Like most parents, you may have questions on how to get your children to eat better.
How do you cut out the junk food but provide healthy option your kids will eat?
How do I get more fruit and vegetables into their diets and have them actually eat them?
How to provide nutritional information without boring them or preaching to them?
How do I my picky eater to try new foods?
And many more…
Nutritionist, mother and co-founder of the recently launched iPad app Smash Your Food, Marta De Wulf, is passionate about children eating healthfully and for their parents to have the proper resources to do so.
Marta and the new Smash Your Food app provide fantastic resources and tips for kids and parents to eat healthier through fun and creative ways. Marta has also created some fool proof tips for getting the pickiest of eaters to try classically challenging foods. Marta’s tips not only encourage children to try “difficult foods,” but offer tools for how to get children to vocalize their thoughts and feelings in a constructive way.
Here are Marta’s tips on how to deal with a picky eater:
Sit down with your child, placing in front of them a new food that you want them to try. Ask your child their first impression of the food. You are looking to create a dialogue, not judgment. Your child may say that they don’t like it just by looking at it. Tell your child that you do want to talk with them about whether or not they like this particular food.
You are looking for details to help you when presenting new foods to your child. For some children appearance is the determiner, for others it is the texture, and for yet others, the flavor.
Going through this exercise a few times, you may discover that your child isn’t a picky eater, but simply prefers smooth textures and bland flavors or full flavored foods that he/she can chew.
Ask your child:
- To describe the food’s appearance and what they think about it. For example, “If anything does, what bothers you about it?” For many children it is simply that the foods are touching each other!
- Also, ask your child to describe what they like about the way the food looks
- Ask your child to taste it, reassuring them that it is OK if they don’t like it, and that you simply want to talk to them about it
Ask your child:
- To describe the flavor and what it is like for them. If something bothers them about the flavor, ask what it is. For many it will be spicy or bitter foods.
- What do you like about the flavor and what, if anything, would make it better?
Finally, ask your child:
- If they would like to finish the remainder of the food you’ve presented
- Are there other foods that he/she are interested in trying?
Always remember to be patient. Your child may have grown accustomed to pushing away new foods while eating only foods that they choose or are used to. Eventually your child will learn that trying new foods can be fun, and often delicious!
Marta has worked as a Nutritionist and Natural Health Practitioner in the Seattle area for nearly 20 years. By using body chemistry analysis to create personalized programs to support the lifestyle and health goals of her clients, Marta has nearly 20 years of experience helping individuals discover the power of healthy choices.
The award-winning, Smash Your Food™ educational game, brought to you by Food N’ Me™ , is now available for iPad at $2.99 on the Apple App Store. This fun and exciting mobile game encourages families to smash real foods—burgers, cola, French Fries and entire meals—to learn about nutrition, inspiring healthier food choices while providing parents with personalized emails filled with nutrition advice. Smash Your Food was also selected as a winner in First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Apps For Healthy Kids”contest.
For more information please visit: www.SmashYourFood.com and for other great information and fun things to do with your kids, go to: www.FoodNMe.com.