Do you struggle to feed a picky eater? Toddlers, young children and adults can all be fussy eaters. In my home, it tends to be my youngest daughter who refuses to eat certain foods. I’m offering tips to avoid making multiple dishes for dinner and spending a lot of money on food that’s just going to waste:
Hide certain foods within sauces and soups
Little ones might not realize you’re hiding the food they don’t like into foods like sauces and soups. When they’re blitzed down and mixed with other foods, they may find it hard to distinguish what’s in that sauce or soup you’ve made.
Sometimes, it’s the texture or look of a food that will put them off, which is why it’s a good tip to make it into something that looks nothing like it or has a different texture.
Adding certain foods like vegetables to sauces works well for dipping or for lathering over certain meats or other vegetables.
Branch out occasionally rather than every other day
Realize that a fussy eater isn’t going to do well with trying something new every other day. It’s important to ease them in and to build up to those occasions when you’re creating something new out of the cookbook.
Find recipes you might like to get your picky eater to try new foods. For example, learn how to cook tilapia at primaverakitchen.com. It has recipes that can work for the whole family.
Don’t force them to eat foods
While it may be frustrating as a person who doesn’t identify as a fussy eater, there’s no point in trying to force food down their throat. Demanding that they try a new food could have the opposite effect and it’s often upsetting for them, especially if it’s the texture that is unappealing.
You might need to expose children to the same food many times before they will try it. Keep trying.
Make time to sit down and eat as a household
Make a habit of sitting down as a household to eat. This is useful for helping picky eaters get used to eating with others and to hopefully combat some of that fussiness that they may have.
Start with small portions and build up
To ensure fussy eaters aren’t overwhelmed with new foods and tastes, start with smaller portions. Building up these portions will get easier; you don’t want to overwhelm them by offering a huge plate of food.
Use these tips to help your fussy eaters in the home to eat well and to create less chaos in the kitchen as a result.
Marette Flora is the founder of Floradise blog and personalized gift shop. Marette is a passionate storyteller and creator. She attended the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.
She is passionate about creating helpful and meaningful things.