Do you have picky eaters at home? Maybe they’re your kiddos or perhaps the persnickety one is your spouse, partner or roommate. Change can be challenging for all of us so I’ve come up with a few tried and true tips that I have used with my own family to explore new foods without family drama.
But first, I have an announcement to make. Can you guess what it is? Drum roll please, dadadadadada cling!
I wrote a cookbook! Yes, I am very excited to get this out into the world to help support people to “Live Life Healthy and Happy” by eating a real food diet. The book contains the Simply28 protocol to support eating healthy delicious foods that are unprocessed and as close to their original form as possible. It also includes over 100 recipes that I have created or recreated a healthier version from old family favorites in my very own kitchen! They are all gluten-free, grain free and paleo friendly. It is releasing very soon so watch for more details!
The Simply28 REAL Food Cookbook
What is the Simply28 REAL food Diet?
The Simply28 REAL food diet is based on easy to prepare meals and snacks that are nutrient dense and support lowering blood sugar and A1c levels, balancing hormones, healing gut issues and supporting our immune system through nutrition. While we make these changes for a lifetime of good health, this program gets great results in “Simply28” days.
No weird food unless you are trying a new funny looking vegetable but that’s entirely up to you. Just a variety of foods and recipes to choose from to ensure that everyone can find something they enjoy. We can even make French fries on the Simply28 plan!
Is Simply28 Right for the Entire Family?
Simply28 is simply real food, and yes, it is perfectly suited for the entire family. In fact, it is how we should be feeding our families. Restrictive diets are not healthy. While Simply28 does eliminate some foods considered to be unhealthy and offering more harm than good, it replaces those foods with ingredients that provide an abundant source of nutrients that are necessary for every member of the family, young and old alike. No need to cook multiple meals at dinner time to suit a variety of needs and desires.
To get started on the Simply28 REAL Food Diet, download my FREE Quick Start Guide to Healthy Eating which includes everything you need to know to get started including:
♦What foods to eat
♦What to avoid
♦PLUS a complete What to Eat Shopping Guide for inspiration.
Tips for Handling Picky Eaters
Be patient with them. Kids who have been eating a particular way for most of their lives are likely going to be a little resistant to change.
Start by introducing a few real foods that you know they enjoy. When introducing a new food at meal time, make sure to include other dishes your family likes. Have them try a bite or two of the new food. If they don’t like it yet, don’t push it. Give it some time and try it again down the road. As they grow, their taste buds change and you may find that they end up liking it in time.
Our house rule is to try at least one bite of a new food. You just might like it!
Have a healthy alternative on hand. When they are looking for the goldfish crackers in the pantry, just say “I am sorry, we are all out,” and offer a healthier alternative. If they have a fit or refuse, don’t engage. Don’t argue with them or make a big deal over it. Just understand that they are frustrated and that they will move through this.
Stick to a routine when it comes to meals and snacks have nutrient dense real food available for them. If they don’t want to eat it, that’s ok but don’t offer an alternative junk food instead.
Set a good example. We can’t really expect our kids to do or try something we wouldn’t do ourselves. When you are trying a new food, talk about it with your kids. Let them know that mommy or daddy is going to try this. Be honest and share if you are excited to try it or maybe a little afraid that you won’t like it. Then after you try a bite or two tell them the result – either wow that was good or maybe you say, “I really didn’t like that but I might try it again down the road to see if my taste buds change.” Your child will likely pattern after you when you take the lead.
Make trying new foods fun. Give them a sauce to dip it in or cut foods into fun shapes for them.
Recruit their help when it comes to shopping and picking out new foods to try. Make it a game to find a fruit or vegetable they’ve never heard of or to choose a color from the rainbow and search the produce department for a vegetable that is that color.
Cook with them. Look for easy to prepare recipes and let them peel, chop and cook with you. Even young children can chop many things with a butter knife and then be taught about how to handle sharp knives and hot dishes safely.
Don’t take them down the sugary cereal aisle or the cookie and candy aisle at the grocery store and tempt them to want things not on the shopping list. Instead shop the perimeter of the store including produce, meat department and dairy if your family tolerates quality dairy products like whole milk, cultured yogurt and aged cheese.
Don’t give in. This can be a tough one especially for parents who fear their kids will go hungry, lose weight or oh my goodness what if they starve to death. I promise you this will not happen. Even the pickiest of kids will pick up a nutritious food if they are hungry enough. If they don’t want to eat right now, they can wait until later or until the next meal, but the food choices will still be healthy real food. If they choose to not eat at first, it’s ok. They will. Once people start eating good food, they will crave more and more of it. They will even start choosing foods that “feed” their body over the junk food that they once enjoyed. d
For more information on what to eat and how to get started on your Simply28 REAL Food Diet, download my FREE Quick Start Guide to Healthy Eating with a helpful grocery shopping guide.
And remember, you’ve got this!
“Living Life Healthy and Happy!”
