Use a Plate of Flavor to Convince Picky Eaters to Try New Food
For picky kids, there is one rule of thumb when it comes to serving meals: keep them separate.
The peas should not touch the pasta, and the rice should be pinky’s distance from anything covered in the sauce. And don’t even think about slipping something new next to proven products. Trying to diversify their children’s diets (and perhaps even deviate from the beige food group), parents become frustrated, and meal times often escalate into a series of requests, bribes and threats.
Sally Kuzemchak, who runs the Real Mom Nutrition blog, gives advice on how to bring back the world: use a tasting plate .
“It’s a small dish that sits on the side of your child’s main plate,” she explains. “It’s a safe place to put the portions of the food you want them to taste.”
For Kuzemchak, a registered dietitian, the “try one bite” approach to picky eating has backfired . This caused her young son to take a defensive stance, challenge his independence and ruin the mood at the table. A plate of taste, on the other hand, serves as an invitation without pressure. Kuzemchak makes portions very, very small – the size of a small piece. Tasting is welcome but optional. And her kids are allowed to politely spit food into a napkin if they try and don’t like it.
Some more tips for using the tasting dish:
- Choose a fun little plate. White cockatiel is not that interesting.
- Call it what you want! One parent calls this a “Sample Cup”. I think I’ll call this the Plate of Courage. “If you’re feeling daring, try these foods that can make you a little nervous.”
- Keep it under low pressure . Don’t insist, saying, “Hey kid, don’t forget you have a plate of taste right there!” Avoid large production unless they are doing or not trying something on the plate. Some children don’t like being watched while they eat.