Ways For Handling Your Fussy Eater – By Dietician Avni Kaul

Urban parents of Gen Alpha and Gen Z kids (born between the years 2000 to 2018), majorly face the challenge to handle a fussy-eating child. These kids refuse to eat green vegetables, cereals, and fruits and show an immense inclination for fast and junk food. Their poor eating habit put their mental and physical growth chart in real danger. On one hand, synthetic ingredients found in junk food damages the brain cells, and on the other hand, lack of adequate amino acid & essential vitamin intake that are found in vegetable, fruits, dry fruits, and dairy products slows their mental and physical development.

In this article Delhi’s eminent child nutritionist & dietician, Avni Kaul shares some important parental tips to handle their fussy eating child.

Try To Be The Healthy Parents

First, always try to be a role model to your kids and discourage bad meal habits, like never let the child eat separately while sitting in front of the Television. Try to eat together at the table as a family as much as possible. If you feel enthusiastic about a delicious, colorful plate of different vegetables and when your kids see how much you are enjoying your meal, they will become curious and want to go ahead and try it out themselves.

Let your child help with shopping and cooking as well. This way, your child will get familiar with the variety of foods, what they are like raw, as well as their smell and appearance. This can be made into a playful activity wherein you could tell your kid all about the vegetables and fruits and let them have the final pick.

Expose kids to new foods in different ways. 

If a child doesn’t like the food one way, he or she may like it another way. For example, your child may dislike carrots, try to prepare a vegetable sandwich and put grated carrots between bread. It’s also best to rotate the types of food provided to help avoid monotony and food jags — when a child is stuck on one food item meal after meal Expose kids to new foods in different ways. 

Taste Tests

Look out for which herbs and spices your child likes best. Many kids, for instance, like curry or cinnamon. Sometimes, let your child decide for themselves how to season and decorate their food. This increases the likelihood of them eating new or less popular meals. You can apply sugar, salt, pepper, lemon juice into a little bowl. Your child can then taste it. This way, they will come to identify different flavors and be able to consciously choose their favorites.

Never Give Up

If your child often refuses to new dishes, this can sometimes lead to an unbalanced diet. Do not give up, but keep trying them with new foods. It has been seen that dishes which have been rejected must be offered at least 10 times before the child will accept them. Creative way to make them have food they don’t wish to eat is by making it look fun, colorful, innovative and very playful. Create a story around the food items and make characters. Once the food has character and is associated with their favorites, they will gobble it all up without any fuss or issues.

About the author: Avni Kaul is India’s most trusted nutritionist and wellness coach. She is a certified nutritionist as well as Diabetes Educator and specializes in weight management, child nutrition, skin and beauty health, thyroid disorder, cardiovascular health, diabetic management, wedding nutrition, sports nutrition, and corporate wellness.