A S.A.D. Diet
Baby Bites began thirty years ago. I was like most moms, not having a clue as to what was in the food I was purchasing. Our family ate the Standard American Diet, which is S.A.D. My journey to whole foods began when Jenny, my third daughter, was diagnosed as hyperactive. Her pediatrician wanted to write a prescription at her two-year check-up to control her symptoms.Jenny was constantly moving and she had a short attention span. We found ourselves adjusting our routines just to accommodate her.  More worrisome, Jenny had great difficulty falling asleep. Bedtime took hours for her to settle down.
>For the rest of the story.


No More Food Battles
Did you know, my grandson, Joshy, was the inspiration for my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater? He regularly at only a few foods, while refusing to eat most foods. In fact, he wouldn’t even touch foods he’d predetermined to be “yucky.” He was such a picky eater that it had begun to affect his health. Despite Julie-ann and David’s best efforts, food battles were the norm. They tried every parenting trick and were at a loss what to do next. If you have a picky eater, you know firsthand how frustrating it can be to get her to eat one nutritious tidbit.
>There’s More.

Picky Eaters Can Love Veggies
The only vegetables six-year-old Heather eats are French fries and ketchup-and that’s using the term “vegetable” loosely. What’s alarming is that she’s not alone. Today over 60 percent of children, ages two to nine, don’t consume the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. You might be surprised, but even the most resistant child can learn to love healthy foods.
>There’s More.

Despite Julie-ann and David’s best efforts, food battles were the norm. They tried every parenting trick and were at a loss what to do next. If you have a picky eater, you know firsthand how frustrating it can be to get her to eat one nutritious tidbit.

On the other hand, my granddaughter Nicole, loves whole foods. Nicole just turned two and mealtimes are always an adventure for her. Instinctively she uses all her senses during mealtimes. She regularly bypasses the spoon and picks up food in her hands, feeling its texture before taking a bite.

The first time a sweet potato is offered to Nicole, she gives in to her curiosity. Picking up and examining a piece of the orange tuber, she squishes it between her fingers. Her joy is evident as she presses the warm sweet potato through her fingers and then plops it onto her plate.

Joshy is on pictured on the right and Nicole on the left.

Nicole doesn’t immediately taste it, but continues in her discovery of the attributes of the sweet potato. She then turns her attention to the rest of her meal. Eventually, she comes back to the sweet potato and without prompting, a small sample finds its way into her mouth. Nicole, naturally uses all her senses in her discovery of various foods.

Parents expect taste alone should be enough when introducing new foods to their child. Here’s some food for thought: employ all the senses when introducing healthful foods to any child, especially a picky eater. Learning to eat nutritious foods is a process, in which all the senses must be engaged. This is called multi-sensory learning.

Most picky eaters need to be taught how to incorporate multi-sensory learning into their mealtimes. It doesn’t matter if you’re four or forty, multi-sensory learning works. Once a picky eater’s senses are engaged, she’ll be on the road to healthy eating. Auditory learning is essential and discussing the meal is vital. Keep the conversation about the food positive. “What color is broccoli? Green food is yummy! Is the broccoli smooth or rough?” What does is smell like? Surprisingly, the last sense to incorporate is taste.

To avoid food battles, make mealtime a learning experience. Whenever possible engage your child’s senses with food preparation. Children are like sponges as they soak up everything around them. Encourage your picky eater to appreciate once-refused foods, which have unique colors, textures, smells, and tastes. Each food is different and different is fun.

Learning to appreciate new foods should always be a multi-sensory experience. Yes, it’s necessary for your child to pick up his food in order to learn about its characteristics. So, get the handy wipes ready!

Multi-sensory learning is the foundation of the Baby Bite Steps. In fact, in about a week, after the implementation of the Baby Bite Steps, even the most food-resistant child will pick up and eat a formerly refused food.

To learn how to transform your picky toddler, preschooler, or grade schooler into a healthy eater… Buy the Book at the Baby Bites Store Now! Click Here.

Ten-year-old Annie is extremely social. Even though she’s not a picky eater, she rarely finishes her school lunch, because she’s chatting with her friends After her mom noticed food returning in her lunchbox, she warned Annie to stop talking so much during the lunch break and “to eat her lunch!” Food did stop coming home.Regrettably, after their talk, in order to avoid a scolding, Annie began to throw away the uneaten portions of her lunch.

How do you convince your child to eat the lunch you send to school? Is your child a picky eater? This is a real dilemma for moms, who are concerned about developing healthy eating habits in their children.

The answer could be as simple as adjusting the amount of food you send with your child. A half a sandwich, with the other items in a lunch bag, might be all that a six-year-old can consume during the time allotted.

Since parents have no real control of what their kids eat at school, I suggested that Annie’s mom have another talk with her. She should once again explain the necessity of eating the lunch prepared for her. Her mom assured her that she wouldn’t be punished if she didn’t eat all of her lunch. Annie should do her best to eat during the lunch break and bring home what’s left over-that way mom will know exactly how much food was consumed.

For the child, who isn’t eating much of her lunch, control what you can at home. Pack fewer items, so that less food will be wasted. Send your child off to school with  a stick-to-your-ribs breakfast full of protein and whole grains. Then, make sure your child’s after-school snack is a mini-meal.

Trading is also outside of parents’ control. Eight-year-old Joey trades parts of his nutritious lunch for the junk food his mom doesn’t purchase. Sometimes children won’t ‘fess-up to their trading food in order to avoid discipline.

Affirm how much you love your child and the benefits of the food you’re including in his lunch bag. Discuss with your child the reasons why junk food is unhealthy might help some. Providing nutritious yummy treats will help more. Again control what you can at home. After school snacks should be healthful.

Many times kids don’t eat their lunches out of plain boredom. PB&J can be tolerated only so many times. Adjust your thinking to nutrients, not sandwiches. Many times appealing lunches involve “planned-overs.” That’s making enough of something for dinner for a “planned-over” lunchbox item.

Exciting lunches happen when you “think outside the lunchbox!” Try something different than the traditional PB&J sandwich. For variety, make an almond butter and banana sandwich cut into a fun shape with a cookie cutter. Or draw a funny face on a hardboiled egg.

Plan for left-overs: A meatball sandwich with sauce or meatloaf on a whole-grain roll. Get creative with egg, chicken, and tuna salad sandwiches on whole-grain bread, add sprouts for texture and extra nutrition.

Healthy snacks can become yummy lunches. Here are a dozen alternatives to the sandwich, just to whet your appetite:

>Hardboiled egg and whole-grain muffin. For the younger child, practice cracking and peeling eggs at home.

>Tuna in a 3 ounce can and a small plastic container with Italian dressing. Show him at home how to take the tuna out of the small can and mix it in the container with the dressing. You may have to practice opening a pull-top can, using the plastic fork as leverage.

>Apple, carrot, and raisin salad

>Veggie sticks and a dip

>Brown rice salad with bite-sized chicken pieces

>Cold slice of pizza

>Small cheese ball with whole-grain crackers

>Chicken wings or a drumstick

>3-bean salad (if you purchase this ready-made, be sure sugar isn’t listed in the ingredients)

>Any green salad; pack dressing separately

>Sliced apples and peanut or almond butter. Send the nut butter in a separate container for dipping. Add whole-grain crackers or a whole-grain muffin.

>3-grain salad made with barley, brown rice, and corn.

Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater has more ideas for healthy lunches!

Buy the Book at the Baby Bites Store Now! Click Here.