Tips for Picky Eaters

• Hide it. Incorporating fruits and vegetables into sauces, casseroles, and other prepared dishes is simple and effective.  Chop finely (or use a grater) to include zucchini, carrots, or squash into a favorite marinara sauce and serve with pasta. Minced vegetables work well in meatloaf and chicken casseroles as well. Add some spinach or banana to a smoothie for an extra boost of vitamins and minerals.
• Bake, Roast, or Sauté.  Changing the way we prepare foods can change how we feel about them. If you don’t like a certain vegetable; try different methods of preparation.  For example, you could try roasting broccoli, brussel sprouts or cauliflower instead of your usual method. Different methods of cooking can bring out different flavors, make vegetables a little sweeter or even reduce the bitterness in certain produce. Steamed asparagus is milder than roasted; sautéed onions are sweeter than raw.  Try it. You might like it!
• Consider growing your own vegetables this year. Plant a small garden or even a few plants in pots on a patio or balcony. Watching plants grow, simple as it seems, can inspire picky eaters to give them a try. The bonus is that fresh vegetables taste better. If growing your own vegetables is not your thing; consider browsing at a farmer’s market this spring and summer. Shopping local can bring you the freshest and best tasting produce.
• Give it some time …don’t give up if your picky eater doesn’t like something. Tastes change, and we can get used to new flavors over time. Consider cutting back on consumption of sugars (food and drink). When we consume less sugar, our taste buds become more sensitive to sweetness in all foods.

Tastes are generally learned, and we can learn to enjoy new foods. Give healthy foods a chance and add a new food or two to your grocery list this week!

Resource: Complete Wellness Solutions, Completely Well Newsletter, March 2020. Retrieved 5/7/2020.