There are a lot of questions that go around our heads throughout the day regarding our kids’ good health and wellbeing. The moment they come into this world, we think about how they can grow healthy and we do everything to meet our expectations. As our kids grow a little, we try to serve them all kinds of fruits and vegetables. Our little munchkins may or may not take a bite of these foods. Then one day, we come to know that maybe our kid is a picky eater. Picky eaters are people who eat an insufficient variety of foods and frequently refuse to eat. Such kids can really be a big source of tension for their parents. These kids often tend to have the same food again and again and if something different is served to them, they might reject it.
One of my friends used to be worried all the time due to her son’s eating habits. Her son only loved potatoes and rejected all other types of vegetables. Once, I suggested her to make her son’s plate as colorful as it could be. She tried on this idea and failed. Then she started watching different YouTube videos and reading blogs on kids’ eating habits. Nonetheless, she was unable to feed her child a piece of fried French beans. When our child rejects all food varieties, we become concerned about their health and wonder where they will get different vitamins and nutrition.
What happens when we feed our kids with the same food every day?
Children should have a balanced diet. That means their plate should contain protein, vitamins, carbohydrates, etc. A growing child should have nutritious food for the healthy growth of their body and mind. Parents should introduce their kids to all the types of taste and texture in food. But if your child is a picky eater and prefers to eat the same food again and again, don’t worry about it. According to many researches, it has been found that if we worry more, our kids will keep on behaving the same for a long time. This can lead them to be unhealthy and picky eaters till they grow up to go to high school.
How to serve picky eaters with a variety of food
As per pediatrics and researchers, it is important to provide our kids with a variety of nutritious foods, but if they are picky eaters and love to eat the same food, try serving a new food with their favorite one. It might happen that for the first few days they reject it, but later they will try to taste it.
Make healthy snacks.
Growing kids need some snacks to eat at an interval of every two hours. Try to serve them with fruits, dry fruits, milk or other types of healthy food. Some kids love to munch all the time. Let them munch on something healthy rather than giving them a packet of chips or biscuits.
Sweet time
Every kid craves for sweet items as they give energy to them. Try preparing some sweet dishes at home rather than buying them from outside. In India, mothers love to prepare different types of payasam, or sweet porridge, for their kids. Homemade sweets are always healthy and full of vitamins and iron. Indian home-made sweets generally consist of clarified butter, jaggery, dry fruits, and cereals. It’s a mix of all good and healthy foods and is never rejected by our kids.
Physical Activity
Leave your kid to play outside with other kids. The more they indulge themselves in physical outdoor games, the more they will feel hungry. And when they are hungry, they would definitely love to have something healthy to satisfy their appetite.
I remember serving my son with a glassful of fresh fruit juice squeezed by me at home. Now he loves to drink fresh fruit juices and shakes, and he doesn’t like the taste of artificial juices or cold drinks. When other kids ask for cold drinks or fruity my son would ask for butter milk.
My son, too, is a picky eater, but I have always tried to feed him with something healthy, and now he loves to have healthy food. He does crave for ice cream, chips, chocolates, and cakes as other kids do, but there is a limit for him.
So, if your kids are picky eaters and love to have the same food again and again, don’t worry. Simply give them a handful of healthy snacks whenever they are hungry. Don’t forget to keep your patience because we parents are so worried about our children that we sometimes force them to eat. the more we force them, the more they will be fussy and arrogant.