Try It!
I have to admit that I was (and to some extent, still am) a picky eater. In an effort to rid the world of its picky eaters, the Sacramento Bee’s Dan Vierria interviewed Frances Boswell, who along with her mother-in-law Elisabeth Luard, wrote Food Adventures: Knowing Good Food from the Start. The book provides “strategies and offers recipes from a variety of cultures to help parents raise enlightened children with adventurous palates.” Here are few excerpts from Vierria’s interview with Boswell (you can read the entire article here).
Q: Why are some children picky eaters?
A: I’m always amazed that children rebel against the two greatest pleasures in life — food and sleep. I do think it’s something sort of innate, it’s something they can control. As time goes on, they see Mom not eating the crust of her bread and the child will tend to do the same. Fish has a strong taste, but if you’ve had it from the beginning, chances are you’ll like it.
Q: What tactics work best when children refuse to eat a certain food?
A: If they refuse, you can’t make them eat it. I say, ‘You need to try it once.’ I ask them why they didn’t like it, and sometimes it’s something like, ‘It’s got a green spot on it.’ A lot of it is patience and persevering. It’s easy to get into a bad cycle with children.
Q: How can adults help children try a variety of foods?A: Offer them different things. When you set up a child to draw, you don’t give them one crayon. You give them several and help them create what they want to create. You never want to plop down a huge portion of anything in front of your child. They like small amounts. They want it to look manageable, not daunting. They’ve got other things to do, like plug up the toilet.
[Photo from Wikipedia]
