Just about every parent has dealt with it: It’s dinner time, and your child refuses to eat the healthy food you’ve cooked. You might be ready to throw in the kitchen towel and let them eat whatever they want, just to get some food in their belly. But you can incorporate new foods into your child’s diet. Put in some patience now, and it will pay off in the long run.
The pickiness myth
The long-standing belief that some children are naturally picky eaters is only part true, says wellness coach Amy Nadelen, founder of Tribe Wellness in Fairport, a company that works with families to create simple, customized, manageable food programs. “Kids start out early on being very accepting of new foods,” Nadelen says. “Many 12- to 18-month-olds will happily gobble up anything and everything Mom puts in front of them. Then around age 2, things change.”
This is when children enter a stage of neophobia, fear of anything new, Naelden says. They begin to resist new foods, and even refuse ones they once enjoyed. “So what Mom and Dad see as resistance to food is actually quite normal,” she says. “But not knowing this, and not really understanding what can be done to help the child be more accepting, they label their child as being picky.”
Kids are usually over this resistance by first grade, but by this time, most parents are done trying to introduce them to new foods, instead opting for foods they know kids will eat. Kids will eventually accept of a variety of foods, but Nadelen says it can take up to 20 attempts. It’s important to be patient, she says, because the payoff for your child’s health can be huge.
Breaking the habit
If you want to incorporate new foods into your child’s diet, Nadelen says a neutral approach is best. “Parents can’t force their child to take a bite, even if they call it something nice like a ‘no thank-you bite,’” she says. “None of that works in the long term. They may take three bites of veggie at that meal, but that’s not the goal. You want kids to choose to eat their veggies on their own, three, five or 15 years from now.”
Start by making healthier versions of foods they already enjoy. For hot dogs with mac and cheese, she recommends switching to all-natural hot dogs and Annie’s brand organic macaroni and cheese. Then, try making your own mac and cheese and adding some pureed winter squash and carrots. “The more exposure kids have to healthy foods throughout their lives, in a fun, no-pressure way, the more accepting they will be of them,” Nadelen says.
Let it be a natural process. Adults find what they like to eat through experiences, not force. The same holds true for kids. “Getting kids involved in the kitchen, choosing recipes, shopping for healthy foods, working in the garden—all these activities help shape their relationship with food,” Nadelen says.
Next, make sure children have a structure for eating desserts and snacks. If children have a certain time of day set aside to indulge in a cookie or a bag of chips, Nadelen says they’ll be less likely to ask for them during other parts of the day. “You want sweets and treats to just be part of life for kids, not something they obsess over,” she says. “Restrict them from it, and that’s all they want. You want to take these foods off the pedestal, and teach kids how to deal with them in everyday life.”
Most importantly, Nadelen says, parents need to be good nutritional role models. This means eating the same healthy foods you scoop onto their plates. “A child’s early exposure to foods can shape their relationship with food for the rest of their lives. This can happen as early as in the womb,” she says. “Moms who eat a variety of healthy foods while pregnant will have babies that are typically more accepting of foods when they get older.”
