If you were to go around asking most parents which foods their children refuse to eat, you would encounter all sorts of answers. Some children would not touch broccoli with a ten-foot pole. Others refuse to eat seafood despite never having tasted it because the smell is enough to put them off. And others will not eat food seasoned with strong spices.
The list of foods that children seem to have a natural aversion to is so long that many parents find themselves repeating the same foods year after year. And while this may reduce your decision fatigue regarding what to make for dinner, there is no denying that these aversions come with downsides, such as nutritional deficiencies and limited food experiences.
So, is there a way to get your children to eat more without forcing them?
Understanding Picky Eating
In high-stakes operations, we have measures in place to keep us safe and efficient. Look at the aviation industry as an example. Given how integral aircraft engines are, airlines will often lease engine stands from companies like Magnetic Enginestands, because they know that even a slight margin of error can have disastrous effects, and the use of the engine stands eliminates this risk.
Your child’s brain works in a similar way. While you might see their refusal to eat a new food as them being difficult, the truth is that they, too, have systems in place designed to eliminate the risk of deviating from the norm.
One of these systems is food neophobia, common between the ages of 2 and 6, where children develop a natural aversion to bright colours, bitter tastes, and unfamiliar plants. This phobia is actually an evolutionary response we developed to keep us safe in the wild, and it still kicks in today. To add to this, children are more sensitive to tastes and textures compared to adults, so they are more likely to feel uneasy about trying strong flavours or new textures. And third, as children grow, they begin to seek ways to assert their autonomy, and many do so by deciding what they will and will not eat.
How Can You Raise Adventurous Eaters?
Understanding why children may not want to eat new foods helps us show compassion and patience when introducing them. But it does not mean that we should give up. Instead, we can lean on the following strategies:
Share Responsibility
Children often push back on new foods because they barely get a say in their mealtimes, be it in the choice of food or even the timing. Their only decisions are whether to eat the food and how much to eat. Understandably, that can be quite frustrating. You can give them back some power in the following ways:
- Offer a balanced meal. Give them a plate of food that includes one new food and a safe food. Then, step back and leave them to eat without forcing or bribing them to eat the new food. Doing this eliminates the anxiety that comes with new experiences, and over time, they are likely to pick at or even try the new food.
- Expose them to new foods outside mealtimes. Since mealtimes can cause a lot of anxiety, you can use other windows to introduce your child to new foods. Examples include having them wash vegetables, stir food while you cook, or pick out new fruits or veggies at the store. These simple activities help your child register new foods as safe in a low-stakes environment.
It is also important to model the varied eating behaviours that you want your child to adopt as they learn by mimicking what is portrayed as normal and enjoyable.
Bridge Flavours and Textures
Many parents make the mistake of transitioning from one food to another entirely. Such drastic changes can be unnerving even for an adult. So, instead of doing that, take it slow by making small changes to foods that your child already loves.
For instance, if your child only eats chicken nuggets, you can move from buying frozen chicken nuggets from the store to making homemade breaded chicken breasts, then to introducing them to unbreaded grilled chicken strips. This slow transition allows your child to adapt to each new sensation at a time without feeling alarmed by the changes.
