by Darya Rose
1. Set an example
By far the best predictor of a child’s eating behavior is the eating patterns of her parents. If vegetables and healthy foods are relegated to an afterthought in your household, it’s tough to expect your kids to take to them. Kids eat what they know, and they won’t ask for a special meal if they do not know it is an option.
2. Make food fun
Kids love to play make believe. They also love games. Broccoli can be intimidating to a kid hoping for macaroni and cheese. But if he is a dinosaur who needs to eat five miniature trees in order to outrun a tyrannosaurus rex, suddenly those florets are a lot more interesting. Relating healthy food to fun things the child already loves and turning it into a game is a great way to get a few bites of greens down the hatch.
3. Get them involved
Children are more invested in a meal if they help with its preparation. Taking your kids with you to the farmers market or grocery store and letting them pick one or two things to cook for dinner can make them far more excited to eat it later. Better yet, start a garden and teach them how to plant and harvest their own. Letting them clean carrots, snap beans, mix the dressing and set the table gives them a sense of pride and makes them more enthusiastic and cooperative at meal time.
4. Enforce the “one bite rule”
Research consistently shows that children who have initially rejected a food must be exposed to it at least 8-10 times for the food to be accepted. Many parents have had success with the “one bite rule,” requiring the child to try at least one solid mouthful of a rejected food whenever it is served. After enough exposures the food will be more familiar to the child and usually they begin to rate it more favorably.
5. Don’t force them to finish
One bite is different from finishing your plate. One of the biggest misconceptions among parents is that forcing their child to eat a food she doesn’t like will get her to change her behavior. However, fighting and punishments create a negative meal experience, and the child will learn to associate food with the bad feelings. Negative food experiences have the opposite of the desired effect and actually increase picky eating tendencies. Require one bite, but try not to start a fight.
6. Reward good behavior
On the other side of the coin, creating positive food experiences can decrease picky eating tendencies. Research has shown that rewarding a child for trying one bite of a rejected food with things like stickers makes it easier for them to try the food. They are also more likely to rate the food positively in the future.
7. Understand their values
Children don’t see the world as adults do, and as a result they have very different values. They couldn’t care less about health—most kids think they’re invincible—so telling them a food is healthy is unlikely to get you very far (and can often backfire). On the other hand, most children feel limited by their size and wish to be bigger and stronger. Explaining that broccoli “helps you grow” is therefore more effective than, “it’s healthy” or “because I said so.”
8. Offer diverse food colors
One thing you have working in your favor is that children like colorful foods. You can expose them to more colors by adding more vegetables to their plates. While adults tend to like flavors mingled together, children often prefer them separate. So you may have better luck making separate vegetable dishes instead of a big, mono-color casserole.
9. Arrange food in patterns on the plate
Another reason to cook different vegetables separately is that children love when their food is designed into patterns on their plate. Unlike adults, who prefer foods clumped near each other in the center of the plate, kids like their food separated into piles around the perimeter. If you shape it into a heart or smiley face, they’ll like it even more. This is another way to make food fun.
10. Use butter, garlic and bacon
There’s nothing wrong with adding additional flavors to vegetables to make them more appealing to children. For a picky child, the most important thing is that he gets comfortable and familiar with the rejected food. If that means serving it along with something you know he’ll enjoy, like cheese or bacon, that’s fine. I encourage you to use ingredients that are as close to real food (minimally processed without strange chemicals) as possible, but children can handle a few extra calories, especially if it helps them learn to enjoy spinach.
11. Keep at it
Some children will be more difficult than others, and will require more effort and patience. It’s important to realize, however, that the habits they develop at a young age will remain with them long into adulthood. For your sake and theirs, it is worth solving picky eating problems as soon as possible. Continue to set a good example, create fun, positive experiences around food, let them help in the kitchen, enforce the one bite rule and do anything else you can to keep exposing them, in a pleasant way, to the healthy foods they reject. Your persistence will pay off.
Originally published October 17, 2012.[:zh]
1. Set an example 设定模版
孩子的良好饮食习惯来自于父母亲的饮食习惯。如果蔬菜及健康食品在家里不常出现,那也很难要求孩子必须多接触它们。孩子们只会吃他们认识的食物,一般不会去询问他们不知道的食物。
2. Make food fun 趣味美食
孩子们都喜欢玩游戏。花椰菜能让孩子们接触通心面和起士。将健康食品与孩子们喜爱的食物结合在一起,并转化成趣味游戏,这能够让孩子们多吃绿色蔬菜。
3. Get them involved 让他们参与
如果能够让孩子们在准备的过程中有所参与,孩子们将会对食物更感兴趣。带他们到你常去的超市或农贸市集挑选一两样晚餐的材料,能让他们在用餐时更加兴奋。如果能够让他们亲自耕种并采收,清洗胡萝卜、摆盘、搅拌沙拉,这些能够带给他们无限的成就感并能够让他们在餐桌上更加自觉。
4. Enforce the “one bite rule” 执行“尝一口制”
实验显示孩子们接受食物前必须经过8-10次的拒绝。很多家长执行“尝一口制”后得到了理想成果。在不断的接触该食物及品尝后,孩子们渐渐对该食物更加熟悉并接受。
5. Don’t force them to finish 别逼他吃完
“尝一口”与吃完截然不同。强制孩子将盘子里他们不喜欢的食物吃得精光将造成反效果。此外在餐桌上的争执与惩罚,也将让孩子们对食物产生厌恶感。在尝试的同时也要避免产生争执。
6. Reward good behavior 奖励优良的表现
良好的饮食方法,也将降低孩子挑食的倾向。实验证明给予孩子贴纸奖励,使他们更愿意去尝试新食物。
7. Understand their values 了解价值
孩子们的理解范围跟成年人不一样,效果不一样,对健康的观念也和大人不一样。孩子们比较在意他们的体格,希望能够快高长大变强壮。往往告诉他们花椰菜能够让你变高变强壮的效果比告诉他们花椰菜能让你身体健康来的好。
8. Offer diverse food colors 提供五彩缤纷食物
孩子们对于颜色丰富的食物比较感兴趣。五颜六色的蔬菜,能够让孩子们多吃。如果想要他们多吃蔬菜,不同颜色的蔬菜比单一色的蔬菜效果更好。
9. Arrange food in patterns on the plate 制作造型餐
食物的造型更能够吸引孩子。孩子们除了比较喜欢多样化的食物,也更爱在他们的盘子里出现有造型的食物。将食物做成心形或笑脸能让他们更开心地用餐,这也是趣味美食方法之一。
10. Use butter, garlic and bacon 使用奶油,大蒜及培根
在蔬菜里添加一些调味料吸引孩子是很好的。对于挑食的孩子,在他们不喜欢的蔬菜里添加他们爱吃的食物如:起士或培根。建议使用天然的食材,没有经过太多加工,并且在孩子每天应摄取热量范围内的食品,尤其如果能够尝试菠菜,是很不错的。
11. Keep at it 坚持下去
有些孩子可能需要更多的努力及耐心,较大的挑战性。良好的饮食习惯非常重要的原因是,在幼年培养的好习惯将跟随他们一直到成年。继续给予孩子良好的饮食规范、制造趣味的美食、让他们参与其中的准备工作、鼓励他们尝试,这些付出将非常值得。[:id]by Darya Rose
1. Jadilah Contoh
Contoh yang paling di tiru dalam keluarga adalah bagaimana kebiasaan makan orang tua. Jika makanan sehat dan sayuran bukan makanan yang biasa di konsumsi anggota keluarga, maka akan sulit bagi anak-anak untuk mengkonsumsinya. Anak-anak akan memakan yang mereka kenali jika tidak ada pilihan lain.
2. Makan itu menyenangkan
Anak-anak suka berimajinasi. Mereka juga suka permainan. Brocoli bisa jadi sangat mengerikan buat mereka, tetapi jika kita berimajinasi bahwa dia seekor Dinosaurus dan memakan 5 pohon (brokoli) untuk lari dari T-Rex, pasti semua akan berubah menyenangkan. Merubah cara makan anak-anak melalui sebuah games akan sangat menyenangkan.
3. Ajak mereka membantu
Anak-anak akan lebih senang jika dapat membantu meyiapkan. Ajaklah ke supermaket dan kasih kesempatan mereka untuk memilih satu atau dua menu makan malam, atau mulailah berkebun dan ajak anak-anak menanam dan memetik hasilnya untuk dimasak. Ajak membersihkan wortel, kacang polong dan mengaduk salad sayuan agar dia bangga akan apa yamg telah dia lakukan dan memakannya.
4. Paksakan “one bite rule”
Penilitian menyatakan anak yang menolak makanan harus dicoba lagi mencoba makanan 8-10 kali agar makanan tersebut mau di makan. Banyak oramg tua sukses dengan “one bite rule” setidaknya anak-anak mencoba dan lama-lama akan lebih mengenal jenis makanan tersebut.
5. Jangan paksa mereka menghabiskan
Satu suap dengan habiskan makanan sangat berbeda. Yang sangat dikhawatirkan para orang tua suka memaksa anak untuk memakan apa yang dia tidak suka dengan hukuman dan argumentasi. Ciptakan situasi makan yang nyaman dan menyenangkan sehingga anak-anak mempunyai keinginan untuk makan. Suasana makan yang tidak nyaman membuat anak-anak menjadi lebih memilih makanan. Mulailah dengan baik.
6. Hadiah untuk sikap yang baik
Situasi positif saat makan mengurangi keinginan memilih makanan pada anak. Penilitian juga menyatakan bahwa dengan memberikan stiker atau hadiah lain akan memotivasi anak untuk mencoba makanan.
7. Mengerti nilai
Anak-anak tidak melihat dunia seperti orang dewasa, mereka mempunyai nilai yang sangat berbeda. Mereka lebih ceroboh dalam menjaga kesehatan dan tidak mudah mengerti apa makanan sehat dan tidak sehat. Anak-anak merasa kecil dalam tinggi dan besar badan mereka, dengan memotivasi kata-kata positif akan sangat membantu seperti “ brokoli membanumu tumbuh loh”
8. Tambahkan warna pada makanan
Satu hal yang juga berfungsi dengan baik adalah makanan yang warna-warni. Bisa ditambahin jenis makan lain untuk menambah warna pada makanan yang disajikan. Jika orang dewasa senang makan bersama sebaiknya pisahkan makanan buat anak-anak dengan warna yang lebih variatif.
9. Atur makanan dengan baik
Alasan lain untuk memisahkan makanan adalah karena anak-anak menyukai makanannya diatur dengan baik dan menarik di piring mereka. Mereka lebih suka makanan mereka di pisahkan dalam bentuk hati atau wajah senyum.
10. Gunakan mentega, bawang putih dan daging asap
Tidak salah jika menambahkan rasa pada makanan anak, agar mereka punya selera makan. Bagi anak yang suka memilih makanan yang terpenting adalah dia tidak boleh nyaman dengan makanan yang dia tolak. Jika kita sajikan dengan bentuk dan rasa lain seperti menambah keju, daging asap maka akan lebih baik.
11. Berusahalah
Beberapa anak bisa saja lebih sulit dari anak lain dan membutuhkan kemauan serta kesabaran tinggi. Harus kita sadari bahwa kebiasaan waktu kecil akan terbawa sampai besar. Lebih cepat selesaikan masalah sulit makan pada anak, terus kasih contoh, makan menyenangkan, pengalaman positif bersama mereka, semangati “one bite rule” apapun yang membuat makan jadi menyenangkan. Kerja keras ini akan menghasilkan terbayar.
Originally published October 17, 2012.[:]
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