Top tips for picky eaters
Elizabeth
“First thing's first: abandon the idea that there is 'kid food' and 'adult food.' I have no idea where this developed in the United States, but it's NOT a thing in the rest of the world.”
I was "that picky eater" as a kid. How picky? One night, as an adult, I went out to eat with my parents, and I ordered a salad — my Mom about passed out she was so shocked!
First thing's first: abandon the idea that there is "kid food" and "adult food." I have no idea where this developed in the United States, but it's NOT a thing in the rest of the world. Yes, we ate grilled cheese sandwiches and mac 'n' cheese, but so did my parents at those times. We didn't get a steady stream of advertised-to-kids foods (like those "Kid Cuisine" frozen dinners). Instead, we had a steady rotation of things Mom cooked well, sometimes with kid assistance, and things the kids liked. Caveat: don't make "kid food" off-limits either. There was always sugared cereal in the house, but it was reserved for Saturday mornings only; we always had candy in the house, but only had to ask if we wanted to eat the chocolate (Mom's). I credit this approach with preventing the "Freshman 15" as having dessert and sugared cereal in the college cafeteria wasn't all that exciting to me (as it was to some of my peers!). My parents' approach to food rubbed off on me, so I knew they were foods for sometimes, not all the time.
One thing that really helped my parents deal with me as a picky eater was to find nutritious alternatives that I would eat, while continuing to offer the offensive item in different formats. If the family dinner was something I wouldn't eat, I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (I know that makes some people cringe, but I liked the seeded/nutted breads and it wasn't a bad option, since I would usually eat some of the sides with it.) We always had apples in the fridge, so in my anti-salad days I'd get fruit instead of a salad with my dinner.
If your kid won't eat something, ASK WHY. If the answer is texture, for example, you may have other options available to you and can present the offending item in a different way. As kids, my brother Alex and I would absolutely NOT eat tomato slices of chunks; Alex would eat cooked tomato pieces (it was a raw texture thing for him), both of us would eat them cooked in tiny pieces (e.g. chopped into soup) or pureed into a sauce. He would eat tomato soup, but I refused (and later learned I just don't like the brand my family bought--other kinds are very tasty). I still hate hard boiled eggs (and deviled eggs) but will eat them other ways.
If the answer is the ingredients, maybe you can change them out. It turns out the reason I didn't like salad is due to what I call "1970s Midwest salad syndrome": iceberg lettuce and creamy dressing. Neither has ever appealed to me. But give me a salad with dark greens, dried or fresh fruit, nuts, and oil and vinegar or a fruit-based dressing, and I'll hoover it!
If the answer is "I don't know, it's just gross," it could be the way you have cooked the item. Try another version or seasoning. Most of my friends hated Brussels sprouts as a kid, and I could not figure out why, since I have always loved them. As an adult, I now know it is because their parents gave them frozen, boiled sprouts (ew!) while mine gave me fresh sprouts steamed with salt and pepper and butter. It could also be the variety of the item you have chosen. I intensely dislike Red Delicious apples, but I really liked McIntosh, Golden Delicious and Mutsu.