How would you like to struggle less during mealtime? To have your kids eat healthy without much forcing, pleading or bribing?
Today, we’re chatting with Rosann of Christian SuperMom.
She shares both her struggles and tips on leading her children to the road of healthy eating. Enjoy!
1. What are the benefits of having children eat a wide variety of food?
I think the benefits are primarily nutritional. Children (and adults) who eat a well balanced diet of fruits, whole grains, vegetables, protein and dairy are generally healthier all around.
Plus the eating habits we establish in childhood naturally spill over into adulthood, making us less picky in our food choices as grownups.
When I was growing up, my mom (divorced) didn’t have a lot of money to provide for us, so she planted a garden every year and spent her weekends canning, baking, and freezing food.
When a meal was served, it was always homemade, well balanced, and healthy. The rule in our home was: eat what’s in front of you or go hungry.
Now as an adult, I love all vegetables and most fruits. I prefer whole wheat bread over the white stuff and still appreciate a tall glass of ice cold milk.
2. Do you have picky eaters? What are some of the challenges you face?
Both of my daughters started out eager to try different flavors and textures.
Now, my 3-year old will ask for a salad or a sandwich with veggies before asking for classic preschooler favorites: chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.
My 6-year old used to be that way, but seems to have sensitive taste buds now and has become very picky. It’s like pulling teeth to get her to eat any fruit or vegetables, and drinking 1/2 cup of milk with dinner has become a bit of a struggle.
Part of our challenge with her is she knows how picky her daddy is and that I often prepare separate (plain) meals for him.
This hasn’t been an easy choice for me, but I respect and love him for who he is, which is why I accommodate his taste buds, while trying to also offer healthy options.
As a man working in the corporate world, with many business dinner meetings in a wide variety of food establishments, he has often commented on how embarrassing it is to still be such a picky eater.
However, at nearly 50 years old, there’s not a strong desire to change. This is unfortunate as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity are now major health concerns in his family.
3. How do you ensure your kids eat different types of food?
Because I care about their health, it’s important to me that my daughters grow up with a willingness to try new foods.
So I have a meal time rule: You need to taste everything on your plate. If you don’t like it after you’ve taken a bite, then you don’t have to eat it.
Taste buds change over the years and sometimes just having a particular food prepared slightly different can make all the difference in the world to our palate.
Even if they’ve indicated not liking a food in the past, I still encourage them to try it. Today just might be the day they change their mind.
I also make sure to provide at least one food on their plate I know they like, so meals aren’t a complete fight.
The last thing I want to do is spend an hour frustrated with them because they aren’t eating anything at all. Plus preparing something I know they like shows them I care about their personal preferences too.
When things seem to be lacking in the healthy food consumption, I always know I can turn to the blender for delicious smoothies.
Loaded with a wide variety of fruits, yogurt, flaxseed, and often times a dash of veggie puree (buy some jars of baby food carrots, squash, or sweet potato to mix in), even my 6-year old lines up eager to slurp down a smoothie.
4. If you were to give 1 tip to a new mom frustrated about her fussy eater, what would it be and why?
I would say set mealtime rules and be willing to enforce them. I often remind my daughters that we eat the healthy foods before we get special treats.
If we are having a particularly fussy meal, I’ll excuse them from the table which means they miss out on any special (healthy) dessert I’ve prepared.
At their age dessert is a big motivating factor in whether or not they eat food placed in front of them.
It only takes once or twice of missing out on a treat due to their own fussiness for them to realize the rules are the rules and need to be followed.
Plus, I’ve learned over the years that kids will eat when they’re hungry. They won’t starve from picking at a meal here and there.
The last thing I want is for mealtime to be stressful. Children thrive in a world of structure and rules. Once everyone knows the rules, there’s no need for a battle. They either follow them or they go without.
So there you have it!
To summarize:
- Give them healthy options early on so they get used to eating fruits and veggies
- If their taste preferences change, prepare smoothies and sneak in some veggies while you’re at it
- Set mealtime rules and enforce while giving a healthy treat or reward after finishing a healthy meal
Another thing to add is:
- Eating out when budget permitting. It’s a fun way to explore different cuisines and get taste buds accustomed to various types of food.
Happy eating!
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I always love to see voiceBoks members get together and when they are two good friends it’s even better, like hitting the blogging lottery!!! Rosann I like the way you have handled the challenges of raising picky eaters. It can really stress a mom out, especially if it’s her first child! Thank you both for a great post!
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Blogging lottery…I LOVE it, Kathy! It is like winning the lottery to be able to be “featured” in some way on Anne’s site though!
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
This made me laugh!! Blogging lottery?!? Haha! I swear you guys never fail to provide me with a few giggles. Rosann, thanks for taking the time to bring this post to life. Love it!!
Excellent post and tips Rosann! My mom was always very strict about never buying soda and never having sugared cereals for breakfast. At the time, it was such a bummer as a kid, but now as an adult, I have such good habits. They might dislike you now, but will thank you later;)
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Thanks Courtney! I admit I do give my girls some sugary cereal options but we don’t eat cereal every day. We also love toast, english muffins, eggs, oatmeal, and waffles! In fact, breakfast is such a favorite in our home that I often prepare brunch for Sunday lunch after church.
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
Gasp! You give sugary cereal options?!? Kidding
Nothing wrong with it if it’s done in moderation (like everything in life). Sounds like fun in your house, Rosann, wish I could knock on your door and drop in for breakfast.
My mother in law used to always say that we gave our kids too many choices when it came to meals…I guess that’s true!
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Kristl, that’s funny. My mother in law likes to tell me about how she “never had that problem” with her kids. “The problem” is just about any problem a mother faces in her parenting journey. Lol!
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
That makes sense. The other day, my son didn’t want to eat his breakfast and was requesting for another dish. Told him he could only eat what was in front of him at that time. He could choose not to eat it and go hungry, or just gobble it up and have a happy belly. Of course, he chose the latter but it cost us a few tears and pouts.
My twins are not even two yet, so they don’t have a lot of say in what they eat. It’s kind of the eat or go hungry rule you described, but I worry that their picky father will influence them as they get older too! So great to read your story and how you already are dealing with it! Thank you!
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Oh I’m so glad I’m not the only one with a picky eater hubby. Lol! It does add some challenge when they see a parent not eating the food they are being asked to eat. Since I can’t change (nor would I want to) who my husband is or his likes/dislikes I just have to get really creative with convincing the kids to try new things. And when creativity fails…enforce our mealtime rules! Haha!
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
You and Rosann seem to be in the same boat.. glad you know who to call now in case you need help
I agree on avoiding every meal to be a complete fight as otherwise kids can relate eating as something negative and develop negative feeling about it. My daughter is just two and so far, she loves discovering diferent tastes. She would try anything but would greatly express what she likes and what she doesn’t like. In my part, I would try a couple of times to convince her but no insisting. I hope like you, I’d be able to stick to introducing healthy options for my daughter (thankfully I do not have a husband who is a picky eater
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I really think providing a lot of healthy options for them to try helps broaden their taste buds and helps them to be a little more open minded to trying new things. Kids will be kids and at different ages they go through different food preference phases. They key is to give them a great healthy start. And take advantage of those growth spurt days when they seem non-stop hungry!
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
You’re lucky then because some kids are real picky eaters. I also usually give the “try once” rule.. sometimes it works but when it doesn’t, I don’t force the issue too.
great tips! It’s always so difficult when good eaters turn picky!
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Thanks! Yes, it was heartbreaking to the food mama in me when my oldest decided to start her chicken nugget, macaroni and cheese, or cheese pizza phase. Grrr… I hope it ends soon.
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
Unfortunately, it does happen Kristina but I read an article from Dr. Sears and it said it’s normal especially in toddlers.
Great post! I have 2 picky eaters and this information is very helpful. Sometimes it’s frustrating to try to figure out how to “convince” them to eat the right foods…. These are some great tips!
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Thanks for dropping by Paula. There are great tips indeed from Rosann!
Great post, Rosann! My 4 yr old is going through phases right now. but we’re determined to make the best of it. Lately, I’ve been letting him pick between two choices for the veggie he’ll eat at dinner. then, if he’s still struggling with eating it (the one he’s chosen) I’ll let him roll a dice. whatever number he rolls, thats how many bites or pieces he needs to eat. It works well! (and boy, do I pray for sixes)
Because I also have a very, very picky husband, I’ve resorted to pureeing veggies and putting them in meals where I can hide them, too. I’ll puree carrots, squash, zucchini, spinach, you name it. and don’t tell them, but there’s pureed squash in their oatmeal bars I’ve made them for breakfast this morning! and don’t even get me started on how many veggies I can pack into a lasagna or quesadilla
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You’re in the same boat as Rosann too! Who knew right? And yeah, sometimes we have to resort to pureeing veggies just so the kiddos can benefit form them. I real one blog that said she’d place cabbage in smoothies and the kids don’t even taste it at all. Headed to visit your blog now, thanks for dropping by.
Thankfully overall my four girls haven’t been that picky but for me I think the example has to be set by the parents. I don’t say “I don’t like this or that”. I eat what’s prepared. I don’t scrape items off my dish. I model how I want my kids to behave. It works.
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So true Shannon.
I actually find it funny that when I make something I love to eat, like a veggie omelet, my daughters look at it with curiosity and feel like they’ve been left out of dining on something yummy, because mommy is eating it. Inevitably they’ll ask me for a bite and decide they love it. Suddenly their scrambled eggs aren’t good enough and they want a veggie omelet too.
Twitter: ChrstianSuprMom
Shannon, it’s great modeling good behavior works for you but no in this house, haha. I eat veggies but the kiddo only likes a few of them. Good thing he likes fruits though.
Thank you so much for posting this! I have a 4 year old son who has gotten rather picky at mealtimes lately! all of the things he used to love to eat, he’s turning his nose up at now! It’s so frustrating at times!
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It truly is, Tammy. Hope these tips help and if you have any more questions, I’m “volunteering” Rosann to answer them
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I’ve been struggling with my 3 year old to try new foods. This was just the encouragement I needed right now. I’ll be sure to try some of your tips.
Mommy J
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Twitter: Momsbeingmoms
Glad you enjoyed this Mommy J. The trick is to get them used to seeing fruits and veggies. Also keep in mind that their preferences can change overtime, as Rosann mentioned.
Your information is so helpful. My biggest problem is surprisingly my 15 year old daughter. She has gotten into a sweet-eat mode that is so unhealthy for her. We have to remind her all the time to eat vegs. She doesn’t like them but will force herself to eat them once in awhile.
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I just need to add that one of our sons would eat canned pumpkin right out of the can…he was great when it came to vegs! Every parents dream child…
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Canned pumpkin? I love pumpkin as well and teens? I don’t suppose Rosann’s tips will be effective on teens, haha. You may tell your daughter that sugar is bad for the skin – not sure how she’ll react to it but it might work
I used to have that problem with my daughter, but now my even bigger problem is the length of time it takes for her to finish eating. Is that normal? It usually takes an hour for her to finish her meal.
Maybe I should adjust mealtimes. She may still be full from her afternoon snack come dinnertime. Rules…rules! I must enforce them.
Thanks for your helpful post
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One hour? Hmm, she might not be that hungry during mealtime if that’s happening. You may also want to give her light snacks in between meals like fruits and crackers so it doesn’t fill her up as much.
Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Good thing my son loves to eat fruits so I don’t beg him to finish his meal if he doesn’t really like the taste. I just give him fruits to eat whenever he skips meal.
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That’s a great thing to do – I think most of us (especially from the Philippines) try to control what our kids eat. Meaning, we force them to eat something they dislike because we’re worried they are not getting the right nutrients.
Your comment reminds us that when kids dislike a particular meal, we can give them other healthy alternatives.