Do You Have Picky Eaters in Your Home?
Preparing meals for picky eaters; children and elderly parents can be challenging. A picky eater is “one who eats an inadequate variety of foods through rejection of a substantial amount of foodstuffs that are both familiar and unfamiliar. “It’s a person who is unwilling to try new foods.
A picky eater is also someone who is accustomed to eating certain foods at a certain time and doesn’t want to change their routine.
As a Sandwiched Matriarch, I am challenged to prepare enticing meals for my elderly mother and granddaughter. My mother wants to drink sweet tea and coffee all day and is not interested in drinking water. My granddaughter doesn’t want to eat anything green.
So the question I have is how do I accommodate my picky eaters’ wants and ensure they eat healthier and get the necessary vitamins and nutrients they need?
Use of Protein Vitamin Supplement
My granddaughter does not eat eggs, grits, or hot cereal. Instead, she will eat cold cereal. Therefore, I look for breakfast cereals that are low in sugar. She eats Greek yogurt, and I add fresh blueberries or strawberries.
I make healthy pancakes and waffles for my mother and granddaughter by adding a scoop of Equi.Life daily nutritional support powder to pancake mix. You can top the pancakes with light syrup and fresh blueberries or strawberries and a dollop of whip cream.
I make healthy smoothies with green vegetables and protein powder with vitamins included. http://www.sandwichedmatriarchandmoney.com/equi.life
Picky Eater Meal Prep
I try various preparation methods for my granddaughter to get her more excited about eating vegetables. You can roast, boil, steam, or saute your vegetables. Each has its benefits, so it may be helpful to experiment with them all and find out which ones are best suited for your family.
For my mother, I need to cook the vegetable a little long so that they are softer to assist with chewing since she doesn’t have teeth. If you’re finding mealtime challenging, don’t give up—eating a healthy diet can take time!
As for your child, make sure your picky eater’s diet includes plenty of fruits. However, you don’t want your child bouncing off walls or suffering from hypoglycemia because he hasn’t eaten anything but apples and bananas all day.
A balanced diet is an essential part of growing up. Show them how eating a balanced diet will help them stay active and feel great! Also, please encourage them to give new foods a try by letting them have some control over what they eat.
Don’t Force the Issue
I remember as a child being forced to eat certain foods and not being allowed to leave the table until all of my food was gone. Forcing your child to eat a particular food may cause her to end up hating it.
Instead, try to encourage your child by telling her how happy you are that she tried something new. I am practicing patience with my granddaughter. As long as she takes a bite or two, I don’t force her to eat it all.
Making Mealtime Pleasant for Your Picky Eaters
Children have short attention spans, so if you don’t enjoy sitting down with them during mealtimes, your child may eat quickly and run.
Therefore, make mealtime an opportunity to spend time together without video games or television. As for my mother, I have found that she appreciates it when I take time and prepare her favorite meal occasionally!
Try to make mealtime pleasant.