Last weekend, I had a friend, who used to be a caterer, over for dinner. We both have two kids and one picky eater each. I thought, because he was a chef, he’d give me the ole “if you let them cook with you, chances are they will be more interested in what you are making and be more apt to try it.” I have heard that so many times and that may work for the slightly picky/moody eater, but not mine. Case and point: tonight we made home made pizzas, using Mario Batali’s grilled pizza recipe. By the way, it was outrageously good and we did a whole pizza taste test where we grilled two pies and baked two in the oven on a stone. The grilled guys were 1000 times better, and I didn’t think pizza could get any better than from my oven stone. The grilling cooked it all the way through and made it crunchy and airy. Yum-o! Anyway, back to my picky eater, he had a blast helping me assemble the pizzas-he “painted” on the sauce and added the mozz, which was made fresh about an hour before from the cheese shop in my town. Did he want to eat any of the fresh cheese? No, his answer was only, “yucky,” as we were all inhaling it around him. He did, however, take a spoon and eat the grated Romano cheese out of the bucket. Why? I can’t even begin to explain this one.
Needless to say, he ate the pizza because it is one food he enjoys. But I can assure you, this had nothing to do with the fact that he helped me prepare it. We have tried this so many times where it doesn’t work.
However, the one thing I did notice this past weekend, was that he did break down and try something new when he saw another kid eat it. It’s almost like, seeing the other kid do it made my picky eater realize he would live if he gave it a bite. So my advice is, as part of the picky eater’s introduction to new foods, try it when you have some friends or family over when he can see people other than his parents or siblings trying things. I’m all about not pressuring the child to try new foods. He’ll come around when he’s ready. But I couldn’t contain myself when I saw him sampling a rib the other day.
The other thing my son did, which I thought was really cute, was take an interest in my garden. He is not intrigued, at least not yet, by the tomatoes that are just starting to pop, or the peas, but he did taste, with my slight encouraging, my herbs. I started with the mint plant, knowing he would like the taste, and he actually took a leaf and bit it. He said is famous line, “yucky” but then kept going and tried basil, thyme, and some lettuces and then back to the mint. To me, this was a milestone as I saw him try some pretty intense flavors and not run away screaming.
It may be that he is just maturing, but I do think these picky eaters will try foods in their own time and it is not something to worry about. As long as they are eating a balanced and healthy diet, if they never try the Boeuf Bourguignon that you slaved over, they’ll live even if it makes your life difficult.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:47 am
i understand why they don’t wanna eat we picky eaters hate
June 24th, 2008 at 6:48 am
food
June 24th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
I’m a picky eater too,
i think sometimes people just need to understand that some people can’t and won’t eat certain foods, its the same as tastes in movies and music and all types of things.
June 24th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I don’t eat pork or steak, I tell you guys how often that issue is present when ordering a pizza with friends, haha.
June 24th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
I used to be a daycare provider, so we had an abundance of picky eaters. I do believe kids need to eat a diverse spread of different foods. My only rule when it comes to trying new things is what I call the “thank you bite”. If they don’t like it after the first bite, they can say no thank you. It might take a couple of tries to get any kid to eat just one bite, but it does work. And surprisingly, after that first bite, they will usually eat it. I will say that I never force a child to eat anything, but if they know what to expect, it does take the pressure off.
June 28th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
I have cooked for children and seniors and every diet and nutrition need.
People in general are picky.
It is the only thing we have control over.
It takes only a few more minutes but if you put food on the counter or second table seperatly people will generally take what looks good. Once they try it then you have them write it down - I tried— and like it today. Or I will try — again sometime.
Don’t give them the option of don’t like or yucky.once they have a list you can make wonderfull meals.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:45 am
I have two boys both have their picky eating moments. Yet I have had great success with getting them to eat most of what I serve. When they started eating solids I blended the appropriate foods in the blender for them, no jars of baby food. So when they graduated to different textures the taste was the same and the food was healthy. I also give them a top of the line vitamin and DHA supplements so if they don’t eat what is on their plate I know they are not lacking nutrition. As we have all heard from our docs kids will eat when they are hungery. I don’t push it.
July 3rd, 2008 at 8:46 am
I have one boy who is picky. He is a Sensory child. Certain textures or smells makes him avoid food all together. We tried the “help me fix” scrambled eggs. we cut out pictures, pasted them onto paper, discussed each picture of the egg. He was willing to help the whole way, until the egg was cooked. At that point he wanted nothing to do with it. He goes into tears if I make him only touch it. If a child is picky there are usually more things involved rather than he just won’t eat it.
July 9th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
My son decided at age five that he wanted to be a vegetarian. I made up a big pot of red beans and rice and he ate it up stated that it was good and asked for more. He is now eightteen still a vegetarian and doing very well. He eats all vegetables and likes pretty much everything. The biggest question that I get is “aren’t you afraid that he won’t get all of his vitamins?” When he started this his pediatrician told me that if he did not get the vitamins and minerals he needed that he would not grow. I think he did okay since now he is the biggest of all of us.
July 10th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
when i was younger, my mom made me somthing that was like salmon but i thought it was chicken and i would eat it and say yummy! then she would say, “katie, that was salmon, and now ou like it” and so now i really like salmon, i was just afraid to try it. try this with your kids, it really works!!! =]
July 11th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
What do you do if the picky eater you have is your husband. I have never had a problem getting my kids to eat anything. My 15 year old would eat mushroom pizza at 2. But my husband is terrible. He doesnt eat anything. No white sauce, mayos, dressing, no weird cheeses, tomatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, olives, It would be easier to list the things he does eat. I watch the show and would love to try all the recipes that rachel cooks, but I would have to take out about 75% of the ingredients, and then what would I have. I dont know what to do. His idea of a good salad is iceberg lettuce with salt and pepper. I am at a loss for things to cook.