My children are three and seven years old, and they are actually good to eat. Personally, I love to try any type of food, from Asian to Indian (subcontinent and native), Italian and Greek. My kids may not pick the most exciting item on the menu, but they’ve been watching me closely all these years and I think one day they will.
Getting my children to eat is not our main problem in my house, but we still have challenges. Lena, my seven-year-old daughter, is allergic to eggs and she can’t eat most cakes, cookies, and casseroles. She has learned to be skeptical of any meal with many ingredients for fear that the eggs have somehow slipped into the recipe, and I can’t blame her. My three year old son Jalen’s stubbornness is not just limited to food, she has strong opinions about every decision made by him or about him in his little life!
Most children have strong opinions about their food. Children often prefer simple foods and like meals to be served the same way each time. It’s very normal for a child to have strong feelings about the cut of the crust on the peanut butter and jelly sandwich or the way the spaghetti and sauce go together, if they are going to go together at all. Of course, you should talk to your doctor if you are concerned about your child’s nutritional needs. If you have trouble eating often, this article can help!
What is not okay is that children become conditioned to consume junk food, candy and soda. Just don’t give them these items except on very special occasions. Discourage your child’s school, grandparents, daycare, church, or parents of playmates from offering these options. (Send them the link to this article and see if they get the hint!) Start a trend at birthday parties and Halloween by giving out stickers, pencils, and other non-food items as treats.
Of course, use conventional methods to get your children to try new and healthy foods. Be a choo-choo, be a plane, be a motorboat. Bribe your child with dessert if he eats the beans. Don’t let her go play with the other kids until she at least tastes the chicken. I don’t see anything wrong with these methods if they are working for your family. If you need to bring out the heavy weapons from time to time, read on!
I describe my children as intelligent and imaginative, and a bit stubborn and cunning. If your kids are anything like mine, you may have to play dirty (in a loving way) when it comes to helping them expand their culinary horizons. Here are some of my best and most unusual ideas:
1. Create a deficiency.
A surefire way to make the kids completely ignore their new breakfast cereal tomorrow morning is to fill the bowl all the way to the brim. The look on her face will say, “Oh, hell no!” Instead, try giving her just a tablespoon to start with. It’s less overwhelming. A child is more likely to give positive reviews of a food if she doesn’t have to commit to eating a large amount to begin with. Getting just a small portion makes him curious as to whether or not more is available in case he decides he wants more. You can give the child more when the time is right, usually as soon as she decides that she likes the food.
2. Call it a chicken nugget.
Did you know that there are hundreds of varieties of chicken nuggets? From time to time I cut up some chicken breasts and baked or grilled them on my kitchen stove. They are easy to sell to my kids because I refer to them as chicken nuggets. The grilled chicken from the church dinner on the grounds: you can also call it chicken nuggets. Grandpa’s BBQ Pork Chops – Chicken Nuggets. Chinese sweet and sour chicken? You got it, Chinese chicken nuggets! Children are used to certain categories of food. If they can’t sort what they’re served into simple categories like chicken nuggets, pizza, cookies, and green beans, they panic. Help them by providing categories. Disclaimer: Kids are gullible, not stupid. Don’t waste this one!
3. Make it more valuable by stealing it.
Here’s how it works: You serve your son a single spear of asparagus, but you have serious questions about how you’re going to get him to taste it. He waits until he’s obviously looking, but he pretends you’re being sneaky. Take a small bite of food from him. Enjoy it! work it! When your child catches you stealing his food, pretend to be embarrassed and defensive. Apologize. You just couldn’t help it because you’re just addicted to asparagus. For your grand finale, beg for just one more bite. You just need a little fix. If you have any acting skills, your little one will fall in love with this hook, line and sinker and achieve your ultimate goal of getting your child to try asparagus.
4. Associate it with superpowers.
My mother is a professional at this. When she convinces the children to eat her food, she exaggerates a bit. Eating your green beans will make your eyes sparkle. Milk goes straight to your bones and makes you strong. Pasta gives you enough energy to make you run fast. Kids love this and often ask her, “What if I eat this, Grandma?”
5. When in doubt, add ketchup. This is your last resort. Keep plenty of ketchup in your cabinets. Do not stay without anything under any circumstances. Once your child has turned down a dish, offer him a side of ketchup for dipping. Do this even with foods you wouldn’t think would be served with tomato sauce. Of course, keep in mind that tomato sauce adds sugar, salt, and calories to foods that are not the best for a child’s diet. Look for low-sodium, fructose-free, and calcium-infused varieties of ketchup if doing so puts your mind at ease. Remember the song “Love Can Build a Bridge,” the 90s country chart hit performed by Judd’s? Well, tomato sauce can build a bridge between your child’s heart and nutritious food.
