Picky Eaters - Successful Strategies Part 1

What is in a name?

The answer is everything!

Jo J. of Victoria, Texas said that her son was a very pickyeater between the ages of four and six and refused to eat manyof the dishes she made, until she discovered the art of renamingrecipes.

"One evening I discovered that he would eat ANYTHING he thoughtmight be on the diet of the characters of his favorite TV showat the time, 'The Young Riders.' Oh, yeah," Jo says, "The Kid'sBeans, Teaspoon's Favorite Casserole, Young Riders' Skillet, andmany others became sudden favorites of my picky eater son. Tothis day, he still enjoys dishes that were once refused simplybecause of inventive renaming!"

While most adults and some children look forward to new foodexperiences, understand and accept that your picky eater willlook forward to eating the same foods over and over again. Thisoften gives them a sense of comfort and security, which isgenerally not hazardous to their health unless it is sugar orsodium laden.

Studies have shown that repeated exposure to foods greatlyincreases the likelihood even a picky eater child will eat it. Some experts feelthat new food has to be offered anywhere from 8to 18 times before it is acceptable. You can prepare the foodin different ways, but offer it on a consistent basis,especially when your picky eater child will be the hungriest. Offering food as part of a nutrition activity or snack may makeit more interesting. Also seeing other children sample foodsmay encourage a picky eater to become more adventurous.

If you know in advance that one or more of the food choices willbe met with howls of disgust, have something else available thatyour picky eater will find pleasing to his or her palate.Encourage your picky child to taste one of the "repulsive" foodsbefore chowing down on one of the more desirable ones, but donot be offended if he or she refuses.

Sherry P. from Miami, Oklahoma is a daycare provider and hasbeen working with children for almost 40 years. One of the waysshe encourages her young charges to eat more vegetables is tolet each child take turns at picking one each day. "Of course Ilimit the choices to two or three ? say corn, peas, or greenbeans," she advises. "That way they feel like they have somecontrol over what they eat. I also give them some choices thatthey can say 'no' to such as pickles or salads.

Being able to have a say in what they eat seems to help." Sherryalso adds more fruit to their diet by adding it to Jell-O, whichthey really seem to like. "Another thing that I do is to usemeal times as a time to talk with each other. I ask the kidsabout things that are going on in their lives and they do noteven notice what they are eating," she says.

Often, parents worry that if they do not prepare the specificfoods that their picky eater children like to eat, they willwither away. However, Dr. Karen Sadler, a pediatrician inBoston, MA, and panel expert at the Baby Zone(www.babyzone.com), says that hunger is a powerful drive andyoung children will not starve themselves to the point ofdanger. To help promote a lifetime of better eating habits, shemakes the following recommendations:

Offer your picky eater child a few nutritious food choices atthe dinner table. What is not eaten in 20 minutes can bewrapped up and offered as a later snack. Give your child thepower to choose, but from among healthy choices, berries ororange wedges, for example.

For more great picky eater advice, tips and even some greattasting, easy to prepare picky eater recipes... visithttp://www.mypickyeater.com

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