We all know a fussy eater. Whether they are a child or an adult. Someone, for example, who despises anything green and leafy or will only eat a vegetable that falls under the umbrella of ‘potatoes’. I feel you. Hence, I write this post to help you or your fussy friend to overcome that hurdle. Take note, this is written mostly in regards to children, but can be applied to adults too.

Fussy Eaters

What we know:

  • Appetites can be variable due to growth spurts.
  • Some children tend to reject new foods but may come to learn to accept them with repeated exposure.
  • Children have an innate preference for sweet and slightly salty tastes and tend to dislike bitter, sour and spicy foods.
  • Media and marketing creates a desire for many less-than-nutritious foods. Snack foods are often marketed not for their nutritional value, but for their fun and taste.

How to manage:

Have good structure. Structure your eating to a specific mealtime rather than have a ‘grazing culture’. This helps avoid unplanned fast food and vending machine purchases and/or large snacks that can impact the child’s hunger levels. Family meals are an important time to come together to share and discuss the days events. They also teach children what balanced meals look like, certain etiquette and more.

Model good eating behaviours. Children are highly impressionable. Often, unbeknownst to you, they are watching exactly what you are doing and you’ll soon find that your children or those around you take on your habits as their own. If you’re eating on the run, perhaps stop and make a picnic out of it. Similarly, avoid eating in front of screens. Research shows that people are more likely to over eat when they eat whilst distracted by computers or the TV. Focus on mindful eating, eating with intention and attention.

Make food fun and enjoyable. Encourage children to get involved in the cooking process. Use a lot of colourful and different textured foods to further their exposure. Also, play with different flavours by utilising different herbs and spices.

Introduce new foods gradually. For example, rather than give them a plate of protein and three vegetables they have never tried before, give them their protein, two familiar vegetables and one new vegetable. Also, experiment with different cooking techniques and recognise preference differences. They may not like roast pumpkin but pumpkin soup may be a hit!

Avoid using food to control behaviour. Don’t use as a reward or punishment. Rather focus on trips to the park etc instead. The same way, don’t attach emotion to food and try to avoid battles over food. Also, avoid negative language around food, for example, ‘bad’ or ‘junk’. Rather focus not on the type of food but the amount and how often it is consumed. Instead, use the words ‘occasional’ or ‘extra’ foods and watch quantities.

Get creative. Vegetables can be wonderful alternatives to some common household food items. For example, try spiralling some zucchini or sweet potato. If your child isn’t overly taken, try half pasta have spiralled vegetables. Similarly, hide some beetroot or zucchini in a chocolate cake, make some easy broccoli or cauliflower rice and/or try a making cauliflower pizza base.

Educate. Educate your children or those around you as to why eating ‘x, y or z’ is good for them. Get on their level. Perhaps the carrots will help them see better in the dark (younger years) or perhaps the vitamin C in the cabbage/capsicum/orange will help their acne (teenagers).

Promote self-regulation. Ensure that serving sizes are age-appropriate allowing children to ask for more if desired. Similarly, encourage nutritious snacking. Children generally need to eat smaller amounts more frequently than adults as they have smaller stomachs. Fill your fridge with healthy snacks that have been washed/sliced/prepared so that one can help themselves. Make these easily accessible. For those who are very picky, try using an ice cube tray or the like to present multiple different foods in smaller quantities. This then not only increases their variety of intake, it exposes them to more nutrients and is fabulous for increasing the child’s fine motor skills.