Try New Food by Jill Castle

Author:Jill Castle
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nourished Child Press
Published: 2019-12-12T19:43:40+00:00

Where do you think these emotions come from? (past childhood experiences, overwhelm, self-comparison to others, etc.)

In what ways are your emotional responses helping or potentially harming your child?

What positive emotional responses would you like to cultivate and foster?

Why Fun Is So Important

Food should be fun. That’s the goal, anyway. Food that’s considered “fun” shouldn’t only be indulgent (candy, cookies or other treats). All food and eating can be fun, or at a minimum, a positive experience. When there’s no fun or the experience is negative or stressful, food and eating can (and probably will) become problematic.

Not only will injecting some fun into the eating experience lighten the atmosphere, it will potentially capitalize on your child’s curiosity. Here are some creative ideas to help you keep the fun in food:

Add Color. Make sure there is color on your child’s plate. Fruits and vegetables add a lot of color, so be sure to include them in the meal, even if you’re not sure your child will eat them. Color appeals to the eye and is associated with greater satisfaction with eating.10 Additionally, colorful food is an easy sign that food is nutritious, or in other words, has high nutritional value.

Shape Interest. Cutting food into shapes such as squares, circles, triangles, and strips can peak interest in food. I’m not suggesting you turn into a “Pinterest Mom,” designing every morsel your child eats into a Picasso-worthy piece of art. Who has time for that? I never ventured far from rectangles, four-by-four squares, and triangles myself, which was enough to keep my kids guessing and interested. That could be enough for your child, too. Sure, cookie cutters can make a plain square sandwich much more interesting, so if it’s easy and you’ve got the time, go for it. If your child is young, be sure to cut food into bite-size shapes or finger foods that are easy to pick up and handle, which helps reduce the risk of choking.

Put It On a Stick. String foods like meat, cheese, fruit, and vegetables on toothpicks or skewers to make kabobs. Also, alternating cheese, meat, and bread, or fruit and cheese makes eating fun and interesting for a child. Transform a typical sandwich into a skewered sandwich. Be sure to supervise young children when they use sticks of any kind.

Build It and Your Child Will Come. Make a yogurt parfait by layering yogurt, cereal, and fruit. Stack waffles, peanut butter, and banana for a nutritious twist on the typical pancake breakfast. Build a cracker sandwich with meat, cheese, and spinach or nut butter, honey, and raisins. Or better yet, put the ingredients on a plate or platter and let your child build it on his own terms.

Use Taste Tests. When you’re cooking in the kitchen, invite your child to come in and evaluate the flavors and texture of what you’re making. Use a formal process including an evaluation form. Have your child mark the flavors he tastes such as sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy. Include an area for texture: smooth, crunchy, wet, or lumpy.

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