Tips for Fussy Eaters
Many kids, especially in the younger years, can be extremely fussy when it comes to food. As parents, we just want what is best for our kids’ health, and it can become an endless source of frustration for many parents when we spend countless hours cooking nutritious meals, only for our kids to refuse to eat them! In the long term, fussiness and food refusal can lead to nutritional deficiencies. So here are a few tips that worked for me when my kids were in the midst of their fussy years!
Get the kids involved in cooking & food prep
I understand that this concept may bring a lot of anxiety to some parents (believe me, myself included) but I found that getting the kids to choose something they would like for dinner can be really helpful in terms of them actually being more likely to eat! Try and get them involved in age-appropriate tasks during cooking. Plus, it’s a great way to start teaching our kids the super important life skill of cooking, bit by bit! I also found that involving my kids in the meal planning for the week meant that I could then figure out how to healthify the meals they had chosen.
Sneaking veggies into meals
I found myself sneaking many types of veggies and herbs into meals over the years and I found that a food processor was an invaluable tool in my kitchen – it allows you to chop veggies up nice and small, making them less likely to be detected by little mouths! My biggest tip here is to start with a small amount of veggies and gradually increase over time.
Some examples of meals where you can sneak veggies in are:
Mac & cheese – boil up a small pot of veggies such as pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot, or zucchini (I usually do a mix of these) and then when cooked, blend them up with a little water. Stir into your mac and cheese.
Pizza – grate up some veggies such as carrot and zucchini and pop them onto the pizza base with tomato paste, then the remaining toppings
Spaghetti Bolognese – add some finely chopped veggies into the pasta sauce during the cooking process
Nachos – as for the spaghetti sauce above, add some finely chopped/grated veggies into the sauce during the cooking process
Continue to introduce new foods over and over
It is so true that many kids will dislike a particular food one day and then love it the next! I noticed this so many times in my personal experience as my kids were growing up. Keep offering a variety of new foods over and over - chances are that one day (hopefully sooner rather than later!), kids will eventually decide they will try said new food and maybe even like it!
Smoothies & smoothie bowls
Smoothies and smoothie bowls are a great way to add a variety of health foods to our kids’ diets, whilst making it seem like they are having a treat! Using something like yoghurt and frozen berries, banana or other fruit makes an ideal base for a smoothie or smoothie bowl and you can add other ingredients such as a bit of cocoa/cacao to make a chocolaty “treat”, even a small handful or greens, a little natural sweetener such as maple syrup or honey. I also like adding some other ingredients for added goodness, such as oats, avocado, nuts/nut butters (if there are no allergies), chia seeds, or other types of seeds.
If all else fails, have a piece of fruit or toast!
Inevitably, we all have those days where our kids just refuse anything we try to feed them. When this happened, I would offer my kids a piece of fruit or a slice of toast with some honey and banana slices for dinner. The following day is always a new opportunity, so it’s important that we as parents are not hard on ourselves when we have days such as this!
If you are concerned about your child’s diet or the potential for nutritional deficiencies, feel free to contact me through my website to find out more about how naturopathy can help with your child’s health, or you can book an online appointment with me for a personalised naturopathic treatment plan.
About Magnolia Naturopathy
Magnolia Naturopathy is owned and operated by Brisbane naturopath and herbalist Iwa Brown. At Magnolia Naturopathy, we offer online telehealth naturopathy consultations to assist our clients all over Australia to reach their health goals. Contact us here to find out more, or book your online telehealth naturopathy appointment here.
