8 Tips to Expand Your Picky Eater’s Palate

Children are notoriously finicky when it comes to food, plus my kids’ taste buds change faster than I can say chicken nugget. So how do you make your picky eater feast on enough nutritious calories to keep him revving? It’s not easy, but it can be done with a little creativity:

1) Encourage the Artist Within: To make vegetables more fun, I present them as “appetizers” right before the main course is ready. I set out a cutting board “palette” with a glob of organic creamy Caesar and thinly sliced veggies and let the kids paint. They consume less dressing, too, when the carrot sticks finally reach their mouths. (Portion tip: a serving size of vegetables is one tablespoon per age for kids five and under.)

2) Presentation is Key: I’ve used dinosaur sandwich cutters, Mickey Mouse imprints on toast, Batman plates and Hello Kitty cutlery—whatever it takes to make the meal fun. But you don’t have to buy fancy gadgets to get a nibble out of your little one. Remember ants on a log? There are enough food art recipes out there to get your kids reaching for more.

3) Nutrition Alternatives: My kids aren’t big meat eaters, so to sneak protein into their meals I’ve done the trial and error method and landed on eggs and nuts as alternatives, even Greek yogurt (eight grams of protein in Chobani Champions®) served with a side of oyster crackers.

4) Send Them Away: While visiting a neighbor friend after school, my daughter’s friend not only shared his toys but his pistachios and mango as well, two healthy treats I hadn’t considered. So when your child finds a new food on her own, celebrate by making it a staple in your house.

5) The Two-Bite Rule: (known as the Ms. Mel rule in my house after our day care teacher): If you’re serving something that makes your kids squirm, instruct them to take two bites before they reject it. Sometimes they discover it’s not so bad after all. (Go the extra mile: I’ve once read that it can take several weeks of introducing the same food before a child will learn to like it. So don’t give up.)

6) Make Them Take Ownership: Next time you cook dinner, ask your kids to help measure and pour. They’ll be excited to get their hands dirty as they roll chicken through the breadcrumb sandbox. It gives them a vested interest in eating the meal they helped prepare. Another way to pique their interest is to plant a garden together. Perfect timing, since it’s spring! My kids don’t eat squash now, but they may once they pluck it off the plant later this summer.

7) Routine Rally: Make sure meal times start about the same time each day. Routine is important. Also, snacks should end two hours before dinner to ensure an appetite when you sit together at the table.

8) Nonconventional Meals: Since my kids are fond of breakfast food, dippy eggs, toast and berries for dinner work just as well as nuggets and carrots. And they think it’s hilarious to eat breakfast at night. A change of pace may make mealtime more fun in your house as well.

For more on nutrition and portion sizes, follow these links:
Portion sizes for toddlers
Portion sizes for children (4 to 8 years) 
Portion sizes for all (toddlers through adults)

Author, Christina Lombardi is the Publications Manager for Howard County General Hospital.