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Southwestern Minnesota | I wouldn't turn it into a battle. Meal time should be enjoyable and pleasant and something to look forward to and not a time for a power struggle. I had a really fussy eater and now she's 30 and eats a bigger variety of foods than I do. At meal time I'd encourage my kids to try a bite of something, but not put a whole portion on their plate if they didn't want it. We had the "rule of 10"- if you tried something 10 different times, and you still didn't like it, then you didn't have to try it any more if you didn't want to.
If they won't eat green vegetables, but will eat other fruits and vegetables that's good. If they won't eat broccoli, but like oranges or mandarins, they're getting just as much Vitamin C and fiber as they would from the broccoli. Some kids have very sensitive taste buds and vegetables have a tendency to taste bitter. In that case, they often prefer fruit and sweet, so that's fine, let them have extra fruit. If they really don't eat many fruits or vegetables at all, then opt for a good multivitamin supplement to make sure they get the nutrients that they need.
I think it's important to introduce kids to new foods and try new things. But it's more important to have meal time be enjoyable and not a war.
They grow up and it works out. My son refused to try lettuce salad until he was 25 years old. He was invited along on a business trip where salad was served and he had to eat a lettuce salad. He discovered it wasn't really that bad! And now he has added another new food to his diet. Even if they don't eat as you think they should when they're five years old, if you model good eating habits when they're young, it can set the stage for later on in their lives when they make their own choices. | |
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Question for all you parents...
