But what happens when the food you eat or don't eat is impacting on your health or making it difficult to prepare a family meal that keeps everyone happy. As well as impacting on the individual themselves it can also cause anxiety and stress for parents of picky eaters which in itself can impact health. It's actually quite a common problem and if dealt with in the right way it can be managed.
Get them involved – this can be cooking, shopping and even choosing the menu with your help of course. Limiting options to two choices keeps it simple but still gives them a feeling of control. Involving children in the shopping and preparing allows them to see where the food comes from and gives them an understanding of how ingredients turn into meals. Getting them used to using all their senses like touch and smell as well as taste. It also creates a sense of anticipation which is important to start the digestive process.
Keep Trying – Don’t just write a food off. Just because they didn’t like it today doesn’t mean they won’t like it tomorrow. You may need to offer some foods 10 –12 times before they are accepted. It's not always because they don’t like a food, children change their minds all the time! It may be, they were full or perhaps they weren't in the mood for something unfamiliar or were feeling a little off colour.
Don’t Force foods – This may create unnecessary anxiety both for you and your child. It's not a good idea to force children to eat food even though this is usually our first response as parents. Just remove it and serve the next course with as little fuss as possible. Don’t withhold the next course, this can be the most frustrating part and sometimes you won't always succeed but that’s ok there is always tomorrow.
Hidden Food – I'm not really a big fan of hiding food as this can in some instances create mistrust, especially if your child asks you outright if there is anything they don’t like in a meal. However, I am a fan of smoothies, soups and sauces which can incorporate a wealth of vitamins and minerals and can help to change the texture of foods which some children are not fond of. It can also be a great way to incorporate ground nuts and seeds which some children may not like. When adding nuts and seeds be aware of allergies and be sure to inform any visiting guests.
Limit Snacks – Many of us grab a quick snack while we are waiting for dinner/lunch to be cooked, often this isn't an issue but it’s not always the case for children. They have much smaller appetites and stomachs; a small snack can fill them up just enough so that they may refuse dinner, leaving you frustrated and them possibly hungry later on which can lead to more snacks and even less dinners. Snacks tend to be less nutrient dense too so if you do give snacks make sure they are balanced. Eat as a family or group – Children learn by example, seeing others be that parents, siblings or peers eating and enjoying food is a great way to create a positive attitude to food.