I know. It happens to the best of us.
Sometimes the kids stare at your food like you just dished them Calvin’s mom’s freakish goop.
And sometimes the mister (or the wife – I know you guy foodies are reading this blog too) is the one who eyes dinner like it is going to eat him instead. Or it is your mother-in-law who lives with you. Or maybe it is even yourself.
I am not going to lie. Healthy eating can be really hard. Even though I am a passionate whole-foodie and lover of all things kitchen, I periodically have conversations with the little angel and devil on my shoulders about whether to choose the carrot or the cookie (um… how about both?).
So I know pretty much everyone who is responsible for feeding more than one person probably has to deal with suspicious looks, tiny reluctant bites, and sometimes flat-out rebellion.
And sometimes it is you who is doing all of that.
After serving my share of picky eaters, I have learned a few ways to make healthy eating more appealing for anti-health-nuts of various ages. Picky eaters come in all shapes and sizes, and these steps can help increase their nutrients and hopefully decrease the friction between them and what is for dinner.
1. Find out what they DO like
Most likely, there is some kind of healthy food that your picky eater will actually munch on out of choice. Capitalize on that.
For example, my husband (who is not really a picky eater, but is also not a health nut by default) likes grapes, baby carrots, caesar salad, and peppers.
Even though they are not always the cheapest option, I make room in our budget for them.
2. Use purees
The Sneaky Chef introduced me to the world of healthy pureed additions. Basically, if you struggle with extremely picky eaters you can “sneak” pureed fruit, vegetables, beans, etc., into their food – hopefully without a taste difference.
Visit this website to discover some fabulous ideas for purees in your food. I have been most happy with using her orange puree in pizza sauce. I also successfully laced our alfredo sauce with white bean puree. Although this method requires some extra work, freezing batches of purees in ice cube trays and only trying one or two kinds at a time kept me from feeling overwhelmed.
If your picky eater is an adult (like a husband or wife) I recommend being upfront with the whole puree idea. Not many people like being tricked, and although they do not need to know exactly what is in the purees (unless they ask, obviously), they should know what you are doing to their food.
Trust me. You will avoid the inevitable explosion later when they discover your stash of purees in the freezer, and they remember the baby has been eating table food for months now. (Not that Chris did that, but I have heard stories.)
3. Establish a grocery budget
Using a grocery budget means that what you have, you have. And that’s it.
When you set aside a certain amount of money for groceries – and you stick to it – your budget can actually help you eat healthier. It helps you prioritize. You discover that when you get down to the bottom of the envelope, and you have to choose between Oreos and apples, less Oreos end up at your house. They are fun to have on occasion, but like I said about cereal, they do not need to be a staple.
4. Do not be afraid of compromise
Because I love and respect my husband (and because I do not want to live with a crabby one), there are some processed foods that Chris and I have agreed to keep in the house (for now, hehehe). Like crackers, nacho chips, and the occasional pack of hot dogs (what can I say? The guy would choose hot dogs for his birthday lunch). On the other hand, he is a fantastic sport about the purees, all the whole grain baked goods, and the fact our kitchen is mostly full of ingredients, not quick snacks.
When it comes to kids and compromise, I don’t think I am qualified to give advice yet since I only have an eleven-month old. However, my mom employed the you-will-eat-it-when-you-are-hungry-enough method, and none of her kids are very picky. So I plan to use that strategy when Ray starts giving me those looks.
5. Baby steps
This could mean phasing out the potato chips or crackers with a homemade muffin or carrot sticks. Or it could mean replacing store bought cookies with homemade ones. Every family and individual has different picky hot spots, and as keeper of the kitchen (whether you are the husband, wife, roommate, son, whatever), consider it your challenge to discover what will help you and your people take baby steps toward healthier eating – and maybe even enjoy it along the way.
While you are at it, try the following recipe.
Healthified No-Bake Chocolate Cookies
This is one of those baby-steps recipes that is not necessarily healthy on its own, but it can be a healthier alternative to packaged cookies. Plus, it is fun and quick to make once you master the boiling time. I have only tried it with sesame seeds and wheat bran, since that is what we had. However, I am anxious to try the other healthy add-ins as well.
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 C. Butter
- 2 C. Sugar
- 1/3 C. Baking cocoa
- 1/2 C. Milk
- 1 t. Salt
- 1 t. Vanilla
- 3 C. Oats (old-fashioned or quick cook)
- A few tablespoons of any of the following: Sesame seeds, wheat bran, ground flax seeds, wheat germ, ground nuts
DIRECTIONS
- Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan
- Cook ingredients over high heat, stirring until butter is melted and ingredients are thoroughly mixed
- Boil for 3 full minutes (I recommend using a timer, which you should start as soon as the contents in the pan reach a rolling boil)
- Turn off burner and quickly stir in oatmeal and add-ins
- Quickly spoon cookies onto waxed paper or non-stick cookie sheets
- Allow them to cool and harden (but if they do not harden, they are still delicious!)
QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Since most of us deal with a picky eater at one point or another, I am sure you have your own tips. How do you feed a picky eater?
Cheers,
7 comments
1 ping
Kelleigh @ Kelleigh Ratzlaff Designs
10/25/2010 at 8:45 AM (UTC -6)
You are absolutely right to go with your mom’s method if you encounter a picky eater! My boys are not very picky, but there are a couple of things they don’t like (mashed potatoes. Weird.) so I ask that they take their thank you bite and then just put the rest to the side of their plate without saying anything about it. Oh, sure, they don’t always remember the “don’t say anything about it” rule, but we are making progress!
I think that the #1 rule that parents need to remember when dealing with food likes/dislikes is that the child is watching you!! I have SO many friends who say, “Oh, you won’t like that.” or who talk about how gross something is, thus forming their child’s opinion before the child has ever tasted it.
My mom, for example, doesn’t like peas, so she never served them to us. One day, when I was about 5, we ate dinner at my grandma’s house and she served us peas. I said, “Yum, grandma! What are these?” My grandma gave my mom a funny look, and my mom was pretty embarrassed!
The other day, right after I had made my first batch of homemade yogurt, I had my husband sit down to try some. He said, “Okay, but I’m scared.” And now, my 4 year old doesn’t want to try it, even though the rest of us love it. My husband formed his opinion. (Grrr. But I will get the kid to try it!!)
The Lass
10/25/2010 at 1:14 PM (UTC -6)
We’re pretty much just going with the flow. Our Bean is now almost 2 1/2 years old and she has never really been a terribly picky eater, I think. Very often, though, there are days when she won’t even touch specific foods that she loved even a few days before. Or she will eat only one component of her meal. We’re not bothered either way. We let her set the pace. She doesn’t want to eat any of her meal? Fine by us, she’ll eat when she’s hungry. I love that she still craves raw veg and fruit and at one point or another, will pretty much try anything. I don’t like everything myself, so I’m fine if she refuses a food after she’s tried it once. Today I made cabbage and potato soup. She was sceptical of the boiled cabbage at first, but eventually tried and liked it so much, she devoured the whole bowl. I LOVE when she eats food that I made – for some reason, I find that very satisfying.
Steph
10/25/2010 at 1:38 PM (UTC -6)
The Lass – Totally agree. And yes, it is *extremely* satisfying when someone loves the food you make!
The Lass
10/25/2010 at 1:18 PM (UTC -6)
Oh and what Kelleigh says also goes for us, sort of. I do not tolerate ANYONE at the table voicing disgust over certain foods. I have no problem with likes and dislikes of other people, but I do think there are other ways to deal with that than to spoil a child’s impression of something by saying it doesn’t taste good. All a matter of opinion, methinks.
Anne
10/26/2010 at 7:28 AM (UTC -6)
Your hubby sounds a lot like mine:) We’ve made similar compromises and occasionally I buy him snacks or cereals that he loves (but that are SO unhealthy). I’m sort of “weaning” him from them if will, but for the sake of our relationship, I’ll probably never remove them completely from his diet. Not worth it!
And I have the same philosophy for my son (who is 2 now): he’ll eat when he’s hungry. Also, I keep giving him foods that he’s previously rejected, and it’s paid off. It took about a year, but he went from HATING bananas with a passion to loving them so much that he asks for them.
Rebecca Burgener
10/26/2010 at 4:22 PM (UTC -6)
I vote for the “You’ll eat it when you’re hungry enough” method too. I don’t particularly have picky eaters other than my daughter doesn’t really like sugary foods. (I know. I’m blessed.)
I’m actually the picky eater in my house. I grew up hating everything green or vegetable, but I knew I wanted my children to eat better so I started trying different things. I was amazed at how good some of that green stuff turned out to be!
Keep offering the good stuff, and keep the bad stuff unavailable. I’ve never heard of a kid starving to death with food on his plate.
Tammy
01/04/2011 at 8:22 AM (UTC -6)
I love your tips, but want to point out for those parents who feel standing their ground is the best method. Sometimes that is not true! I have a behaviourally challenged child. Who when he was 18 months would eat anything we gave him. Due to health issues, this most often resulted in him gagging and vomitting. This has led to the development of a SEVERE fear of foods. He has a diet of less than 20 items that he will willingly eat. I would love to do the eat when your hungry tactic, but the last time we tried that he did not eat for over 3 days. Due to health reasons we will not be trying to play that game anymore. Our other children are picky because he is, so we try to work with him, and give them the choice between what he eats and what we eat. Our four year old LOVES broccoli. And we try to get our 2 year old to eat new foods as often as we can. But what can I say once bit, thrice shy. Thanks for your tips, I think they will work well with your average family. But for us, we are still hunting for that perfect cure to our situation.
The Cheapskate Cook » Cook What You Want
12/15/2010 at 9:51 AM (UTC -6)
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