Tips for picky eaters
Our 7 year old daughter will not eat very many different things. She seems to eat macaroni and cheese more than any thing else. She does not like to try new foods, especially veggies. She seems to eat foods high in fat best. Her weight and growth are normal. She also take vitamins daily. Should I be concerned about her eating?
Question:Sue Gilbert
Sue Gilbert works as a consulting nutritionist. For many years she worked with Earth's Best Organic Baby Food, integrating nutrition and... Read more
Dear Mitchell,
Your daughter is displaying typical 7 year old eating behavior. Until about age 10 children have a limited number of foods they readily accept. She will GRADUALLY increase the number of foods she will eat as she gets older. This does not mean you should not be concerned about her diet, however. Your job is to make sure that she is exposed to a variety of healthy foods and that she be encouraged to try them.
At the same time, you do not want to make a big issue about it. The best thing you can do is to offer nutritious foods in a non-pressured way. The more your daughter sees them on the table, and sees the rest of the family eating and enjoying them the more she is apt to eventually try them. Also, always give her an out if she does agree to try something. Allow her to spit the food out if she finds it too repulsive. My kids have taken more than one trip to the kitchen sink to do just that, but I give them credit for trying!
It is also very normal for kids to seem to exist on one food, eg peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, pizza, etc. You can try and balance the meals out by offering other foods they like. If your daughter refuses vegetables, try offering more fruit instead. Fruits and veggies offer pretty much the same nutrients and so can be interchangeable in her diet.
Maybe you can find a different way of serving the vegetables that will make them more appealing to her. Kids love to dip. Try serving fresh vegetables with a dip she would enjoy. I encourage you to plant a vegetable garden with her this summer. There is nothing like taking ownership in the raising of vegetables to get a child to eat them. You should see the neighborhood kids join my kids in their garden in pulling up the ripe carrots, hosing them off and then eating them right there in the back yard. They also love walking through the pea patch and eating the peas fresh out of the pod.
There are many tricks for hiding vegetables in recipes. Shredded or pureed vegetables can be added to spaghetti sauce. Muffins are another great place for them. If your daughter likes mac and cheese, perhaps she would enjoy a cheesy creamed vegetable soup? Use your imagination, or visit the local bookstore for a recipe book for kids.
Seven years old is also a good time to get your children to actively participate in the kitchen. They can, with adult supervision, cut up fruit for a fruit salad, or vegetables for a lettuce salad. There are some creative and fun cookbooks designed with just such a purpose in mind.
Seven is a good time to begin to try and reduce the amount of fat in your daughter's diet. Developing a taste for foods low in fat will serve her well for a lifetime. In order to do this, you need to restrict the fatty foods that you bring into the house that she has access to. Fat is still an important part of her diet, but in moderation.
Continue with her vitamins, but concurrently, do a little informal nutrition education with her so that she learns what goodness is in food and also that taking a vitamin each day is not an excuse to eat poorly the rest of the day.
The simple answer to your question is yes and no. Yes you should be concerned about her diet in order to keep it on track, and no you should not be concerned because her eating is very typical for a seven year old.
Thank you for writing.
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