One of the biggest concerns for parents is when their child
doesn't eat. I had one of these picky eaters, and to see a
kid eat three bites for each meal is really a little scary.
You might think, "How can they survive?"
First of all, keep up with their regular, yearly doctor
visits so that you can chart and record if they are growing
at an average rate. If your child has always been in the
25th percentile on the growth charts, then that's just your
child and his or her uniqueness. But if your child started
out in the 90th percentile and is now down to the 10th
percentile, this will clue you and your doctor to
investigate and find out if there is some type of serious
problem.
Next, you have to take into account all the snacks, juice,
and milk that you've fed your child between meals in order
to accurately decide if your child is eating enough.
Children should not drink more than 4-6 ounces of juice per
day. If they do drink more juice, this fills them up
without giving them the variety of nutrients that they
need. And juice does not include the full spectrum of
nutrients that you will find if you feed them fresh fruit.
Water is as important for your children as it is for you.
If they don't like the taste of water, and don't acquire a
taste in a matter of days with water as their main option
when thirsty, you probably need a water purifier. This will
improve the taste and make it easier to persuade your
children to drink water.
Another subject around kids eating is forcing kids to stay
at the table and finish all of their food. It really
doesn't work to make your child sit at the table for hours.
It never worked for me as a kid and I don't suppose it
worked if your parents made you sit for three hours,
either. The theory these days is that if you force a child
to always clean his plate, this will promote obesity. You
want a child to recognize when they are full and not
overeat.
One strategy for getting your picky eater to eat more at a
meal is to cut down on snacks between meals so that your
child is hungrier when meal time does come.
An example of this is when I realized that I was giving my
light eater a snack only an hour and a half before supper
because he was begging me for food and I wanted him to eat
more. When I stopped feeding him whenever he asked for food
and put up with the "I'm so hungry!", his eating habits got
better. A snack three hours before a meal is fine and
recommended.
Also, do not give any more food, snacks, or dessert unless
your child has eaten the previous meal. Put what they don't
eat--if you placed kid-sized portions (the size of their
palm or fist) on their plate in the first place--in the
fridge and if they are hungry later, pull the plate out of
the fridge and heat it up. It almost never fails that they
eat some more of their supper at this later time. If not,
they go to bed hungry and eat pretty well at breakfast. You
just have to stick to your rules, so the child knows what
to expect.
Side note: You are doing your children a disservice if you
make special meals for them instead of the meal you are
cooking for yourself. This encourages the picky eater to
continue to be picky. You will do your children a favor if
you serve a variety of foods and give them exposure to
different tastes and textures. They don't have to like
everything. They do have to try everything.
Sometimes when I say "no dessert unless you finish your
supper", my light eater will finish his supper and not want
any dessert because he's full. This is OK!
There's also the picky eater that only eats the meat at one
meal, or only the vegetable or only the pasta for another
meal. You have to look at the overall intake of food over
several days to judge if your child is getting enough of a
variety of foods. If they only eat pasta every meal, this
is a problem. But if they vary between the different food
groups- meats, grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables-then
you probably don't have to worry about severe deficiencies.
Offer your child raw fruit or raw veggies at every meal and
snack, if possible. Encourage them to eat as much of these
kinds of food as they like. A child can get lots of
nutrition through fruits and vegetables. Few people realize
that there is even a small amount of protein in most fruits.
Never tell your kids that they can't have more of a raw
fruit or vegetable, if they want more. If the food is raw,
in its original state, children instinctively can tell when
their body needs more. They will ask for more, so give it
to them. They will not be able to verbalize why they need
more of a certain raw food, but if they're asking for more
of something that's good for them, allow it, please.
You cannot force your picky eater to eat, but you can offer
only healthier choices, so that you know they are getting
the nutrients needed to grow healthy and strong.
----------------------------------------------------
Anita Murray is a Professional Health Coach, Nutritional
Consultant, and Founding Editor/Owner of
FibromyalgiaHope.com.
To learn more about natural ways to support your health,
take this unique, Interactive E-course entitled, "8 PROVEN
STRATEGIES FOR LIVING FREE OF FIBROMYALGIA". Discover
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