Selective eaters

by Little Lotus Yoga™  Instructor Sylvia Picciano

Selective Eater

Do you have a little person at home who is – for lack of a better phrase – a selective eater? I do! My little man would quite frankly prefer to not eat than to eat some of the foods I know he should be having. He has an older sister who will try everything. As a baby and a toddler, he was an enthusiastic eater, now…not so much. He is old enough to understand the importance of healthy foods and the wisdom behind fruits, veggies and protein but if things look, smell or feel odd…no go! I have read many books/articles/advice columns: lots of great ideas, not always successful – it is hard to hide the veggies in the pasta sauce if pasta sauce is on the NO list.

Things are a little easier now, but still challenging; here is what I have found to be helpful in our case:

1. We are very routine-oriented – this seems to help with the eating routine as well – I try to serve meals and snacks at the same time daily.
2. Juice is limited – even if it is cut with water – I would much prefer that my little man have water or milk instead of filling up with sugar. In our house, fruit is consumed as a fruit not a liquid.
3. Respect is key in our house. It is my belief that children treat us the way we treat them (especially as they get older). This pertains to food as well; if my little guy is not hungry, then he isn’t hungry – no point forcing the issue. The last thing I would like is to make food a weapon or to make meal time an anxiety providing time. This can lead to frustration (on both my part and his). I ask for his suggestions, supplement with a few of my own and serve small portions so as not to overwhelm. If he wants more – super!
4. My little man has agreed to try a new food each week – this week was broccoli – well he tried it in its raw form. It was pretty comical and did not stay down but he tried it.  Meat was a huge struggle at the beginning – I found he loved meatballs so… we had beef meatballs, chicken meatballs, fish meatballs, etc. Eventually, I was able to serve him a hamburger patty and tell him that I had flattened the meatball – it worked (he felt badly for me at my failed ball effort). He discovered steak, pork chops, turkey and ham on a Disney Cruise (an expensive endeavor but a successful one – we came home with new foods). Funnily enough, he accepted grilled chicken with little fuss.
5. I discovered a fruit/veggie supplement in powder form from a company known as Barlean’s – they make a chocolate powder and a strawberry/kiwi. I mix the chocolate with milk and my fussy, hard to fool little man accepts it as chocolate milk – it is yummy (even my husband loves it in his protein shake). It can be taken in milk or water, contains 5 servings of fruit and veggies/serving, and it is NOT green and doesn’t make us gag!
6. Patience! It is a stage, your little one may always be selective but he or she will eat!

Selective Eater? Try Smoothies

I don’t pretend to be an expert at anything, but given my mental health background, I was certain that I did not want to make food a reward for behavior (clean your plate and you can have dessert). Instead of food rewards, we used a lot of stickers and as they got older, my little ones enjoyed reward charts that they could have a say in developing.  Do I camouflage certain foods in smoothies? Absolutely!  I would suggest a supersonic blender. A few years back, my awesome husband invested in a Vitamix (what a great tool), this thing pulverizes everything. I can make a smoothie with milk or almond milk (for creaminess) and camouflage spinach, flax seed, hemp seeds, chia seeds, almonds and kale by adding berries and /or a banana. If I am using berries, I will sometimes add the fruit based veggie supplement (previously mentioned) and if I am using a banana, I can add the chocolate veggie supplement (previously mentioned) – both of my kids (and my husband) enjoy sucking back my creations. I can also make a wonderful muffin batter in this blender/food processor and I can control what goes into it.

Some ideas (they may help or you may have a bunch of your own): When my children were tiny, I made all of their baby food (sometimes, I failed but for the most part, they ate everything). Again, as mentioned earlier, I really wanted the meal time to be a time that we all looked forward too – a time to regroup, get caught up and spend time together – not a battle of wills. I don’t enjoy conflict and my kids are much stronger than I am. I have no doubt that my son could sit at the table for hours with the rejected food in front of him if pushed to do so. And what exactly would that do? We would all miss out on his laughter and amazing sense of humor. I have concluded that he is selective for now (truth be told, so was I and now I enjoy most foods); he does try new foods and I make sure that he gets the nutrients I know he needs without a battle ensuing!

Good luck and have faith that this too will pass (at some point)!

 

Disclaimer:  Sylvia is not a Nutritionist or a Physician; nothing in this post is represented as medical advice, these are simply suggestions from one mom to another on how to deal with a selective eater. Neither Barlean’s nor Vitamix provided Sylvia, Amanda or Little Lotus Yoga™ with any incentives in exchange for mentioning them in this post, Sylvia just really likes the products and thought you might, too.