Creative Solutions to Deal with Picky Eaters

posted on Jun 05, 2024

Gurukul The School, recognized as the top CBSE school in Ghaziabad, firmly believe that it isn’t difficult to create colorful and visually appealing food plates,

How often do you put extra effort into chopping more vegetables and adding them to your dish to amp up the health factor of your recipes? We know that’s very frequent. But then, how do you feel when you see all those veggies being handpicked one by one and left on the plate by your kids? Unsurprisingly, this is a common scenario in most homes with children. After talking to many parents and kids, we at Gurukul The School, known as the top CBSE school in Ghaziabad, found a common theme – parents are more concerned about giving nutritious meals, while kids focus solely on taste and visual appearance.

It is why most kids, especially teenagers, love consuming junk food and ultra-processed food, even though they’re aware of how unhealthy it is. We understand that giving healthy, home-cooked meals can be a significant challenge for most parents, but there are ways to deal with picky eaters. If your kids regularly refuse to eat home-cooked food and are extremely picky with their food choices, start implementing the tips shared below.

• Involve Your Kids in Cooking Activities

You don’t necessarily have to engage your kids in direct cooking activities like cutting, chopping, etc., to make them engaged and invested in the process. If your kids are young, start taking them to grocery stores and encourage them to pick vegetables on your behalf. Since they will pick vegetables that appeal to them the most, they will look forward to the dishes you prepare with them. This simple activity will tempt them to eat home-cooked meals with little to no fuss.

You can add a fun twist to this activity by asking your kids to pretend to be a chef who has been hired to prepare delicious yet healthy meals for lunch/dinner. Then, see what food suggestions the kids give and prepare the same. It will increase their chances of eating food. Keep adding twists, so they participate wholeheartedly and start enjoying the food you cook.

• Convert Boring Mealtime into Exciting Adventure Trips

Sometimes, the biggest struggle with picky eaters is to get them to the dinner table. If you often find yourself in such situations, then we at Gurukul The School would like to recommend transforming everyday mealtime into an unpredictable adventure slot. Instead of telling the kids what’s for breakfast/lunch/dinner, tell them to take the ‘taste guess’ challenge. Start by blindfolding your kids and making them taste the cooked food. You don’t have to cook multiple dishes for such challenges. Instead, add a few dips and rotate each with every bite.

Additionally, you can also organize fun food nights, like Taco Tuesdays, Falafel Fridays, etc., to make your kids eagerly wait for them. Organizing such theme days can break the monotonous cooking routine and will introduce your kids to a diverse food palette from around the world.

• Use Their Curiosity to Your Advantage

We all know that kids are inquisitive and like exploring new things, places, people, etc. Parents can use this trait to their advantage by encouraging kids to find newer recipes online. However, add a twist to it. Instead of asking your kids to find simple recipes, add some filters to make it slightly challenging. Like, tell them to find recipes that are easy to make, don’t require too many ingredients, and are healthy.

Make it compulsory to find recipes that tick all the boxes you created and set a timer for the process. By the end of half an hour or more, you’ll have plenty of recipes you can consider for cooking. Since the kids have put so much effort into finding these recipes, they’ll be more interested in trying them.

• Make All Meals Visually Appealing

A good presentation can tempt even the pickiest eaters to try food that would have otherwise been rejected even before eating. We at Gurukul The School, recognized as the top CBSE school in Ghaziabad, firmly believe that it isn’t difficult to create colorful and visually appealing food plates, especially with so many nutritional vegetables, fruits, dips, etc., easily available at the click of a button on grocery apps.

Start using cookie cutters instead of regular knives to cut fruits, present salad in rainbow format by arranging thin slices, etc. You can also try newer recipes and give them new names to intrigue your kids into having food. Create innovative recipes using your kid’s favorite ingredients and see them wanting more.

Conclusion

All parents want their children to eat healthy, home-cooked meals that fulfil their daily nutritional requirements. While it sounds simple, most parents struggle to make their kids eat home-cooked meals every day, especially if their kids are picky eaters. If it resonates with you, start implementing the tips discussed in this blog post. You can follow one or all of the tips that look convenient and easy to start. If some tips appear difficult, you can always tweak these tips to better adjust to your home situations and kid’s preferences. Incorporating these changes can feel challenging in the beginning, but they’ll definitely become easy to handle over a period.