How To Convert Picky Eaters

Many Parents face the challenge of dealing with children who are picky eaters. We all know kids who refuse to eat healthily, preferring to eat junk food.

Rejecting fruits and vegetables or refusing food due to it colour (greens) or texture are common problems many parents face. It seems as if no matter how hard adults try, there is no way of getting some children to adopt good eating habits. However, there are solution to this seemingly unsolvable issue. 

David Pattaway from health store GNC, a father of two, says that the best way to prevent pickiness is to promote healthy eating when your children are young. He adds that "once children aren't given junk food or candy, they won't miss it."

Giving children healthy alternatives to junk food form the outset is a good way to ensure a healthy life style as they grow up. However, what can parents and caregivers do to promote healthy eating patterns and to temp fussiest of eaters?

Strategies

~ Organize consistent meal times. This way your child will know how much time is allocated for eating

~ Minimize distraction at meal times (television, video games) so that the purpose of this time is clear.

~ Introducing new foods is often easiest when combining them with food that your child is ready familiar with. By combining a favorite food with healthy one, new taste and textures are introduced gradually to immature palettes in a way that is fun and non-threatening.

~ Involved them sometimes when preparing meals. A fun way to do this is to have them sprinkle cheese and fresh veggies on a homemade pizza, and then take it from there.

~ Try using condiments to enhance the taste of healthy foods; look beyond ketchup and salt as there are so many deferent options out there.

~ Try to make meal times stress-free; if meals are a time for family arguments, your child may develop negative attitudes toward eating.

~ Try new foods as family, as this puts less pressure on your picky eater, offering a higher chance of success.

According to hospital dietician Simone Sheehan, a balanced diet is critical for growth and brain development and research shows that for children having healthy growth patterns will influence their health in adult life.

"In fact, obese children have a higher prevalence of obesity in adolescent and adult life"

She said that is balanced diet should consist of all the different food groups, preferably in the same meal. The dietician also highlighted the importance of variety, adding that picky eaters weren't just those who were underweight  but included obese children who had a very limited diet.

She advised that every meal should contain adequate calories, protein, vitamins and minerals, which are crucial for growth.

Tips

~ Blending vegetables to create sauces or base for meals.

~ Including a mixture of flavours and serving meals on exciting plates.

~ Do not offering snacks between meals.

~ Encourage the same pattern of eating and keep your child seated in the         same place so as not to distract the focusing on their meal.

~ Reward your child when they eat sensibly, which will in turn reinforced the need for them to adopt and maintain healthy eating habits life.




Source: Caymanian Compass