Fussy Eater Tips – How To Get Picky Eaters To Try New Foods
If you have a picky, fussy eater in your midst then this post is dedicated to you. This issue is super close to my heart and after Curtis Stone recently shared his thoughts about letting fussy eaters go hungry if they don’t want to eat what’s on offer, I couldn’t help but share my own experience and fussy eater tips for how to get a picky eater to try new foods.
My Top Tips For Feeding A Fussy Eater:
My goal with mealtimes is always to enjoy a positive, family meal together while nourishing my children with a wide variety of foods.
I started this blog because of my now 7 year olds picky eating habits. His eating preferences have evolved over time, as have the techniques I’ve followed to keep his diet balanced.
Rather than giving in to him to let him eat what he wanted, or leaving him to go hungry, I worked with him to find a variety of foods that he loved that were nourishing for him.
I believe that what it really comes down to is respect. Respecting their tastes, likes and dislikes will do wonders in getting them to try new foods.
Once you know what they like, their mealtimes can include a majority of food they enjoy, while introducing them to new foods and tastes to broaden their eating horizons. Find ways to get them to eat the food they are pickiest with by thinking outside of traditional mealtime meals.
For example, if you’re trying to get them to eat more veggies, then offer veggies as snacks or find new and interesting ways of serving them. (I have a few tips here.)
Re-think conventional meals and mealtimes. If (like me) meat is your struggle area, then why not offer them a burger for breakfast? They may pick at it, along with their jam on toast, and then offer it again and lunch and dinner. Over the course of the day you may be surprised to discover that they consume a WHOLE burger patty. I do this from time to time and find it effective in getting my meat avoiding son to consume more meat than he usually would. (I talk through this in more detail in the video below!)
During my Son’s pickiest phase I even resorted to hiding meat in his French Toast! (Check out the recipe here!)
When it comes to eating meat, I usually highlight to my picky eater that eating meat helps his muscles to grow. I find that talking about the benefit of eating the food in question, really helps him be more accepting of eating it. Thinking that the meat will help him grow big muscles is a real positive incentive for my superhero loving son!
I find using cute bento accessories can help with the presentation and increase the likelihood that new foods may be tried.
Get your kids involved in mealtimes from planning to shopping to cooking. They may be more enticed to try new foods if they have picked, prepared and cooked the meal themselves.
Resources which helped:
Deceptive Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld – I found this book to be incredibly effective in finding ways to get my picky eater to try new vegetables. I used the technique of hiding vegetables in conjunction with offering the real deal in it’s pure veggie form.
French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon – This book opened my eyes up to how mealtimes could be, back when I was seriously struggling and snacks were taking over mealtimes. I acquired so many nuggets of information which I’m still using in our mealtimes years after reading the book.
Here’s a video where I talk you through my fussy eater tips and how to get your picky eater to try new foods:
Over to you. I’d really love to hear your thoughts on feeding fussy eaters. Leave a comment below and let me know your picky eater tips.
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Blog posts to check out:
10 Ways To Market Real Food To Kids
12 Ways To Make Food Fun For Kids
How I Get My Kids To Eat More Meat
Should You Hide Vegetables In Other Food For Kids?
Recipes For Picky Eaters:
10 Ways To Get Your Kids To Consume Bone Broth
12 Unique Ways To Get Your Kids To Eat Cauliflower
20 Ways To Include Vegetables In Lunch Boxes
Avocado and Spinach Sandwich Spread
Burger French Toast
Peanut Butter on Toast With Hidden Chicken
Roast Zucchini Sandwich Spread
Zucchini and Banana Muffins
Disclosure – this post contains affiliate links.
