My Kid's a Picky Eater

Introduction

In my consulting practice I see many faces. Many of those faces are loving and hardworking moms who want the very best for their children. These moms wish their children would eat better and eat healthier but these moms have no idea how to begin to make these changes. They call their child a “picky eater.” Many of these moms were frustrated and felt their picky eater was a lost battle. Many of these moms felt desperate to change their picky eater.

Each of these moms came into my office hoping that I would present a solution for resolving the picky eater believing the blame was in food. They were hoping they had missed some magic recipe for getting their child to eat vegetables. Many thought there might be a smoothie their child would love and make the picky eater problem disappear. Many were really surprised to find out there is no recipe per say, but a different style of understanding nutrition and behavior and putting the new understanding and behavior into place.

Maybe this sounds like you. Maybe you have one: the child who won’t eat their vegetables, or won’t eat a meal without a favorite video playing, the child who only wants sugar treats or “bad carbs” or maybe you just have a feeling your child does not eat as well as they should. The picky eater can have one or more characteristics that ultimately keep him or her from eating healthy foods on a continual basis.

Through the years I have had the opportunity to meet with so many moms and create nutritional plans for the picky eater that includes some of the very information contained in this book. More and more moms come back in only two to four weeks and report positive changes happening not only for their picky eater, but also their entire family as well. They realize good nutrition for their child began with their understanding as a parent and the strategies they implemented from there.

I wrote this book for parents struggling with a typical picky eater. But I want to be clear, while this book is for every parent, it may not help every child. This book contains important information for every parent and every family, but some of the information may or may not specifically help all aspects of your child’s issues if your child’s eating habits make your child a problem feeder which is different from a picky eater.

All the information in this book may not apply if your child’s eating behavior has to do with a sensory disorder, a GI tube, dysphagia (swallowing difficulties), oral motor impairments (including low tone and poor coordination), sensory aversions to foods based on smell, appearance and texture, or sensory issues associated with the Autism spectrum disorder. If your child is dealing with one or more of the issues stated above you may need a speech pathologist or occupational therapist who is experienced with feeding disorders to help you determine if your child has a motor, sensory or structural behavioral cause related to medical issues leading to feeding difficulties. There are many professionals in this arena to help you determine the difference between a picky eater and a problem feeder.

If your child’s issues are related to digestive imbalances you may need personal nutritional counseling that either includes a digestive assessment and or comprehensive digestive testing in addition to the strategies in this book. There is tremendous value in establishing the health of your child’s digestive system with the information I provide through nutritional counseling.

Regardless of your child’s condition, I believe all children can still benefit from the information contained in this book. I hope you find relevant and important information for you and your whole family. I hope this book presents many possible solutions for your picky eater before the habits are permanent and the health costs great. Take each chapter slowly and make changes at your own pace. Use the end of each chapter’s Tips and Summary as a helpful guide. Most of all remember your entire family can benefit from eating more healthy foods and being healthy eaters.