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Dealing With Children Who Are Fussy Eaters

By Randi Morse

It can be extremely frustrating dealing with children when they are fussy eaters. As a parent you want to make sure that your children get all the right nutrients that they need to be healthy. This can be difficult to achieve if your child doesn't eat a wide variety of foods. Forcing your child to sit at a table until they eat their entire meal is not a great option either. There are a few different tricks you can use to help expand your child's palate.

Going Shopping

Far too often adults look at grocery shopping as a very annoying task. Try looking at it as an adventure instead, and bring your child along with you. If you start when they are young, and make grocery shopping an adventure, you will find that your child is much more interested in food.

One New Thing

Once you have your child regularly grocery shopping with you, make a deal with them that they will try one new food a week and they will get a reward for doing so. The reward doesn't have to be huge, you could purchase their favorite small treat or you could allow them to stay up a little later on a weekend evening. Have them choose one item each week that they want to try, and you can even get specific and say that the item has to be from the fruit or vegetable section, or from the deli department. They may not like the food they try, but allowing them to choose a new food to try and giving them a reward for doing so sets up a better mindset towards trying new food.

Cooking 

When I was growing up my mother hated to have me in the kitchen, she said that it took much longer to get anything done. My mother was wrong. Yes, it may take a bit longer to get your cooking done with your child in the kitchen, but by having your child help you cook you can spark an interest in the foods they are eating, and children are statistically much more likely to try eating the food that they have cooked.

If you have a child who is a picky eater, don't force them to eat but don't give up the idea of trying new foods. Engage them in the meal making process, from selecting food at the grocery store to cooking it when you are at home, and make sure you give high praise anytime they try something new.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Elgin, Ill.

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