Children are known for being opinionated, picky, and stubborn. When it comes to eating, they often are more stubborn than the adults trying to feed them. Kids are only concerned about taste and texture, not nutrition. Busy parents and grandparents often give in to a child’s refusal to eat what is on their plate, and will simply give them whatever it is that they will eat. Depending on what food that may be, it could set that child up for malnourishment.
There are a variety of reasons why children dislike certain foods. Sometimes, it is just a lack of exposure to foods. We all naturally prefer foods that are sweeter, and packed with simple carbohydrates and fats. These foods cause a release of endorphins in the body which is very pleasant, calming, and relaxing. When a lot of these foods are eaten, the brain becomes addicted to the endorphin release. This, in turn, sets up powerful cravings, and an intense emotional response to eating. Trying to convince a child that they have eat the vegetables on their plate instead of the bread that they are used to eating is bound to end up with both the parent and the child in tears.
Even if you have very healthy meals, there are some children who just refuse to eat vegetables; most will eat a few different kinds of fruit, but they will likely be picky there, too. This could have to do with the texture of the fruit or vegetable, or it simply could be that they do not like the taste. It is best to experiment with preparing it different ways. Often times, kids like their vegetables cooked instead of raw.
When you are cooking vegetables, don’t just serve them plain. Add spices like salt and a little pepper, garlic, etc. Also, some vegetables, like broccoli, can be served with a number of different “sauces”, such as butter, coconut oil, or cheese. If you can make the food look interesting in shape, color or design, you may be able to entice them to at least try it.
A great thing to do with kids is to involve them in preparing the meal. This can start in the kitchen, and eventually lead to them helping to decide what to make for dinner; even help shop for the ingredients. Kids love to be involved.
Eating is an emotional and spiritual practice. It goes way beyond just feeding the body. In the United States, mealtime has drifted away from the traditional practice of bonding with others over food. Sharing food with others used to be considered a great honor, and great care was taken to prepare food so that mealtime was nourishing to the mind, body and soul.
Creating a sense of community around mealtime is a great way encourage children to try new foods. Sit down together at a table, and try to keep the mood as fun and interactive as possible. A happy, positive mood will increase the child’s appetite and sense of adventure. If necessary, play games with your kids that ends up with them putting the food in their mouth. They can tell you how much the broccoli looks like a tree, and you could say how funny it would be to see them eat a tree. You could say that cauliflower looks like a cloud, yellow squash looks like the sun, lima beans look like pillows, etc. Be creative.
Keep in mind that as we age, our tastes naturally change. That may be due, in part, to the body having different nutritional needs. So be sure to periodically reintroduce foods that may not have been so well received a few months ago; and try different recipes with the same vegetable.
Most veggies taste differently when steamed, roasted, sautéed, or grilled; try them all. Pairing bland vegetables with ones that have a stronger flavor is a good option. Carrots, bell peppers, onions, sugar snap peas, and broccoli can give vegetables like squash, cauliflower, zucchini, and parsnips enough flavor to entice picky eaters to eat them without much fuss; plus, the more colorful the combination, the more fun you can have with it.
If you are really struggling to get your kids to eat any kind of vegetable, you can add small amounts to foods that you know they will eat. The easiest way to do this with older kids is by blending a combination of fruits and veggies into a smoothie. Made with water, milk, or nut milk, frozen or just cold, the combinations are endless.
You can also hide raw spinach and cooked or canned pumpkin in pancakes and muffins, cooked cauliflower in rice and oatmeal, shredded zucchini and cooked carrots in refried beans, hummus, and spaghetti sauce.
When it comes to getting children to eat meat, it is usually the texture that seems to be the biggest issue. Prepare meats in different ways and offer it in different dishes. Add mild seasonings such as salt and pepper. Chicken spaghetti is very popular with the younger kids. Grilled meats tend to have more flavor than baked meats, and meat served with gravy or sauce can give added choices for flavor.
If your child does not care for meat, don’t worry too much; many vegetables are high in protein and will sustain a child’s growing body until their tastes change. Avoid giving in to fast food and highly processed foods like chicken nuggets just for the sake of getting a little meat into your kiddo. It is far healthier to bread some chicken pieces and pan fry them in coconut or avocado oil at home, and you can feed the entire family the same meal.
As I said in the beginning, kids can be stubborn. Try to make mealtime less of a struggle with your picky eater by setting up certain rules around food. First thing is to make sure they come to the table hungry. Kids get hungry between lunch and supper and need a snack. If you can get them to eat a healthy snack, that’s great! If not, make sure that they do not eat so much that they are not hungry for supper. A hungry child is less likely to be picky than one who really isn’t hungry.
When a child isn’t hungry for supper, you can be sure that they will be hungry an hour or two after supper. This is when parents are most likely to let their kids eat whatever they want. With that in mind, you should not force a child to eat when they are not hungry. Forcing a child to eat when they are truly not hungry creates an unhealthy relationship with food, which could lead to eating disorders later in life.
Also, even if you convince a child to eat when they are not hungry, the likelihood that they will be hungry later still exists. This is because there is an important connection between the stomach and the brain. The brain releases chemicals to tell us when we should be hungry, and when we should be full. This is supposed to center around eating. If a person eats when they are not hungry, not only is it harder for the stomach to digest the food, but the brain doesn’t recognize that they have eaten, and will still release the chemical to trigger hunger, later. This is a contributing factor to obesity in children, as well as adults. For adults, it is more likely caused by being too distracted when eating. A good rule for everyone is to avoid eating while watching television.
You can also implement a small reward system for picky eaters by letting them eat a small amount of dessert or favorite food after they have eaten their meal. In the beginning, don’t set the bar too high. Make the amount of food they have to eat to get the reward something you know they can do without too much drama. In the beginning just concentrate on setting a precedent of expectation and reward. You can always add to the amount of required food when they get used to it. I wouldn’t make this an everyday practice, just something you do on occasion.
If you have a child who is thin and never seems to want to eat, it could be a sign of weak digestion; and the child is likely malnourished. There are natural remedies to increase digestive strength such as drinking water with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar before each meal, but you may not get the cooperation of the child. Otherwise, natural digestive enzymes may be the next course of action; pineapple juice is a good choice. (Most digestive enzyme supplements are in capsule form and may be difficult to get the child to take.) Digestive enzymes should only be used for a short length of time so that it does not cause the body to rely on them, but can be used successfully to promote better digestive processes until the body takes over.
If you have a child who is constantly hungry but still thin, it could be a sign of poor digestion, or parasites. In the case of poor digestion, the food that is eaten is not properly broken down so that nutrients can be extracted. Either the food is passing through the stomach and intestines too fast, there are not enough good bacteria in the intestines, there is a problem with the walls of the intestines (such as leaky gut), or the food lacks nutritional value; or a combination thereof. Malnourishment is also indicated in this case.
In the case of parasites, not only is malnourishment guaranteed, but parasites often release toxins which cause serious illness for the host. Seek the advice of your doctor to rule out parasites.
Always choose the highest quality food possible to feed your kids, as these will have the best flavor and highest nutrient content; choose organic and grass-fed, if possible. Vitamin and mineral supplements, especially those aimed at kids, are questionable, at best. There is little regulation on these products for quality, and bio-availability of the nutrient. Not to mention, questionable additives to the supplements to make them more appealing, such as artificial flavors, colors, and sweeteners (all of which are proven neurotoxins which interfere with proper growth and development).
If you have a picky eater, you have your hands full. Perseverance is the key. Sometimes it takes thinking outside the box to get a handle on what’s going on with kids. Even then, things constantly change. Parenting is not for the fainthearted! But they don’t stay kids for long, so just keep trying. You will glad you did.
