Yesterday, I posted a blog on how my kids eat regular food and not "kid" food. In that post, I explained about how my daughter used to be a picky eater who only ate PB&J and chicken nuggets. Let me explain a bit further.
I said that she one day asked for salad and that was the beginning of change in her life...but let me clarify that by stating....it was ONLY the beginning. While I had released the battle of food for her when she was younger, this step forward she made with the salad began a NEW battle, but being 5 or 6 years old, it became an easier battle. Try to reason with a 3 year old about food and you might as well reason with a wall on why it should move to a different spot. Try to reason with a 6 year old, and you at least have a little movement. This battle would last for a couple years.
Here is what we did. We seized the opportunity of having her more open to new things (and by open, I mean a CRACK of a HEAVY door).
This is what I would advice. Do not overwhelm your picky eater with a plate full of food he/she does not like. This is the quickest way to get them to shut down!! My daughter is as hard headed as they come. If I saw her eat salad one day and than put in front of her a plate with meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans the next day, she would likely withdraw into her old ways out of fear and hardheadedness The salad does not mean her issues are over...it just means there is hope.
Ranch dressing is a good example. I am not pro-ranch, but I know that traditionally ranch is loved by kids. I put ranch on her salad and kept doing it for a while until I put a different, lighter, healthier dressing on for her "to try" and she loved it more so than the heavy, creamy ranch.
So, what we would do is we would put something on her plate she likes a lot...say she started to like grilled chicken. Ok...so she gets a juicy grilled chicken breast and than a small pile of green beans. Oh, the joys of watching your kid try the green beans and gag!! She had such an issue with texture and flavor, she would literally gag at every meal. In this case, we would, first and foremost, not bring any attention to the gagging. I feel strongly that a small portion of the gagging was physical, but the better portion of the gagging was more show for us. We chose to ignore it.
Also, I am not above bribery. "If you will just eat 5 green beans, you can have dessert.....or 50 cents....or soda!" I know many parents will tsk tsk at this, but look...what needs to happen needs to happen. Do I bribe her now to eat? No!! I don't need to. Once she got past the textures, and the gagging, the need to bribe ceased. The reward came in the eating of fresh, yummy foods.
If your kid makes it through his/her meal having at least eaten a portion of whatever food he/she finds offensive, maybe make the next meal be a meal that they love.
Also, allow your kids to discover what foods they genuinely do not like. Give them time and space. Sierra used to HATE anything to do with potatoes (unless they were in french fry form). We make the yummiest mashed potatoes and it would drive me crazy that she would not like them....they are real potatoes, boiled, mashed, mixed with butter, sour cream, cheese, and plenty of seasoning. YUM!! Nope, no good for her. However, one day she asked to try them (she would see us enjoying them so). She was tentative about it, but ended up saying "pretty good". Now? She LOVES mashed potatoes.
I do believe kids should try new things. But, I also believe that they need space to try it. Food can terrify a kid. If you put a mountain of something new on their plate and force them to eat it, their preconceived, hardheaded ways will no doubt keep them from allowing themselves to enjoy it. Sierra still asks me, "what's in this?". I will say "nothing is in it you do not like". She trusts me. I have been known to sneak things in sometimes...but generally speaking, I do not. I'm honest.
One thing my kids LOVE....like REALLY, REALLY love is my zucchini chips. I can have their most favorite meal on the plate, and they will, no doubt, devour these before touching the other.
I take a foil lined pan and spray it with nonstick spray. I clean and slice zucchini in about 1/4 inch slices. I lay them in one layer on pan. I spray them with spray margarine and than season lightly with a greek seasoning (but you could season lightly with garlic salt and pepper). I top them with parmessan cheese, generously. I then broil them for only a few minutes, until the cheese is slightly browned. that's it. They DEVOUR them. Last time, I squeezed a bit of lemon on them before seasoning or cheese. You do not want to overcook them...they are better if they are crispy and not mushy.
One thing that drives me crazy is parents who force their kids to eat food they don't like...or knowing their kid doesn't like something, not caring. When I make a soup with beans in it...I will pick out the beans for Sierra. Parents scoff at me for doing this simple act of love. It takes all of 5 minutes at most to do this. Why is this such a burden?? I once read a book by John Ortberg and he was talking about how when his kid would accidentally spill his drink on the table he would get so angry at the kid for this accident...yelling and wagging his finger. One day he spilled his own drink and there was no one looming over him yelling at him or wagging their finger at him. It spoke to him...why is he yelling at his kids for an accidental spill? It is the same with our food. As a child, I would get yelled at for not liking fish or liver or a couple of the other things I did not like. It did not matter to my dad or stepmom that I had a definite dislike of these food items. I could not help that they tasted horrible. Look at your own taste palate. There is something you do not like. I bet you do not cook it because you do not like it. So, why are your kids forced to eat food they do not like?
Again, I am speaking on definite foods that they have a particular dislike of...Sierra and beans. She has tried them in many forms and just does not like them. I am not speaking of those kids who have yet to really give the food a try. But, in order for them to try it, the pressure needs to be lifted and the portion needs to be lightened. And, yes, sometimes a little bribe can go a long way.
I said that she one day asked for salad and that was the beginning of change in her life...but let me clarify that by stating....it was ONLY the beginning. While I had released the battle of food for her when she was younger, this step forward she made with the salad began a NEW battle, but being 5 or 6 years old, it became an easier battle. Try to reason with a 3 year old about food and you might as well reason with a wall on why it should move to a different spot. Try to reason with a 6 year old, and you at least have a little movement. This battle would last for a couple years.
Here is what we did. We seized the opportunity of having her more open to new things (and by open, I mean a CRACK of a HEAVY door).
This is what I would advice. Do not overwhelm your picky eater with a plate full of food he/she does not like. This is the quickest way to get them to shut down!! My daughter is as hard headed as they come. If I saw her eat salad one day and than put in front of her a plate with meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans the next day, she would likely withdraw into her old ways out of fear and hardheadedness The salad does not mean her issues are over...it just means there is hope.
Ranch dressing is a good example. I am not pro-ranch, but I know that traditionally ranch is loved by kids. I put ranch on her salad and kept doing it for a while until I put a different, lighter, healthier dressing on for her "to try" and she loved it more so than the heavy, creamy ranch.
So, what we would do is we would put something on her plate she likes a lot...say she started to like grilled chicken. Ok...so she gets a juicy grilled chicken breast and than a small pile of green beans. Oh, the joys of watching your kid try the green beans and gag!! She had such an issue with texture and flavor, she would literally gag at every meal. In this case, we would, first and foremost, not bring any attention to the gagging. I feel strongly that a small portion of the gagging was physical, but the better portion of the gagging was more show for us. We chose to ignore it.
Also, I am not above bribery. "If you will just eat 5 green beans, you can have dessert.....or 50 cents....or soda!" I know many parents will tsk tsk at this, but look...what needs to happen needs to happen. Do I bribe her now to eat? No!! I don't need to. Once she got past the textures, and the gagging, the need to bribe ceased. The reward came in the eating of fresh, yummy foods.
If your kid makes it through his/her meal having at least eaten a portion of whatever food he/she finds offensive, maybe make the next meal be a meal that they love.
Also, allow your kids to discover what foods they genuinely do not like. Give them time and space. Sierra used to HATE anything to do with potatoes (unless they were in french fry form). We make the yummiest mashed potatoes and it would drive me crazy that she would not like them....they are real potatoes, boiled, mashed, mixed with butter, sour cream, cheese, and plenty of seasoning. YUM!! Nope, no good for her. However, one day she asked to try them (she would see us enjoying them so). She was tentative about it, but ended up saying "pretty good". Now? She LOVES mashed potatoes.
I do believe kids should try new things. But, I also believe that they need space to try it. Food can terrify a kid. If you put a mountain of something new on their plate and force them to eat it, their preconceived, hardheaded ways will no doubt keep them from allowing themselves to enjoy it. Sierra still asks me, "what's in this?". I will say "nothing is in it you do not like". She trusts me. I have been known to sneak things in sometimes...but generally speaking, I do not. I'm honest.
One thing my kids LOVE....like REALLY, REALLY love is my zucchini chips. I can have their most favorite meal on the plate, and they will, no doubt, devour these before touching the other.
I take a foil lined pan and spray it with nonstick spray. I clean and slice zucchini in about 1/4 inch slices. I lay them in one layer on pan. I spray them with spray margarine and than season lightly with a greek seasoning (but you could season lightly with garlic salt and pepper). I top them with parmessan cheese, generously. I then broil them for only a few minutes, until the cheese is slightly browned. that's it. They DEVOUR them. Last time, I squeezed a bit of lemon on them before seasoning or cheese. You do not want to overcook them...they are better if they are crispy and not mushy.
One thing that drives me crazy is parents who force their kids to eat food they don't like...or knowing their kid doesn't like something, not caring. When I make a soup with beans in it...I will pick out the beans for Sierra. Parents scoff at me for doing this simple act of love. It takes all of 5 minutes at most to do this. Why is this such a burden?? I once read a book by John Ortberg and he was talking about how when his kid would accidentally spill his drink on the table he would get so angry at the kid for this accident...yelling and wagging his finger. One day he spilled his own drink and there was no one looming over him yelling at him or wagging their finger at him. It spoke to him...why is he yelling at his kids for an accidental spill? It is the same with our food. As a child, I would get yelled at for not liking fish or liver or a couple of the other things I did not like. It did not matter to my dad or stepmom that I had a definite dislike of these food items. I could not help that they tasted horrible. Look at your own taste palate. There is something you do not like. I bet you do not cook it because you do not like it. So, why are your kids forced to eat food they do not like?
Again, I am speaking on definite foods that they have a particular dislike of...Sierra and beans. She has tried them in many forms and just does not like them. I am not speaking of those kids who have yet to really give the food a try. But, in order for them to try it, the pressure needs to be lifted and the portion needs to be lightened. And, yes, sometimes a little bribe can go a long way.
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