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Over the years, I\u2019ve gotten a lot of questions about how I get my kids to eat healthy foods<\/a>. In the beginning, having picky eaters<\/a> was a struggle for our family. I was searching for a way to create better eating habits and encourage family meals.\u00a0<\/p>\n After reexamining our family\u2019s attitude about food (and with trial and error), I figured out some \u201cfood rules.\u201d This adjustment in how we viewed food and eating, along with getting my kids more involved, has worked well for us.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re struggling with picky eaters, start by looking at your family\u2019s attitude about food. Offering a variety of foods will help establish good eating habits. However, having some guidelines around food and mealtimes will help change their eating behavior. And it\u2019ll make the time you spend around the table more enjoyable!<\/p>\n Often, parents assume<\/a> their kids won\u2019t eat or like certain foods \u2014 even if they haven\u2019t complained about (or even tried!) a certain food before. There\u2019s a perception that \u201ckid-friendly\u201d foods like chicken nuggets, sandwiches, and pre-packaged snacks are the only things they want to eat. So we become hesitant to introduce different foods because we\u2019re afraid our kids won\u2019t like them. <\/p>\n When a child\u2019s diet regularly consists of this type of food, they\u2019re missing out on important nutrients of a varied, well-rounded diet.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve also noticed that the attitude we teach our kids about food is just as important as the food choices we offer. When I\u2019ve visited other countries, I\u2019ve noticed a significant difference in how children ask for, eat, and behave around food.<\/p>\n I certainly think the foods we market to and prepare for our children in the US need to change. But, I think it\u2019s equally important to change the way our kids (and we!) think about food.<\/p>\n As I noticed our family\u2019s attitude toward food needed to change, I began incorporating ideas from other cultures. I noticed my mom\u2019s French family ate a wide variety of foods, wasn\u2019t picky, and was naturally thin. I started using these ideas with my children, and the difference has been astounding.<\/p>\n These are our \u201cFood Rules,\u201d though the name is slightly misleading. These aren\u2019t hard and fast rules that make dinner times more problematic. Instead, these are guidelines about how children should act in food-related situations. These \u201crules\u201d are best taught by example and practiced as a family rather than with an iron fist (or wooden spoon).<\/p>\n In my home, children (and adults) aren\u2019t allowed to complain about food. This doesn\u2019t mean that they\u2019re forced to eat at every meal. But it does mean that negative talk about food is not allowed.<\/p>\n Food\u2019s number one job is to nourish us. It\u2019s not for entertainment. This is an important thing to teach children. Additionally, complaining about food is rude to the person who prepared it and also shows a closed-minded attitude. A negative comment about a certain food can spread quickly and is hard to undo, especially with multiple kids. So it is better to head this off completely!<\/p>\n No one is ever forced to eat if they aren\u2019t hungry (see Rule #6). But everyone must sit together and participate with a positive attitude. Those who insist on a negative attitude can leave to get ready for bed.<\/p>\n To help create a neutral attitude toward food, I never use it as a reward or punishment. I want to avoid my kids creating an emotional connection with food. Because, remember, food\u2019s number one job is for nourishment, not entertainment.<\/p>\n Many of us (myself included!) have emotional connections to a certain food. Or we feel a desire to eat certain things in emotional situations. How many times have you reached for a snack when you\u2019re feeling sad, stressed, excited, or bored?\u00a0<\/p>\n This is also known as emotional eating<\/a>. I want to avoid this with my kids, especially with rates of obesity in kids on the rise. So, it\u2019s important to not create an association between foods (especially unhealthy ones) and emotions.<\/p>\n To that end, I don\u2019t use food as a bribe or reward for good behavior (although I\u2019m not perfect at this!). I also don\u2019t highlight certain foods on birthdays or other special occasions. Instead, I focus on experiences. For example, we\u2019ll go to the zoo instead of having a birthday cake and sugary snacks.<\/p>\n In the same way, I don\u2019t present foods as a punishment or associate them with punishment. I\u2019d never say, \u201cYou have to eat your asparagus or you\u2019re in trouble.\u201d While I don\u2019t let my children complain about food (see Rule #1), the negative attitude is disciplined, not the action related to the food.<\/p>\n Eating meals as a family at the dinner table has become less common. But it\u2019s so important<\/a> for everyone in the family! The trend of eating on the go and while watching TV contributes to negative attitudes about food. For this reason, I work hard to eat our meals (especially breakfast and dinner) together as a family when possible.<\/p>\n Everyone comes to the table with a positive attitude (see Rule #1). If they choose not to eat, they can stay and enjoy the conversation. This promotes our family time and makes it less about eating and more about bonding.<\/p>\n While we\u2019re eating, I focus on having calming conversations to reduce stress at the table. We talk about things we are grateful for, things that made us laugh. This creates a space to eat slower and more mindfully. And it helps increase their well-being by eating in a less stressful situation.<\/p>\n This is a big one to help kids get more interested in food, especially new foods! Kids of all ages can get more involved in the process. And when kids are involved, it gives them buy-in to try new things. Added bonus: they\u2019ll learn how to plan and cook meals for when they move out on their own!<\/p>\n Starting when my kids were little, as young as 2 years of age, I\u2019d have them help. At the grocery store or farmer\u2019s market, you can talk about the different foods and have them pick out new ones to try. I always make an effort to explain why certain types of food are more nutrient-dense and how they benefit the body (see Rule #7).<\/p>\n Kids can also help with meal planning, prepping food, setting the table, and cleaning up. I love this course from my friend Katie Kimball, Kids Cook Real Foods<\/a>. She offers courses with age-appropriate learning and even has a mini-course for young children! It\u2019s a great solution to help avoid (or cure!) a picky eater. <\/p>\n In my house, the whole family eats the same thing at each meal. Children don\u2019t get special \u201ckid-friendly\u201d foods. As soon as they can eat solid foods, they get tiny pieces of what we\u2019re all eating. This atmosphere encourages them to eat what\u2019s served and avoids battles over food. When I serve an unusual or new food, I don\u2019t make a big deal about it. I simply present it with a positive attitude and assume they\u2019ll eat it.<\/p>\n They get one small bite of each food that\u2019s served (one green bean, one bite of sweet potatoes, and a piece of chicken). When they finish one bite of each, they can ask for more.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t like a food or don\u2019t request more, I reassure them. I explain that it\u2019s ok as long as they\u2019re willing to try it every time. I explain that one day (when they\u2019re grown up), their taste buds and food preferences might change and they might like the food. They\u2019re not forced to eat huge amounts of foods they don\u2019t necessarily like. But I do serve it repeatedly and set the expectation that they keep trying it.<\/p>\n In our house, we don\u2019t view hunger as a negative experience that we\u2019re constantly trying to correct. I\u2019ve known people who have completely lost a natural sense of hunger due to constant access to food.<\/p>\n It\u2019s perfectly normal (and expected) to be hungry before eating a meal. Children who are at least slightly hungry tend to be happier and more adventurous eaters at meal times. For this reason, I try to limit snack times and make sure they occur well before meals. There\u2019s no need to practice continuous eating.<\/p>\n Normal hunger at meal times encourages kids to eat what\u2019s served. It also helps them want to eat enough so they avoid being hungry too soon. At the same time, a child who complains and is excused from the dinner table to get ready for bed (see Rule #1) quickly learns to have a more positive attitude. It\u2019s never taken my kids more than two nights total of missing family dinners to find an improved outlook.<\/p>\n I noticed that my mom (and the French in general) eat smaller amounts of higher-quality food. They enjoy it more and obsess about it less (in general). To help make all of the above \u201crules\u201d easier to implement, I focus on cooking nutrient-dense, rich foods from scratch. We incorporate bone broth<\/a>, raw cheeses, homemade sauces (with butter or cream), high-quality meat, eggs, and egg-based foods like hollandaise sauce<\/a> on a daily basis.<\/p>\n My kids are nourished with a balanced meal after eating an omelet filled with meat and veggies and topped with hollandaise. But they\u2019ve also received a boost of beneficial fats (as opposed to a bowl of cereal).<\/p>\n Although it\u2019s time-consuming, I value home-cooked, nutritious meals. So, I cook from scratch most days, but I also batch cook<\/a> on the weekends. This saves a lot of time and sets us up for the week. And because the kids help (see Rule #4), it saves me time now that they\u2019re older.<\/p>\n Changing my family\u2019s attitude about food has been a process. But it\u2019s one that\u2019s well worth it to change picky eaters into healthy eaters! As you begin this journey, remember that you\u2019re the best role model for your kids. They\u2019re watching your relationship with food and how you react. Soon picky eating will be a thing of the past!<\/p>\nWhy Do We Have <\/strong>Picky Eaters?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7 Tips to Help Overcome Picky Eating<\/h2>\n
1. No Complaining About Food<\/h3>\n
2. Food Is Not a Reward (or Punishment)<\/h3>\n
3. Eating Is a Positive Family Activity<\/h3>\n
4. Get Kids Involved<\/h3>\n
5. Try, Try Again<\/h3>\n
6. Hunger Is OK<\/h3>\n
7. Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods<\/h3>\n