All moms have been there at one point in time. It’s late, you’re tired, dinner is on the table and you’re about to eat. You lift up your spoon and hear a snort of disgust from the young loved ones surrounding you. Your reaction is felt and understood by us all, but instead of a tired, angry retort, how about just accepting the fact that there are some foods children just don’t like? Just kidding! Here are five suggestions on how to expand your picky eater’s food vocabulary.
1.Make it a Family Priority. It helps if expanding food selections are not entirely based on your children’s inability to eat them. Making it a family priority means that you and all members of your family understand that trying new things is good for you all. I highly suggest making foods that even you are uncomfortable eating. Kids will see you as an example, so make sure you’re setting a good one.
2.Introduce New Foods all at Once. There are different schools of thought on this one, but I’ve tried this myself. Go crazy with this one. Trying a bunch of new recipes all at once will help you and your family find the recipes that you want to keep, modify or banish from the table. It will let everyone know that a new meal is coming, and you’re all in it together. They won’t be surprised that it’s something new, so their expectations will reflect that. They won’t all be home runs, and that’s OK. You’ll find that a few new outstanding meals will make up for any duds.
3.Prepare Foods Together. I can’t stress the importance of eating meals at home. If you are able to do that even some of the time, you will be more able to put an effort into preparing the food together. I don’t suggest, of course, giving your kids the sharpest instrument in your kitchen (I’d like you to keep all your digits), but I am suggesting that you teach them how to measure out liquids and solids, determine which spices go together and how to safely use kitchen tools. If they are putting an effort into the meal, they’re more likely to want to taste the fruits of their labor.
4.Grow Foods Together. Turn a portion of your backyard into a garden! When kids are able to see what a food is like from the seed to the final harvest, they’ll be invested in the process. If they’ve personally planted and watered through organic gardening, they’ll appreciate what goes into their food.
5.Make it Fun! Even the arrangement of food on the plate can make all the difference to your kids. Make the turkey bacon smile. Turn sandwiches into hearts, faces or spaceships. Learn with Play at Home has some great ideas on how to go about making healthy foods more attractive to your little ones.
Don’t expect change overnight. You may experience setbacks at the start, but if you keep following these tips, you’ll see that with a little time and effort your family will be on the road to a healthier lifestyle.
| Savannah Marie is a mom, writer and consultant for Vista College. She enjoys spending time with her family, reading anything she can get her hands on and learning to balance work and home life. |
