Solutions for Picky Kids

As any foodie will tell you, picky eaters drive us crazy. We can't understand why anyone wouldn't love this food or that dish. For the foodie parents, we have the additional frustration of feeling responsible for the health and lifetime eating habits of these picky eaters. It's a lot of pressure. So when I read this article in Wondertime, it really helped put my mind at ease.

First, I learned that children have about 30 percent more taste buds than adults. I started imagining a spicy or salty dish tasting 30 percent stronger. I would probably be spitting it out too. Then it made sense that plain cereal, pasta and rice, to my kids, had a lot of flavor. Now when I make curry chicken with this canned sauce, I put some of it in a strainer and lightly rinse it before serving it to the kids. Now my daughter says, "Curry chicken? Yum!"

Next the article explains that, going back to our caveman days, a child's survival as they became more mobile depended on them not putting poisonous plants in their mouths. Most poisonous substances taste bitter, so kids have a natural aversion to bitter foods. And since most green foods are bitter, kids will avoid green foods from about age 2 to 5.

Finally, the texture problem was mentioned. Some kids are extremely sensitive to texture, so even if they like the taste of the food, they won't eat it. Just knowing that my son hates sticky foods right now helps me understand his disdain for an otherwise tasty dish.

So, here are my three ideas for coping with picky eaters:

1. Find out their favorite meals, and make them all at least once a week.

My daughter Cora likes chicken and rice, pizza, and make-your-own tacos. My son Jody loves fish sticks and quesadillas. By making sure they get regular meals they like, dinner becomes something to look forward to. Then when I do throw something out there that they're not sure about, they are more likely to try it. We just had this soup and my daughter loved it!

2. Don't force them to eat anything they don't like.

Having a taste of something, what my daughter's preschool teacher called "a tasting adventure", is great, but being forced to eat food that tastes bad to them creates control issues and anxiety. The better example of seeing you eat and enjoy your food is going to get them to try things in the long run. This is going to be really hard because it literally takes years for them to learn to like some foods. They may have to taste it 10 or 20 times before they like it. Or, as is the case with me and artichokes, they may just never like it.

3. Let kids serve themselves.

Although I hate the idea of making extra washing up by transferring food to serving dishes, it really is important to give them the choice of what to put on their plate. Just yesterday I put a dish of steamed broccoli on the table and my daughter took a huge portion. If I had served up her plate for her I probably would have just given her a tiny bit. (And by the way, the hidden message behind the tiny portion--this food is yucky!)

So there you have it. My two -- er, three cents about how to deal with picky eaters. Like anything else with kids, they are going to choose when and how they do this, so you might as well sit back and (try to) enjoy the ride.