How to get picky eaters to be more open to colorful choices? You’ll want to hear/read this week’s episode if getting your kid to eat vegetables is a daily battle!
I am so excited to share all of the awesome tips from Jennifer Anderson on how to help kids eat overall better, and especially some good advice on picky eaters! I was lucky enough to have the chance to pick Jennifer’s brain on this subject as can’t wait to share the tips with you. If you dread the daily struggles that come with meal time and a picky eater this blog post is for you!
Listen now below: Help Your Kids Eat Better, Picky Eaters or Not
Listen to the Podcast on iTunes right here
Listen to the Podcast on Spotify here
Meet Our Guest Jennifer Anderson — A Mom, Wife, And Registered Dietitian.
A little about Jennifer, she has two little guys who are 3 and 5 and is happily married. When she was a new mom, she learned that feeding kids is sometimes tricky. Her first kid fell off the growth chart and she learned how much effort can go into feeding a child. At the same time, she’s learned to remind herself that she’s a great mom, regardless of whether her kids eat their veggies (or whatever food) today. If she focuses on small improvements and little changes, big things can happen in the food department. That’s when Kids.Eat.In.Color was born, and now Jennifer empowers mommas all around the world to help their kids eat more color, in a fun, freeing, non-pressured way!
5 Practical Steps For Helping Our Picky Eaters
- Don’t take it too seriously – Remember its your win when you put the food on the table; not when your kid eats it. Your job as a mom ends when you put the food on the plate. Make sure meal is time more about fun and connection and less about taking a bite. The more we pressure kids to eat, the less they tend to like the food.
- Letting Go – It can be so so scary but try saying “You Don’t Have To Eat That”. Practicing the idea that your child doesn’t have to eat the vegetables or broccoli you put on their plate is hard but it can change the entire eating experience. Make sure there is at least one food on the plate they like and let go of the rest. When we pressure them they like eating less. You have to take away the pressure and let things normalize to let them eat on their own again. Focusing instead on pressuring them them to eat but rather on the positive, bonding experience meals can be.
- Don’t Give Up – Practice food desensitization by continuing to serve that purple cabbage even if it wasn’t touched the first or second time. Continue to expose them to the foods until they learn to feel comfortable with it. Let your kids go at their own pace without pressuring them.
- Lead By Example – Your kids learn best from watching you. By filling your plate with beautiful colors and loving yourself by eating a balanced diet your kids will be more opt to as well!
- Make Eating Fun – Turning a simple boring plate into a fun, game by organizing there fruit into a smiley face. Buy little star shaped cookie cutters and turn the cucumbers into little stars! It’s so easy to make eating more fun. Once your kids start touching, and playing with the food they’ll be more likely to eat it as well!
Ditch The Negative Food Talk
The way we speak about food to kids matters. It’s important to not label food good or bad. It’s our human nature to want the “bad”, by labeling food “bad” your kid will only want it more. Whether you keep the candy in your house or not your kids will always be exposed. Whether it’s at school or at a birthday party the junk food will eventually turn up somewhere. A super strict home life will likely lead to the child binge eating the “bad” foods whenever they finally come in contact with them. Not to mention the food obsession, and unhealthy relationship with food that will last a life time.
Rather than labeling food bad or good or healthy and unhealthy, instead say “that’s a grape” or “thats a cookie”. If you prefer serve the foods such as cookies less and don’t make a big deal of it.
Instead of labeling food healthy or unhealthy, teach kids little facts about what the particular food does in their body. Such as “grapes are full of water” or “oranges are full of vitamin C and help you not get sick”. Ask yourself are we creating a food obsession by saying “thats good” or “thats bad”. Or do we want kids to enjoy life? It’s whether you are teaching your kids to love their bodies and care for them while providing a strong environment for them to love foods.
Want to learn more about Jennifer?
Jennifers IG: https://www.instagram.com/kids.eat.in.color/
Jennifers FREE Picky Eater Guide: Picky Eater Guide
Jennifers Website: Kids Eat in Color
ps: If you want to get daily health tips and at-home workouts straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter here: https://www.sarahgracemeck.com/newsletter