add naturally sweet foods like mangos and limit spicy flavors by allowing adventurous eaters to add their own hot sauce or spices directly to their dish.

Schedule structured meals at the same time every day. If kids don’t graze all day or eat a snack right before dinner time, they’ll be more likely to try something new. Hungry kids are much more experimental than satiated children.

Expand their palates. Eating an entire portion of any food can be daunting. Ask them to try just one bite — no pleading or bribing. Even if they say they don’t like it, they have still introduced a new flavor to their taste buds.

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