B E T T E R H E A L T H
P l e a s i n g
p i c k y
e a t e r s
w
i t h
T r a c e e
Y a b l o n - B r e n n e r
a n d
J e a n n e t t e
B e s s i n g e r
D o n ’ t
l o s e
h e a r t
i f y o u r
c h i l d
r e f u s e s
a
n e w
f o o d
a t f i r s t .
I t
c a n
t a k e
u p
t o
1
5
a t t e m
p t s
f o r
k i d s t o
b r a n c h
o u t —
a n d
f i n a l l y
r e a l i z e t h e y
l i k
e
w h a t ’ s
b e i n g
s e r v e d .
A healthy diet for
the whole fam ily
T he secret to w in n in g over a fussy
fam ily? Baby steps, according to
n u tritio n counselors Je a n n e tte
B essinger and T racee Y ablon-B renner,
b o th m om s them selves. “D on’t
suddenly an nounce th a t you have seen
th e light and w ill be th ro w in g o u t all
th e sugar in th e house,” B essinger
advises. “O th erw ise y o u r fam ily m ight
ru n away scream ing.” T hese seven
trick s w ill keep th em at th e table.
KNOW YOUR ROLE
“M om s m ig h t be te m p te d to bribe o r
th re a te n picky e a te rs in to co n su m in g
d ifferen t foods, b u t th is te n d s to
backfire,” B essinger says. “So th e re ’s
no sen se in playing food police.
Y o u
can be in charge o f w h at you offer y o u r
fam ily, b u t let
t h e m
choose w hat
and how m uch to eat. T his w ill
help th e m cu ltiv ate a positive
relatio n sh ip w ith food.”
ADD, DON’T SUBTRACT
“I t’s alw ays easier to try so m eth in g
novel th a n say good-bye to an old
fav o rite,” B essinger explains. So at
first, try serv in g n u tritio u s item s
(such as edam am e) along w ith not-
so -g reat stan d b y s (like boxed m ashed
p o tato es). O nce you find h ealth y foods
y o u r fam ily likes, th e y w on’t object
w hen less n u tritio u s fare is elim in ated .
THROW IT ALL IN ONE POT
H ealthful in g red ien ts are h a rd e r to
refuse w hen th e y ’re in teg rated w ith th e
m ain dish. O ne-dish recipes also m ake
it easy to am p up n u trie n ts w ith o u t
aro u sin g suspicion (say, by sw apping
som e gro u n d b eef for black beans). “ I
use to n s o f veggies in m y lasagna and
even finicky eaters love it,” B essinger
a tte sts. O th er good vehicles include
chili, soups, stew s, and stir-fries.
COAX WITH CONDIMENTS
W hen kids are allow ed to g arn ish ,
sp rin k le, and dip, th ey gain a sense o f
co n tro l th a t m akes th em m ore likely
to eat (and enjoy) th e food, Yablon-
B renner says. So if y o u r 8-year-old
balks at broccoli, serve it w ith a sm all
bow l o f low -fat ran ch d ressin g o r
h u m m u s and let him go to tow n.
GIVE MEALS THE
FAST-FOOD TREATMENT
Fam ily m em bers m ight be m ore
recep tiv e to h ealth y dishes th a t
resem ble foods th e y alread y love,
such as b u rg ers, taco s, o r m ilk shakes.
For exam ple, in stead o f try in g to
force y o u r spouse to choke dow n
a to ssed g ard en salad, try serv in g
w hole w h eat pizza layered w ith
chopped veggies an d skim m ozzarella.
T he rig h t delivery m eth o d can m ake
all th e difference.
OPT FOR UNDER-THE-RADAR
UPGRADES
H igh-fiber w hole g rain versio n s o f
rice, p asta, and bread m ake easy
rep lacem en ts for th e ir refined
c o u n te rp a rts. But if y o u r fam ily
has tro u b le ad ju stin g to th e ta ste ,
try going h alfsies— for exam ple, by
m ixing brow n rice w ith w h ite in
a pilaf— and g rad u ally phase out
th e refined stuff.
WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS,
TRY TRICKERY
In a p e rfe c t w orld, o u r loved ones
w ould ap p reciate h ealth fu l foods for
w h at th e y are. But stu b b o rn cases call
for ste a lth . To th a t end, try g ra tin g or
p u reein g vegetables such as zucchini,
sw eet p o ta to e s, and c a rro ts and
h id in g th e m in m eatballs, m uffins,
cassero les, and sauces. Y our fam ily
w ill be none th e w iser.
l6 6
BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS | MARCH
2011
| BHG.COM
