Fussy Eating, Co-authored by holistic practitioner Priyadarshini and Roopashree bhat

FUSSY EATING 

This is a word that is a nightmare for most moms and ladies these days. For all their constructive efforts to feed wholesome and nutritive foods to their loved ones, the fussy eating habits are a bane.

Have u ever thought how did these habits come to exist?

Is it that , any of the foods, that were given made them,the fussy eaters?

There can be many reasons , but we would like to highlight some of the main ones.

Pureed Food

The food we eat , needs to be chewed well for better digestion and absorption of nutrients. Babies (0-1 year) find it hard to chew up their food, so initially , it is fed to them in Pureed form for easy eating . This pureed form , though makes it easier for the kids to eat  and mums to feed , inhibits the growth of nerve endings on the mouth ,when given for a longer time.

A continued exposure to foods in pureed form, makes it habitual too and will not allow the kids  to like the taste, fragrance or texture of new foods  and end up being fussy eaters. So its better we stay away from pureeing them, and instead mash it with a spoon or bare hands.

A little concerted effort in spending time to feed them foods in their natural form, may go a long way in preventing our kids from being fussy eaters.

Extra choice of foods

Personally ,this is the main culprit in kids becoming fussy eaters.

In the modern day hoard of feeding kids ,moms tend to feed them any food they demand for. Example...for a house that regularly eats dosa for breakfast , there may be kids who prefer eating cornflakes or even sometimes paratha as well. Agreed, these choices are healthier too, but sometimes one options too many are harmful.

The habit of eating different from the rest in the household, eventually hurts in the long run as it stops the adjustment. Kids wish to eat only their choice, and don't appreciate the other foods well. "One house one breakfast" builds bonding and helps kids learn to eat all foods.

Colorful foods on the plate

Food and color are hand in glove always. We have vegetables and fruits with varying colors , be it a yellow zucchini, purple cabbage, green cucumber ,orange pumpkin, red tomatoes ,white radish,blueberries, pink dragon fruit and so on. The key is to remember to have  4 essential nutrients on the plate : carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables and healthy fats (nuts).

Colorful foods in different forms and shapes, introduced at a young age get better acceptance with the kids and they tend to appreciate them better.

A Broccoli thrown in with a pasta gets polished off in a whiff , so will be the veggies in a mixed veg soup. The vegetables  can be pureed and used in soups, pastas, paratha or variety of coloured rice.

Given below is the link of some wonderful soup recipes that  could be used regularly  without a lot of pre-preparation to make a wonderful  plate of food.

https://www.naturenurturesdigital.com/opt-in-free-pdf-fantastic-5-1

Out of the box thinking may just be the way out to make better eaters.

Fussy eating isn't hard to change and just needs a little understanding of the foods and introducing them at the right time. The food, once refused by a child ; may turn out to be child's favourites ,when rehashed at a later stage..

So lets get creative

Let's turn our fussy eaters to sassy eaters...