Having a fussy eater in the family can be challenging. There are the practicalities of preparing meals that they will eat, the frustrations over making food and seeing it left or rejected, and the worries about whether they are getting the nutrition they need.
The overall message from nutritionists and psychologists is not to worry. Lots of children go through phases of fussy eating. Up to 50 per cent of parents report having kids with picky eating habits, but over time these can fade or evolve. But there is no doubt that children who do have their own ways when it comes to food can be exposed to fewer food groups and consequently get a bit less of the nutrition they need, so it is great to be armed with some cunning parenting tricks to help get a wider range of nutrients into them.
1. Be a good role model
Picky eating habits can be learned, so demonstrating a love for food and enjoying healthy stuff is a good way to pass on good habits (or if you have some stuff you don’t like, just keeping it to yourself in the early years ).
2. Keep things fun
Forcing children to eat, or using rewards or punishments as a tool, can have negative consequences - it is far better to keep mealtimes fun and something children want to participate in, or accept that they may be getting their nutrition from snacking or grazing as well as formal meals.
3. Let them choose
Offering a few things to choose from on the table and letting them choose what they want on their plate puts them in control and lets them find their own way to the stuff they like. Children often have to try a new food between 10 and 20 times before deciding they like it.
4. Try Nuzest Kids Good Stuff
Nuzest has tried to factor some of those insights into its Kids Good Stuff. The company wanted to create a highly nutritious children's snack that just happened to look like, be made like, and taste like a milkshake. They can choose their favourite flavours from the simple ice cream classics of wild strawberry, rich chocolate, and vanilla caramel. It can work as a snack, a drink with a meal, or to accompany cereal, fruit, or yogurt at breakfast. And as well as all that, it is packed full of the goodness they need to fill the nutritional gaps in their diets and support their 11 body systems - essential vitamins and minerals, digestive enzymes, plus prebiotics, probiotics, and more (and with none of the bad stuff that might be found in shakes such as sugar, artificial flavours, or thickeners ).
No doubt there will still be plenty of fussy eaters out there who take their time to make Kids Good Stuff part of their daily nutrition. But hopefully it is one more tool in the cupboard to help mums and dads get good nutrition inside their children.
For more information on how you can support your child’s nutritional needs, call into any of Evergreen Healthfoods' eight Galway based stores, or shop online at evergreen.ie
