There are children who are really "punctilious" to eat, and this is usually a concern among parents who are heard constantly saying that the child "does not eat me." It is a daily challenge to have the child try new foods.
Harriet Worobey, a child nutrition specialist, says the child's refusal to try new foods is a normal feature of child development and many parents give up trying to get their child to try new foods.
A series of strategies can help "bad eaters" children begin to eat a more varied diet. Worobey points the most common mistakes made in feeding these children: Many parents do not want children in the kitchen while preparing dinner. However, studies suggest that children's participation in food preparation is the first step for them to try new foods. Researchers at Columbia University found that children who prepared their own food were more likely to try new flavors. Encouraging them to help in the kitchen, presenting a variety of healthy foods to prepare them is a good idea for them to dare to eat what they have prepared.
Pressing the child to take a bite seems reasonable, but it is likely to be counterproductive. Studies show that children react negatively when parents pressure them to eat, even when they offer rewards. Experts from the University of Pennsylvania offered in a study stickers and television hours if the children ate vegetables and milk, later they expressed dislike for the food for which they had been rewarded.
The best approach is to put the food on the table and encourage the child to try, without pressure and without reproach when not eating and positively reinforcing if he tries, trying to appear natural.
Another mistake that is made is related to food restriction. Parents put out of sight or on a high shelf, those foods that restrict their children. Specialists claim that if a food is restricted, the child will want more.
The lesson is not to take home this type of food, buy healthy snacks and give children access to the shelves is much better than forbidding.
A common feeding failure occurs in relatives who are trying to lose weight. Parents undergoing a diet should be aware of how this can influence perceptions about food and healthy eating by their children.
A 2005 report in the journal Psychology of Health found that mothers who were concerned with their weight restricted food for their children and encouraged them to lose weight. Exposure of young children to the irregularity of diet habits is a high risk for the development of eating disorders or a chronic diet life.
Children often reject vegetables, in part because they are often steamed and it is not surprising that they are reluctant to eat them. Nutritionists say you should "dress" vegetables. Adding a little butter, cheese, cream or brown sugar to a vegetable dish can improve the appreciation of them by the little one. The few calories that are added in this way, are worth the nutritional disadvantage of not eating them, also gives the opportunity to introduce the child to vegetable flavors.
Giving up too soon is also a mistake. While you can refuse a food today, you can eat it tomorrow. Preferences change often. Therefore, parents should keep preparing healthy and varied foods and put them on the table even though the children refuse to try them. In young children it takes 10 or more attempts over several months to introduce new flavors.
Susan B. Roberts, a nutritionist at Tufts University, suggests a "rule of 15"; put a meal on the table at least 15 times to see if the child accepts it. Once a food is accepted, parents should use "food bridges", that is, look for similar colors or flavors to expand the variety of foods a child will eat. If a child likes pumpkin puree, for example, try mashed sweet potatoes and then mashed carrots. If a child likes corn, try mixing with peas or carrots.
