Is your baby a picky eater?

You have done your research on PLANT-BASED WHOLE FOODS, explained your lifestyle change to family and friends, and made a plan of action for the child’s conflicting life situations. But your child won’t eat the veggies.

If this story is familiar to you, you have a picky eater on your hands.

You need to resolve picky eating even if your child is not ‘ill’, because a poor diet will limit the child’s full health and academic potential. Besides, picky eating makes children tired, irritable, and may reflect an internal medical issue.

The first thing to remember is to take control of your child’s diet – don’t leave the composition of their plate to them!

What You Can Do

An expert is someone who has:

• Only keep PLANT-BASED WHOLE FOODS products in the house, so your child will only have healthy options to choose from!
• Focus on the things you can control, like the menu of the meals, and do not focus on the things you can’t control, like the tantrum your child is throwing. Research shows that the earlier the food is introduced, the more likely the child will like it. Be persistent with having them try healthy food!
• Allow your child to eat more of one thing on the plate, but not a substitute of what is on the plate. For example, if the child eats more carrots than beans, allow them to have more carrots till they’re full, but don’t let them eat sweets instead of beans.
• Be a good role model. Eat the same foods as your babies. Eat consciously – someone is watching you! Children are more likely to eat certain foods if they see their whole family enjoying them.
• Introduce PLANT-BASED WHOLE dips to enhance the flavor of veggies – hummus, peanut paste or green dips are exciting accompaniments to veggies. You could also combine new foods with old foods they already like, for example, serving steamed carrots alongside steamed potatoes.
• Come up with creative ways of associating with food – present a colorful plate to your child, or give funny names to vegetables. However, do not offer rewards or treats for eating their meal because it leads to negative food associations.

All in all, with good planning, compassionate love, and PLANT-BASED WHOLE FOODS, you can do anything!

References:

1. Kelly Dorfman, M.S., L.N.D., author of the book, Cure Your Child With Food
2. Joel Fuhrman, M.D., author of the book, Disease-Proof Your Child
3. Natalie Geary, M.D., and Oz Garcia, Ph.D., authors of the book, The Food Cure For Kids