March is National Nutrition Month and the nutrition and dietetics world is buzzing with great articles about "Eat with Color" and interesting recipes to increase fruit and vegetable intake.
But if you are the mother of a picky eater you are probably feeling like all this information is irrelevant to you as your child won't even eat cereal or toast never mind mango or pomegranate!
I want to reassure you that you are not alone and the situation can get better! Picky eaters can learn to Eat with Color
Here are 5 ways you can start helping your child become less picky, starting today!
1) Relax.
Easy to say not so easy to do? Often a vicious cycle starts up: your child won't eat and as a Mom you know they need nourishment so you start stressing about mealtimes and putting pressure on your child to eat. The anxiety level is high leading up to mealtimes and is off the scale by the time a difficult mealtime is over! Take a deep breathe, children pick up on your stress and anxiety and if you are more relaxed going into a meal they will be too.
2) Involve children in meal preparation.
Children are often busy playing and being called for a meal can come as an unwelcome surprise for them. Let them know it's getting near mealtime and give them the 'important job' of setting the table or getting the drinks or going around telling the rest of the family that dinner is nearly ready. Let them feel involved by giving them choices. Choose 2 meal suggestions that you are happy with and then ask them to choose. "Would you like a sandwich or pasta?" If possible eat as a family, switch the TV off and keep conversation light. Talk about your day, ask about their day, tell a funny story anything but fixating on the meal and how much is or isn't getting eaten.
3) Set them up for success.
If you know your child is only going to eat 2 bites of food, then serve them just 2 bites of food. It takes the pressure off you feeling you have to say "just one more bite" and it takes the pressure off them feeling overwhelmed by what they see as a 'mountain of food'. When they have eaten it you can make a big celebratory fuss! Positive praise means so much to children and often they will ask for more to see if they can get the same reaction. If they don't ask for more, that's ok, you've still taken the first step towards making mealtimes more relaxed and enjoyable for them.
4) Don't sabotage meals with snacks.
Children's stomachs are small and a glass of milk, a couple of cookies or some other snack eaten within an hour or two of a meal can be enough to take the edge off their appetite so they have no desire to eat. Adults who are trying to lose weight are often advised to drink a glass of water 30 minutes before a meal to curb their appetite - the same thing happens to children. They need the feeling of an empty tummy to give them that desire to eat. I have worked with many parents who were frantic that their child would last days without food but on closer questioning parents realized their children had free access to milk or juice and were drinking constantly throughout the day. Their tummy's therefore
felt full and they had no interest in eating. On the other hand, don't give your child a snack such as cookies, candy or chips
after a meal has not been eaten. This gives them the wrong message that if they hold out long enough, they'll get a treat instead of dinner. If they come looking for food once the meal is over either offer them the same meal again or fruit as their only choices.
5) Make every mouth full count.
I advise speaking to your Pediatrician about your child's eating. They may be able to reassure you about their growth which in turn can help you relax and reduce the mealtime pressure. If your child is only eating small amounts, make sure everything you offer is as nutritious as possible. Offering a dip along with vegetables or pouring cheese sauce over fish, for example, not only adds extra taste and makes the food more moist in their mouth but also adds extra calories too which are often needed when only small portions are eaten. Use supplements to provide daily vitamins and minerals while you work on improving their food choices.
Make mealtimes fun! Let them help you cut their sandwiches into interesting shapes with cookie cutters, add their own
colorful toppings to make a pizza face and press the button on the mixer to whizz up a
colorful fruit smoothie! As a Mom, although the days may seem long, the years are short and this is the time to relax, have fun with your children and teach them the good eating habits you want them to use throughout their lives!
