3 Things to Try Tonight at Dinner

Parents want their kids to eat a healthy and balanced diet, and may feel like failing if they don't. Sound familiar?

If you're the parent of a fussy eater, you’re well aware of the struggle of trying to get a child to eat a variety of foods. I know you’ve tried many things, and I also know that most of the things you tried were revolving around encouragement talk at the table. But this “strategy” is mostly felt by children as pressure to eat, and pressuring children to eat can backfire, causing them to feel anxious or resentful towards food. That's why pressure-free meals are a great approach to feeding.

The following are habits I have encouraged over the years working with families who were willing to widen their children’s range of accepted foods with relatively straightforward success because they aim for replacing pressure to eat with relaxed environment at eating time. Check it out:

1. FAMILY MEALS

Sitting down to eat together with your loved ones is a way to bond, communicate, and nourish the body and soul. Research shows that family meals can have a positive impact on children's physical and mental health, as well as on the family's overall well-being*.

Family meals also provide an opportunity for parents to model healthy eating and how to behave at the table. Your child is watching you and will imitate you and other adults they trust and respect.

Beyond the health benefits, family meals also have social and emotional benefits. Sitting down to eat together allows family members to connect, share stories, and discuss their day. It's a chance to unwind and catch up on each other's lives.

Making family meals a regular part of your routine doesn't have to be complicated. And it can be any meal of the day, not only dinner. And it doesn’t have to be every day, if busyness of life doesn’t permit. Whenever you manage to make it happen, make it a happy time. Keep reading and get more tools to achieve that…

2. LIKED FOODS OFFERED ALONG WITH NOT-YET-LIKED ONES

Offer one or two foods that your child feels comfortable with and that provide a sense of security and familiarity to them – and they can fill their tummies with if they aren’t ready to try the other foods.

The key is to make sure that the liked food is not the only option. Offer a variety of options at each meal. This will give your child a chance to explore new flavours and textures.

It's also important to remember that it can take several exposures to a new food before a child will try it. Don't give up if your child refuses a new food the first time it's served. Continue to offer it in small portions and in different preparations.

3. LET YOUR CHILD DECIDE

Once you have done your job which is to provide – by it I mean provide a conducive environment by sitting down to eat with your child and offer at least one food they like – let your child decide if, what and how much they want to eat from what you offered. This gives them a sense of control and helps them learn to listen to their body's hunger and fullness signals.

It may all sound counter-productive, but if you manage to establish these three [new] habits and do it consistently, you will soon heap the benefits and see your child becoming more relaxed at the table, you will find yourself more relaxed too, and good eating will follow.

*reference

Systematic review of the effects of family meal frequency on psychosocial outcomes in youth (Study, 2015, Canada).