Picky Path
Finicky adults are basically picky toddlers grown old. Doctors and nutritionists say that habits formed early become a way of life. The easiest way to avoid raising lifelong fussy, demanding eaters is to make sure that the most important people in children’s lives — parents — eat right themselves. Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, offers these tips:
Start young. Toddlers should be offered a variety of foods. If some foods are refused, reintroduce a small amount of each every few months.
Talk with children. Offer a taste. Encourage them to be adventurous eaters and respect their views. Ask what it is about a dish that is “bad” — color, texture, taste. Some things may seem gross to them that do not occur to adults.
Mix up the preparation. Many kids won’t touch cooked vegetables but enjoy them raw. Add a dip; peanut butter works for both fruits and veggies.
Don’t become a short-order cook. Make one meal and offer it to everybody. Leave the clam sauce off the kids’ pasta or set aside some chicken before adding the mole. But don’t make special meals.
Try to identify a few healthy foods your child will eat, and learn to live with those. Willingness to eat one fruit or one vegetable is a start.
Add a vitamin. “A daily children’s chewable vitamin is key for the picky eater, to ensure requirements,” Ms. Fernstrom says.
The Washington Post