Picky Eater? Healthy Eating Tips
By Sara Butler
Are you a picky eater or have someone in your household who is? If so, then you're not alone. Almost everyone knows a picky eater -- and there are tricks out there that can help them to move outside their comfort zone and eat a little healthier. Here are some tips and tricks that can help bring a little variety to the picky eater in your life.
Is It Even Possible For Picky Eaters to Be Healthy?
Don't give up hope! While the picky eater in your life may be perfectly comfortable eating white potatoes and chicken nuggets for every single meal for the rest of eternity, the key to helping them is to understand that they can eat healthily. It's simply that the way they eat healthy may look a little different than what you think it should look like.
One way to encourage them to eat healthily is to think about the foods they will eat and then try to add a little variation to it. So, if they're comfortable with white potatoes, then try introducing them to sweet potatoes. If you introduce them to new foods in a fun way that looks appealing, you'll probably have more luck, too -- especially if the picky eater in your life is a little kid.
What Types of Foods Are Best for Pick Eaters?
For picky eaters, just as with everyone else, the key is to focus on balance. Protein is essential for everyone as well as fruits and vegetables. Even the pickiest eater will likely try foods that pack a huge punch of nutrition, like berries.
If you're at a loss to get your picky eater to try new things, then you can always resort to sneaking healthy foods into foods you know they're eating. A great example is macaroni and cheese. It's easy to create a cheese sauce with a little pureed butternut squash for some extra nutrition.
Keep Offering Them
Just because you've been shot down offering a new food once doesn't mean you should stop. Studies have shown that repeated exposure to something new is good to help diversify a diet -- eventually. The idea is that once someone sees a food over and over, they'll touch them or interact with them more, which could then lead to an actual taste test! Don't give up!
There is hope for the picky eater in your life!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Sandy, Utah.