This is Part 4 of a series, "How To Feed Our Children More Nutritiously" from an interview with Dr. Maya Adam who is a specialist in child health from Stanford's School Of Medicine. Dr. Maya Adam is a mom of three children ages 12, 9, and 7.
You can listen to the interview on The Parenting Journal Podcast on iTunes Here or Download Directly Here.
Children can be picky eaters. So what to do if your child will not eat vegetables or only one kind of vegetable? We spoke to Dr. Maya Adam to find out.
1. What would your advice be to a parent whose child will only eat one kind of vegetable?
Dr. Maya Adam says:
Fantastic! Keep going with those vegetables. If the people around them are experimenting and branching out, they will follow you gradually.
As long as the children are eating some fresh foods and enjoying them, you can then say to them “Son, you like cauliflower but you won’t eat broccoli. Let’s try a dish that is mostly cauliflower with a little bit of broccoli in there.” You can gradually move them into other fruits and vegetables.
2. What is your advice to a parent whose child will only eat fruit and not any vegetables?
Yes. I have some parents who say to me, “My child won’t eat vegetables but they love fruit.” I say to them, “That’s fantastic. Allow them to continue loving their fruit. Expand their repertoire of fruits, and then slowly move into vegetable terrain."
3. What else is important in expanding our child's palate?
Dr. Maya Adam says:
The other powerful tool is for parents to model enjoyment of those different foods that you want your child to try. After a few months or years at the latest, the child will want to try what the parents seem to be enjoying.
More About Dr. Maya Adam
Dr. Adam also has a non profit Just Cook Kids where she also shares great tips and recipes for making healthy cooking easy!Dr. Maya Adam currently is in South Africa leading an effort to teach mothers about child health and nutrition using engaging videos delivered to mothers in their homes on tablets. You can see more about her initiative called Digital Medic here.
More About Allie and The Parenting Journal
Are you a busy parent? Allie is one too. This is why she created The Parenting Journal weekday newsletter. The Parenting Journal takes the latest scientific research and experts' findings on childhood development and creates quick to read and actionable parenting advice delivered for free to your inbox. The Parenting Journal is making it easier to be a better parent in today's busy busy world.