The Ten Commandments for Developing Healthy Eaters
Carol Ann Brannon, MS, RD, LD
Do you feel like a short-order cook at mealtimes to accommodate the picky eaters in your family? Are you concerned about the nutritional quality of your family’s diet? If so, you are not alone. Luckily, there are strategies you can employ to help transform your picky eater into a healthy eater.
Eating skills and food preferences evolve and develop throughout childhood. While we assume eating comes naturally, it is actually a complex process that involves all five senses, as well as the mechanics of chewing and swallowing. For many children with special needs, especially children with sensory integration challenges, eating can be an overwhelming experience. The results are often mealtime conflicts and parental concerns regarding nutrition and the possible negative effects on growth and development.
Parents can help their child become a healthier eater. It starts with assessing your child’s eating habits and determining where he is on the eating continuum. At one end of the continuum are the resistant eaters, in the middle are picky eaters, and at the opposite end of the continuum are healthy eaters. I prefer to characterize a child’s eating temperament with positive terms: resistant eaters are “a la carte”, picky eaters are “selective” and healthy eaters are “smorgasbord.”
There are Ten Commandments, or strategies, for overcoming “selective eater syndrome.” These strategies are applicable for “a la carte” eaters, but a more intensive, multidisciplinary therapy (speech, occupational, nutritional) is often more beneficial. These commandments are proven to be effective if parents are purposeful, persistent and positive. Will your efforts be rewarded with success? Yes, as long as you realistically define success. Consider it a success when your child allows a new food to be placed on his plate. Celebrate the first bite of a new food (even if it is spit out). Remember, helping your child develop healthy eating habits is a process. A healthy diet is essential to optimal wellness, cognitive development and performance.
Ten Commandments for Overcoming “Selective Eater Syndrome”
1. Be Responsible: Parents are the nutritional gatekeepers for their child and are responsible for: • What a child eats: choose whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat or skim dairy foods, “good” fats and healthy beverages • Where a child eats: establish places where eating is allowed • When a child eats: establish time guidelines for meals and snacks and stick to those times
2. Be Accepting: • Of how much your child eats • Of when your child says he is not hungry • Of your child only taking one bite of a “new” food
3. Be Persistent: Many parents stop offering a new food after a child refuses it once or twice. Research shows it takes 12 to 15 exposures before a child accepts a new food.
4. Be a Positive Role Model: Set a good example for your child. Let him see you enjoying healthy and new foods. Sit down with your family to eat. Don’t eat on the go or in front of the television.
5. Be Mindful: Focus on Food and Portions: • Eat without distractions. Children with sensory issues can be overwhelmed with the smell of food, the diversity of textures and the loud sounds from TV.• Pay attention to portion sizes. Do not eat right out of a bag or box. Portion out an appropriate serving. • Don’t allow children to “graze” during the day. • Portions for toddlers and preschools are smaller. Begin with 1 teaspoon of “less favorite” foods and gradually increase to 1 tablespoon.
6. Be Creative: Think presentation and nutritional enhancement. If your child refuses to eat a particular food, offer it in a different way. For example, if your child doesn’t like steamed broccoli, perhaps he will like raw broccoli with dip. Add fat-free refried beans to spaghetti sauce or taco meat, or try adding shredded zucchini or carrots to muffins.
7. Be Respectful: Allow your child to have eating quirks or wishes within reason. For example, respect that your child likes his sandwich cut diagonally or that he eats one food at a time.
8. Be Proactive: It’s important to expose picky eaters to a variety of foods. Allow your child to wash, handle or even play with foods he doesn’t like. Involve your child in menu planning and preparation. A child who helps prepare a dish is more likely to try the new food.
9. Be Calm: Avoid engaging in bribes or battles over food. Gain your child’s trust by inviting, instead of commanding, your child to try a new food. Give him permission to spit out the bite of a new food. You can even place a “spit” cup by his plate. Repeat this again and again in a non-confrontational manner.
10. Be Purposeful/Intentional: Make family meal times a priority by eating at least one meal together each day as a family. Keep the atmosphere light and happy. The dinner table is not the place for confrontational family discussions. Have family members share something good or funny that happened to them during their day. By implementing these commandments, you can help your child enjoy a healthy, well-balanced diet for a lifetime. It may not happen overnight, but your persistence will pay off with positive results for your entire family.
Resources and References for Parents and Professionals:
Ernsperger, L. and Stegen-Hanson, T. Just Take a Bite Easy, Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges! Published by Future Horizons, Inc 2004 www.FHautism.com
Slatter, Ellyn. “Child of Mine, Feeding with Love and Good Sense” 2000.
The American Dietetic Association (www.eatright.org)
Author Bio: Carol Ann Brannon, MS, RD, LD is a Registered, Licensed Dietitian in private practice in metro-Atlanta. She provides evidence-based nutrition therapy and food guidance/coaching for busy parents. Carol Ann specializes in autism, ADHD, food allergies/intolerances, sensory integration issues, obesity, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Yet, her most fulfilling role is being mom to four active and unique children. Carol Ann can be contacted at 404-409-1747 or cabnutrition@bellsouth.net