Turning picky eating around: Claire McHugh’s strategies for stress-free meals
Picky eating is a phase that will pass if you address it correctly.
Mealtimes are a sacred time to pause, connect and share a meal; but they can become very stressful if a child won’t eat and conflict arises as a result.
Picky eating is characterized by a strong food preference and an unwillingness to try new foods; this can lead to a limited and repetitive diet.
This is common during the preschool years. It is a stage of development when children explore their environment and start asserting their independence by selecting what they will eat. In most cases, if addressed correctly this stage will pass.
It is common for children’s appetites to fluctuate depending on their rate of growth and how active they are. There will be days where they’ll want to eat more than others and days where they are willing to try foods that they were not prepared to try the day before.
Try to stay calm and put the following things into place to assist your child in choosing a variety of foods their bodies need to be well nourished.
1. Limit grazing
Children are much more likely to eat well when they are hungry at mealtimes. Having a routine of three meals per day with two small nutritious snacks in between will assist this.
2. Hold the drinks
2uices and milky drinks can fill toddlers small tummies and affect their appetite for food. Give water as your child’s main drink and limit milk to max 150 to 180 ml twice daily.
3. Be a role model
• Children learn by watching and mimicking their parents, and are likely to feel confident that a food is tasty and safe if they see their parents eating that food regularly.
• Turn off the TV, set the table and eat a shared meal together.
• Share the same food and dish up all components of the meal onto everybody’s plate.
4. Be adventurous
Dish up small portions of each component of the meal to encourage an appetite to try at least a bit of everything.
5.Take heart
It can take up to 20 exposures of a new food before a child will accept and include it regularly. So don’t give up, keep offering!
6. Make mealtime fun
• Consider using your child’s favourite crockery and cutlery.
• Try to include lots of colour.
• Where possible involve your child in meal preparation.
7. Praise positive behaviour!
Give your child lots of attention when they are trying and including more variety and give a minimal reaction to food refusal. Set a time limit of 20 minutes for a meal; if food is refused limit making a fuss and just take the food away when the time is up.
8. Home is not a hotel!
Avoid returning to the kitchen to prepare something safe each time your child refuses a new food, as this will just encourage the behaviour. Meals and snacks are rarely more than two hours apart and having a short break will definitely encourage an appetite and improve the intake at the next meal.
Nutrition Innovated dietitian and lactation consultant Claire McHugh has over 20 years experience. Specialising in infant and paediatric nutrition, Claire emphasises the importance of nourishing the entire family.Claire is based at Northcare Medical in Simbithi.
Contact: 032 815 0630.
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