Picky Eaters and Chocolate Pudding

Were you a picky eater growing up? I was. My dad would call me the “No New Foods Lara." I’ve been thinking about writing this blog post for a while and in doing so, I’ve tried to think back to why I wouldn’t try new foods. For me, there were two reasons. First, I was afraid I wouldn’t like it and second, well, I liked what I liked and I was happy eating the same thing over and over. It was comfortable.

Now that I am a mom and know the importance of a healthy diet for kids, I am always trying to give them healthy foods. I have three children. Twin boys who are 6 and a 3-year-old girl. In terms of good eaters versus picky eaters I have a range. One of the twins is a voracious eater and will try anything and generally likes everything, the other tends towards picky and if it wasn’t for his brother would be a lot pickier. In fact, he wouldn’t eat solid food until 13 months and wouldn’t even take a bottle. He’s always been a mama’s boy. My daughter, being the third, goes along for the ride and if the boys like it, she’ll eat it and if they don’t, well then she’s not interested.

I am by no means an expert in the area of picky eaters but I do have a few suggestions/tricks up my sleeve.

1. Snacks: I always seem to have better luck getting them to try something new when it’s a snack versus at meal time. Usually for snack I put out a variety of veggies with a dip, maybe some fruit or nuts. In that mix I’ll throw something in there they may not have seen before. There’s no pressure to try it, in fact we don’t even really talk about it unless they ask. The other thing great about offering veggies for snack is that come dinner time I don’t worry too much if they eat the veggies on their plate because I know they have already had some.

2. The pre-dinner “Mom I’m starving” scene: Oh it’s so ugly, you’re trying to get dinner made and on the table and the kids are literally hanging on you so hungry. Again I present the veggie/new food plate in a take-it-or-leave-it manner. I don’t tend to offer things that are nutrient poor and calorie dense at this time because I do still want them to eat their dinner.

3. Fun and festive: We use a variety of fun plates and bowls both for eating off of and serving. This is the perfect time of year, with all the holidays. Also, get creative with the presentation of the food. I really like making smiley faces, sailboats or geometric designs with the food. I don’t do this all the time - who has the time? - but as a special surprise, absolutely! It makes food fun for them.

4. Have them shop with you: I know what your thinking because I too have taken three kiddos grocery shopping and sworn never to do it again. If fact, I rarely take them for the big weekly shop. BUT, I do take them when I need just one or two things and that’s when they might see an unusual fruit or veggie that even I haven’t tried before. We all get excited about figuring out what it is, where it comes from, how to eat it, and tasting it together for the first time.

5. Have a tasting meal: Pick up or make a variety of items. Try two or three different entrees, different starches, and different veggies and serve them family-style in the middle of the table, again with no pressure. I love buffets because I can try something without having to commit to eating the whole thing and as a result I‘m more likely to try something new. Similarly, if you dine out with your kiddos, model sharing your food and trying something someone else may have ordered.

6. Pair new foods with favorites: I always run into trouble when there is nothing familiar on the plate and get instant resistance. I’m talking as soon as they see it, the tears start. So I make sure that if I’m going to put something that I am pretty sure is going to be an issue, I also serve one or two things that are on their top-five list. Think pizza paired with grilled asparagus instead of fish and asparagus. Okay, some kids do like fish and asparagus and mine actually do, but if you’re reading this because you have a picky eater, well then I’m going to guess fish and asparagus aren’t on their top-five list.

7. Let them help in the kitchen: Like having them shop with you, I know how this can go. I too have had eggs all over the floor, sauce on the ceiling, carrot peels on the window and mystery-something on the counter that only comes off with a chisel. I get it, I do, BUT, what they learn makes it so worthwhile. They see their favorite foods going into the meal, they get small tastes that can entice them to try the finished product, and they are proud and excited to try what they created. Oh, and don’t forget the math they can practice when working with recipes!

8. Dip: In our house ketchup is called "dip." I don’t really know why but I think one of the boys started calling it that and well, it stuck. Ketchup, or dip seems to make anything palatable for my kids. It does break my heart when I create a beautiful dinner and see them use ketchup on it but, hey, they’re eating the same thing as the rest of the family. We do have a “you need to eat a few bites without dip to taste it first” rule which everyone seems okay with.

9. "You don’t have to swallow it": Knowing that they can spit something out (politely, of course) at least gets the food in their mouth and them accustomed to trying something new.

10. One-bite bribery: This is the “if all else fails” suggestion that I’m sure you remember from your childhood. If you have one bite of the new food, you may have dessert. For us, this is also assuming they have eaten a fair amount of the rest of their dinner. We do have dessert regularly but most of the time it’s a healthy treat, maybe frozen blueberries, apple slices, homemade pumpkin muffins or something similar.

11. Don’t give up: Keep presenting the new foods. Research says that it can take 15 or more tries before a child will accept a new food. I know it was a lot longer before my picky eater would eat avocados. Which leads me to the recipe for today:

Do you have your own tips for picky eaters? Post them to comments!

Chocolate pudding

First off, I’m going to ask you to try this. Don’t knock it until you try it. This is how my son learned to love avocados (which he now eats in a variety of forms). He helped make it, I paired it with his favorite food, chocolate, and it was a snack that was presented with a take-it-or-leave-it attitude. Oh, and did I mention it’s chocolate!

In food processor, blend until smooth and creamy.:

2 avocados

½ c cocoa powder (unsweetened)

¼ c honey, maple syrup, or other choice of sweetener (more or less, depending on your taste)

2 Tbsp vanilla extract (optional)

Add the following until desired consistency:

¼ c liquid of choice (coconut milk, water, rice milk, milk…)

Variations:

You can use a ripe banana or two and eliminate the honey.

Omit cocoa powder and add 1-2 TBL lemon juice for a lemon pudding (it will be green however)

Enjoy!

Any tricks up your sleeve?  Post to comments.