In all seriousness, these three tips will change your life. They don’t just apply to broccoli but can be used as a guide for any dietary goals and they’ll turn mealtime mayhem into healthy happiness.
Tip 1
Serving broccoli to a child who refuses to eat any green foods is like trying to harvest when no seeds have been planted. Rather start small and build towards a varied list of green foods. Offer your child a single pea, a pumpkin seed (pepita), bean or snow pea.
Tip 2
Some children struggle to even touch unfamiliar foods. If yours has tactile difficulties with food, I’ve got a great visual chart which will get them to bridge the gap between looking at food – declining to touch – interacting – tasting – and finally eating. Access it at https://www.littlefusspot.com/.
Tip 3
A child of school-going age is ready to take responsibility for their own health. In the supermarket, get your child to pick three foods to ‘learn’ about. Notice I didn’t refer to ‘tasting’ or ‘eating’. If children are encouraged to experiment and interact with different foods – slicing, dicing, peeling, juicing, cooking and tasting them using different cooking methods – the element of anxiety will be alleviated.
It’s simple. Kids find it so difficult being around unfamiliar things because anxiety perpetuates anxiety.
The longer they stay away from unfamiliar things, the greater the chance that they’ll be fearful in the future.
So Mumma, even if dinner time has been rough and you’re scrubbing green gunk off the walls, take three deep breaths and try to remain calm. Pick your battle tomorrow with something that you know your child loves to eat, perhaps with a little stretch sideways to challenge them.
I assure you from years of experience as a clinical nutritionist, your little one will wake just as early on an empty stomach as on a bellyful of junk. Wait a minute… I can hear little footsteps from my child’s bedroom. “Muuuuuuuuuuuuum, I’m hungry! Please can I have a biscuit?”
For expert support, resources and tips on fussy eaters, visit www.littlefusspot.com.
International nutritionist and founder of Little Fusspot Beth Bonfiglio has become known worldwide as the “Supernanny of Mealtimes”.
Beth understands the impact that poor eating can have on the physical and mental health of children. She has worked with leading occupational therapists and psychologists, researching and developing strategies for dealing with various fussy eaters.
Beth has now pulled together years of her work into a series of online courses tailored to helping three different types of fussy eaters. The courses aim to make this highly-specialised care accessible and affordable to families with little fusspots on a global scale. You can also find Little Fusspot on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
