How to Help Your Picky Eater Become a Healthy Eater?

Help your picky eater to become a healthy eater

When it comes to picky eaters, most parents have been told, "When they're hungry, they'll eat." But there are a few really, really, really stubborn children that hunger does not bother them. Some just think that "your food" is so disgusting that they rather starve themselves than eat your food.

Why are some kids so fussy about food? 

There are many reasons why your child does not want to eat or lacks an appetite or interest to eat. Picky eating may be associated with everything from personality traits to parental control at mealtime, social influences, maternal eating patterns and development, gastrointestinal issues, food allergies and sensitivities, sensory issues, etc. Or it could just be your kid being, well, a kid or something else.

Feeding a child is difficult enough. Feeding a picky eater with ADHD or autism with sensory issues is every parents' nightmare. Even though your food is perfectly fine, to your picky eater, they're just "gross" and "disgusting."

No offense, but that's how your picky eater perceives foods that they reject. I know that because those are the exact same words used by my own picky eater to describe my cooking.

I often joke that my daughter's eating is like someone with autism, super picky and particular with every aspect of the food. Drives me up the wall sometimes.

Imagine yourself in a foreign country or a brand new restaurant to get a perspective of how your child feels about the new food you just offer. They serve you a dish that you've never seen before. The dish looks funny, smells funny, and tastes funny to you.

What is your first reaction?

Some examples of such food may include Filipino balut "chicken eggs," Japanese natto "fermented soybeans." Chinese chicken feet, cow's blood, thousand-year-old eggs, etc.

You're like, "no, thank you."

If you're not brought up around that kind of food, you're less likely to accept those foods the first few times. Your child has only been on this earth for a few months or a few years. Their food experience is very naive.

I know your friend's kid who's the same age eat everything. Remember, every child is different. Picky eaters tend to have a stronger sense of awareness and personality. 

That's the reason why we encourage frequent exposure to new food.

The secret to successfully feeding your picky eater healthy food is frequent exposure to the new, unfamiliar food in a pleasant, fun environment when they're hungry.

Have you ever wondered why your child would pick up a piece of garbage on the floor, put it in their mouth, and eat that, but not your food?

Many, many years ago, when my daughter was three years old, we were coming home from Hong Kong. We're waiting at the airport terminal. As an active toddler would do, she's running around playing on her own. My then-husband and I were sitting on the bench, watching and waiting. The next thing I saw was horrifying. 

She ran up to the trash can, which had an ashtray on the top. She reached up with her little hand to the ashtray, picked up something, and put it in her mouth. My jaw dropped while trying very quickly to get up my butt to get the piece of garbage out of her mouth. But I was too late. She swallowed it. 

After we returned to Honolulu, she was sick with vomiting and diarrhea, and we had to take her to the doctor. We know exactly the cause of her illness. 

The point is kids will eat anything out of curiosity and fun. I mean anything if they choose to and think it's fun. 

Parents often think that the food has to taste good to be accepted. Yes, that's true sometimes, but most of the time. It just has to be fun to them, not you. 

It's curiosity too.

Finding healthy meals and snacks ideas that are good for the ADHD brain and your ADHD child would eat is like an almost impossible endeavor. Fortunately, with creativity and proven strategies I learned from my years of experience working alongside feeding experts in the Feeding Clinic, I've acquired a few tricks up my sleeves.

In this course, you'll learn the exact same strategies we use in our feeding clinic and feeding therapy. These are the same strategies that helped a 3-year-old girl with autism to eat broccoli on her own on the third attempt, even though she's been working with another therapist for years to get her to eat veggies.

These are the same strategies that saved a 4-year-old boy from getting an endoscopy because of his pickiness with eating. 

Fortunately, having a picky eater is not the end of the world, and your child won't be doomed to eat chicken nuggets for the rest of his life.

So, if you're ready, let's get started. Intuitive eating encourages a healthy relationship with food and body image, focusing on internal hunger and fullness cues rather than external diets or restrictions. Here are some strategies for parents to teach their overweight kids intuitive eating:

1. Model Intuitive Eating: Children learn by observing their parents. Demonstrate healthy eating habits, such as eating when hungry, choosing a variety of foods, and stopping when full.

2. Avoid Labeling Foods: Don’t categorize foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, emphasize the importance of balance and variety. All foods can fit into a healthy diet. Teach kids about the benefits of different foods in a simple and age-appropriate way. Explain how foods help their body grow and function.

3. Listen to Hunger and Fullness Cues: Teach children to recognize and respond to their body’s signals. Encourage them to eat when they’re hungry and stop when they’re full, even if that means leaving food on the plate.

4. Offer Regular Meals and Snacks: Provide balanced meals and snacks at regular intervals. This structure helps children recognize their hunger and fullness signals.

5. Create a Positive Eating Environment: Make mealtime a pleasant and stress-free time. Avoid distractions like TV or smartphones and focus on enjoying the meal together as a family.

6. Encourage Mindful Eating: Teach kids to eat slowly and savor their food. Encourage them to pay attention to the taste, texture, and aroma of their food.

7. Respect Their Appetite: Avoid pressuring children to eat more than they want. Trust that they can regulate their intake according to their needs.

8. Focus on Health, Not Weight: Emphasize overall health and well-being rather than weight or body size. Encourage physical activities that they enjoy and talk about the benefits of being active and eating nutritious foods.

9. Teach Emotional Regulation: Help children find non-food ways to cope with emotions. Encourage activities like drawing, playing outside, or talking about their feelings.

10. Involve Kids in Meal Planning and Preparation: Let children help with grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking. This involvement can make them more interested in trying new foods and understanding nutrition.

By incorporating these strategies, parents can help their children develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies, fostering long-term well-being.