If you have a picky eater in your home then now is the time to take action! I interviewed Nutritionist and Founder of Eat2Grow, Veronica La Marca, for her tips on surviving mealtimes with picky eaters.

The one thing that parents and children alike struggle with the most is mealtime. In my interview with Veronica we talk about her top tips on how you can end those battles at dinner tonight! She shares 5 easy ways, which will make a huge difference in your family’s life.

NOTE: You can watch our full Instagram Live here. Below I share 5 key takeaways.

Takeaway #1:   Set Expectations

Be aware of your own expectations.  Do you expect your child to eat all that is offered to him?  Would you be willing to let go of expectations of whether they try something or not?

If you are going to family or friends for dinner, give your child a heads up on what to expect.  For example, “so and so will be there.  There will be lots of different types of food.  You can try whatever you feel comfortable with.”

If family or friends are giving you a hard time about their eating habits, you can respond by saying something like, “We are trying something new and it’s working for us so far.”

Takeaway #2: Family Style Meals

This is a favourite in our family.  We just set out all the food on the table and the kids decide what and how much to put on their plates.  This is completely different than how I grew up.  My parents made my plate and expected me to finish everything that was on it.  You know starving children out in the world and all.  Not that saying this makes a difference for young kids.

Giving kids control over what they put on their plate gives them a sense of autonomy and avoids power struggles.

Takeaway #3: Avoid Labelling Your Child

Labelling our child a “picky eater” leaves us feeling stuck and creates a barrier to understanding. When we come to conclusions about who a child is, we pigeonhole them and stunt their evolution.  Our outer voice of them being a ‘picky eater’ becomes their inner voice and they hold on to this belief.

Takeaway #4: Give them a Preferred Food

Having a “safe” food available at dinner along with other foods ensures that there is something they will eat and reduces the pressure to have to eat something “new” or that they don’t like right now! Cuz remember, things change.

Veronica’s example was, say your child likes chicken nuggets. Serve the chicken nuggets, family style, with the rest of the food. Anyone can have some of the nuggets so the “picky” child doesn’t feel it is “special” just for them and that it’s because they don’t eat what the rest of the family eats. This also ensures your child isn’t singled out, makes them feel included and gives them an opportunity to try other things on the table with no pressure or expectations.

They might not have the most diverse diet right now but doesn’t mean it will always be that way.  Modelling healthy eating habits and relationship with food is what you can control and what our kids are seeing.  Focus there. This brought up Veronica’s thoughts on desserts…

Takeaway #5: Serve Desserts with Main Meal

Veronica’s advice here, “Having desserts occasionally doesn’t mean they aren’t a healthy eater!”  Thinking about when you have pizza and a beer, do you beat yourself up for it or enjoy it and recognize it isn’t your daily diet?

Avoid using desserts as a bribe to get your kids to eat a meal.  This creates an unhealthy relationship with sweets. Veronica’s recommendation is to serve a small portion of dessert with their main meal.  Let them choose when to eat it.  That way you aren’t making the dessert the “star” and puts it on an even playing field, Veronica says.

Giving kids access to sweets helps them learn how to manage them.  If we always restrict them and make them feel so special they may over eat because they don’t know the next time they will have it.

Kids are conditioned to get desserts as a reward to eating dinner so changing habits will take time.  Be patient and give yourself some self-compassion.  It takes time and practice and support to get through it. You are not alone!

Watch the full Instagram Live here where Veronica also shares her thoughts on kids sitting for dinner. Leave a comment if you found this helpful!