Avoiding fussy eaters

I am a somewhat fussy eater. I was a very fussy eater and slowly as an adult I am coming around. My duties as a mum and the sheer determination of my husband not to have fussy children, has meant that I have started eating a greater variety of food. My children on the other hand are great eaters – there is very little they will not eat or try. Here are some of the practical philosophies we follow when it comes to getting our children to try new foods.

Lead by example. How can you expect your child to try/eat something if you don’t? Now this was interesting for me – so if it was something I didn’t eat, my husband was at the table to introduce the food to the children and eat it with them. As they get older they get smarter (hence the reason I am trying so many more foods) If you want to introduce a food to your child, it is easier to get them interested, involved in the food if you too are eating (and liking) the same meal.

One family, one meal. In our house you either eat dinner or you go hungry – no matter the age. We all eat dinner together and there is only one meal option. Ultimately the children tend to eat something from the menu and we do not force them to eat everything. Having the same policy for everyone also reduced the likelihood that one child’s behaviour will impact the eating habits of your other children. If your children feel that the fussy child is getting special treatment – why would or should they keep trying new things when the fussy eater doesn’t need to or gets special meals?

At least one try. They have to try it and a good try. 1-2 even 3 mouthfuls to see what they think of it. If they really don’t like it they can eat something else that is part of the meal and already on the table (plain rice, bread, salad, etc). Some of the tactics we use when we get complaints about trying the food:
We remind them that they have tried and liked it before. We say that it is cooked differently so they might like it better this time. If they want to eat more meat or food they like they have to at least have some of the food they are avoiding.

Keep offering it to them. It is said that repeated exposure (up to 8 times) is required to get your taste buds used to the taste of the food in order to make a decision on it; so keep offering it to them – after 5-6 times they may decide they love it. It is also important to understand that children will refuse food for many reasons – they make not like the look or taste of it, the feel of it or even perhaps they simply don’t feel like it that day.

Different cooking options. By repeatedly offering it to them in a range of formats you may find they like one variety (e.g. Roast mushrooms) and not another (raw mushrooms). This way you can get them to gain the health benefits from a certain vegetable without having to fight them to eat it. Growing your own veggies is another great tactic at getting your children to try to eat them. When we mention that it is the Snow Pea or Capsicum from the garden the kids are willing to try it as they grew it.

Sweeten the deal. Think of your favourite ways to eat a certain food/vegetable and offer these initially to your child to get them used to the idea of eating that vegetable. For example I make Broccoli and Cauliflower with white sauce – the children adore it and then when it is just steamed broccoli they already know they eat and like the taste of broccoli so they are more willing to try it. For my youngest, simply adding sliced almonds to the Asian salad got him eating everything in the salad because he wanted these.

Understanding & Slowly, Slowly. For me, my fussy eating was a mental issue. I had convinced myself that that item of food was disgusting and that it would make me sick. There are still foods I do not eat or have not tried, however each year I try new foods and expand my horizons. It is not a problem that will be fixed overnight, however slowly I can get better as can your fussy eaters. Try to offer reasons to try the new foods, encouragement and praise each time they try something new.

In our house it doesn’t matter if you like it or not – what matters is that you TRY it.

For those with an already fussy eater: understand that it may not just be naughty behaviour – my parents often tried to get me to eat salad and I wouldn’t because in most there were too many things I didn’t eat within it. So they offered me a salad I would eat– Carrot Salad or Simple Lettuce Salad and by getting me on board with eating the salad you can work with your child to slowly add more ingredients as they try and get used to them.

Share with us what works for you, or tell us your issue and we will try to help.

Written by Lorraine Salvi, mother of three young children, who due to the determination of my husband eat more variety than I do 🙂