As a parent, you want your child to always be eating good nutritious meals, and picky eating isn’t conducive to that.

Although there may be some foods that your children will never agree to eat, no matter how much time is spent in trying to cajole them into doing so, by taking some simple steps you may be able to convince your kids to give some foods a second chance:

1.    Don’t push! While it may seem counterproductive to parents trying to entice their children to eat a wider variety of foods, pushing too hard will only have the opposite effect. You want to be supportive and give reasons for trying new foods- otherwise your children will begin to associate the foods themselves to the negative experience of being forced to do what they don’t want.

2.    Don’t cater! At the same time, you want to refrain from encouraging the picky behaviour. Make good healthy options available at as many meals as you can, but do not cook “special” kids meals or a separate meal for your child (unless there is an allergy or something out of his/her control). If your child refuses to eat the meal it will not hurt them to skip one meal and perhaps that is all it will take to realize you will not be serving special additions any longer.

3.    Give choices! Create meals with plenty of different types of healthy foods, including fruits, veggies, meats and more. Encourage your child to try a bite of everything but don’t force it. With plenty of fresh foods and healthy options mixed in, it is unlikely your child will find nothing to like. Better yet, hide a few “good” foods into the usual options. Some fresh veggies mixed in a casserole or into a smoothie is a good start.

4.    Give it time! After being picky for long periods of time, often a child’s whole life, it may take some time to get used to the idea of eating new foods. Don’t give up if your child rejects new foods many times. Reintroduce healthy options as often as possible.

5.    Be a good role model! If your child doesn’t see you eating the same foods, he or she will be more unlikely to try them. Show your child that they are enjoyable by example.