| Welcome! This page on the MDA website spotlights childhood
health and nutrition. We will be offering tips for both parents and health
professionals. Thanks for visiting, and for helping MDA give ALL children
a healthier future!
|
|
|
|
|
|
TIPS FOR PICKY EATERS
|
|
|
Tips for Parents
|
|
|
| Meal time with picky eaters can be frustrating. Try some of these creative ideas for helping your child
eat a well balanced diet:
|
|
|
- Cut apples or pears into circles instead of wedges, cut sandwiches into shapes using cookies
cutters, serve vegetables raw instead of cooked. A different presentation may be all it takes for
your child to try something new or different!
- Let your child make some of the choices. It is the parent’s choice when and what to serve for
the meal, and it is the child’s choice what items to eat and how much. Let your picky eater decide
what to put on a salad. If she wants Cheerios, let her try it!
- Encourage your child to take just one bite. Don’t pressure her, and let her know if she doesn’t
like it, she can spit it out. There is a fine line though- a child should eat to stop hunger,
not to please mom or dad.
- Don’t offer alternative foods. Children will begin to think of the alternative food as a
treat and refuse to eat things that they may have once liked in order to get the treat.
- Don’t make desserts a reward. By doing this you will be telling your child sweets are better
than anything else that is being served. This can set up for a lifetime of poor eating behaviors.
|
|
|
| Don’t be discouraged! It can take many exposures to a certain food for a child to be willing to try it. In all,
offer a variety of healthy choices, and don’t force your child to eat what she doesn’t want to. Don’t give in when
your child refuses a meal. Calmly remove her plate from the table and let her know that if she doesn’t eat this
now, she can eat it later when she is hungry.
|
|
|
Tips for Health Professionals
|
|
|
| Most children that have nutrition related problems are due to overweight, rather than underweight,
so there is generally no need for concern over lack of nutrition. Food jags are common and rarely have anything
to do with the food. The child could just be asserting her independence and ability to make her own choices.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
References/Links
Obesity Evaluation and Treatment: Expert Committee Recommendations-
an article from PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 3 September 1998.
Michigan Department of Community Health
National Institute on Child Health and Human Development
US Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control
United Dairy Industry of Michigan.
UDIM is the umbrella organization for the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council of Michigan.
National Dairy Council.
Visit the Health Professionals link for the 3-A-Day campaign, Nutrition Library,
Newer Knowledge of Dairy Foods, Statements, and Consumer Education materials.
|
|
|
|
|