In fact, you regularly invite him in.
Unless your children are driving and have an income, they’re eating the foods you purchase. Children aren’t the only ones controlled by the sugar monster. It’s estimated that American adults get about 20 percent of their daily calories from sugar. That’s alarming!

It translates to approxi- mately 150 pounds of sugar in a year, or 2½ pounds a week! What’s worse, children eat more sugar than their parents and the picky child is eating fewer foods, but consuming just much sugar!

Without fail, children love fast food and fun food. Both are loaded with sugar.

Pictured: Jonah making cookies for a class project. 

Tiny taste buds grow to prefer these tastes. So much so, that the taste for sugar hinders appreciation of healthy foods!

When foods loaded with added sugars aren’t readily available, you won’t be tempted to eat them and your kids won’t either.

You can restrict impact the sugar monster has on your family when your pantry is stocked with nutritious foods, so you’ll have plenty of healthy snacking options. Get in the habit of reading labels, you’ll be amazed at how much sugar is in the processed foods you purchase. 

When you offer your children a treat, make it a nutritious one. And for those occasions when a sweet treat is given, make it yourself so that the very best ingredients are used. 

Now for the good news! Taste buds have a type of thermostat. What you’ve eaten in the preceding week affects your taste buds. Your preferences today are affected by what you ate yesterday. So, when you and your children stop eating sugar, your taste buds adjust and whole food will become more flavorful! You’ll be amazed at how sweet an orange or an apple can be, when your palette adjusts.

I discuss in more detail how sugar interferes with healthy eating habits, especially for the picky eater, in my book: Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater…
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Perhaps Mother Earth News has the answer to this age-old question!

True free-range eggs are far more nutritious than eggs from commercially raised hens. They say, eggs from hens raised on pasture contain more omega-3 fatty acids, beta carotene, and vitamins A and E! That’s great news! The reason, they say, are the differences in diet between free-range pastured hens and commercially farmed hens.

It’s no surprise, that most egg industry advocates still feel strongly that commercially farmed eggs are no different from eggs from pastured hens. They feel that hens’ diets don’t alter their eggs nutritional value.

BUT, Mother Earth News points out the flawed definition of “free-range.” The USDA defines “free-range” as chickens that have “access to the outside.” However, it leaves out a lot information. It doesn’t define their diets, or whether or not the “outside access” is to a cement courtyard or a field fit for foraging.

I think the chicken crossed the road, because she was truly free-range and could!

You’ll want to read, Chicken the Solution for Dinner, Click Here.

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You can feel good when you make these Italian Chicken Sticks, because they’re baked, not fried. These are guaranteed to please, not only your kids, but the gang when they come over to watch the game. Even the most picky eater will love these Italian Chicken Sticks! They’re also good to make ahead and heat up for when you have to eat and run.

1. Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

2. Put three slices of whole wheat bread in a blender; pulse until you have fine crumbs. Pour the crumbs onto a cookie sheet and place in the oven to toast, while it’s heating up. This will take only a few minutes, don’t over toast the crumbs.

3. Measure into a small bowl ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1½ teaspoons of dried thyme, basil, and oregano; ½ teaspoons of garlic powder, salt and pepper.

4. Cut 3 boneless chicken breasts into ½ inch strips. Remove the bread crumbs from the oven and mix with the cheese and herbs. Dip the chicken strips in olive oil, then dredge in the bread and cheese mixture. Place the chicken strips in a single layer on a baking sheet, for extra crisp chicken pieces, first place a wire rack on the baking sheet.

5. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

It makes my mouth water, just thinking about these yummy chicken sticks.

You might be surprised, even the most resistant child can learn to love healthy foods. Kids discover that veggies are yummy when you engage all their senses. By making a few simple changes in your routine, you can teach your kids to love vegetables.

In a nutshell, fast food and junk food have replaced whole food. Before you even begin, you must stock healthful foods. It’ll be difficult to convince your picky eater to eat nutritious foods, if sugar, white flour, and altered fats are common ingredients found in your kitchen. Read labels and clean out junk foods from your kitchen! Replace processed snack items with nuts, fruit, and veggies slices.

Obviously, your kid’s snacking must be controlled. A child, who has eaten less than an hour and half before a meal, won’t eagerly eat a food predetermined to be “yucky!” And don’t expect your child will love a new food the first time it’s offered.

Do expect your kid to discover all the food’s attributes. Involve all the senses. A common misconception is that a veggie is rejected because of its taste. But according to current research, dislike of various foods most often results from the texture, smell, or even the color of what is to be eaten.

Eating vegetables is a learning process and you’re the teacher so enjoy eating them yourself! Learning involves all the senses. This is called multi-sensory learning. For the picky eater to be transformed into a healthy eater,  it’s vital that you include all the senses during mealtimes. Discuss the attributes of various foods with your child. Pick up and feel its texture. What color is it? What does it smell like? How does it feel in your mouth? Make it fun! Kids love to be a part of the process.

Involve your child with grocery shopping. Have your toddler hold an item from the produce department, while you’re shopping in the store. Discuss the value of the foods you’re purchasing. Give older children a job to do, such as reading the nutrition facts on labels. For example, look for the sugar content on the nutrition label or convert grams to teaspoons before placing items in your cart. Another idea is to have your child to pick one item from the produce department, which he has never tasted. Then get your kids involved in meal preparation.

Make mealtime a happy family time. The table should be a stress-free zone. It’s vital that both dad and mom keep the conversation around the table happy. A good way to transition from a hectic day is to begin the meal by thanking God for what He has done.

Always discuss how wonderful the food smells and tastes, especially vegetables. Take every opportunity during mealtimes to educate your child about healthful foods. Always be positive about the food served.

In every way, reinforce Try Rannosaurus’ favorite exclamation, “Green food is Yummy!” Try is one of the characters I created to incorporate multi-sensory learning for young picky eaters in my book, Baby Bites: Transforming a Picky Eater into a Healthy Eater.

Negative remarks made at the table cement the idea that some food tastes yucky. All family members (including older siblings or even Daddy) may make only affirmative comments about the food. Phrases such as “I don’t like that” “It’s disgusting” and “It’s yucky” are to be forbidden.

Remember to have only nutritious snacks on hand, limit snacking to at least an hour and a half before meals, and to praise your child for eating whole foods. Be patient. Give your youngster time to learn about the food’s texture and how it smells. Food, which your child has previously refused, most likely will be sampled between ten and twenty times before acceptance. Tiny bites of formerly rejected foods are steps in the direction of healthy eating.

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To learn how to transform your picky toddler, preschooler, or grade schooler into a healthy eater…
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