Picky Eater Advice

I was watching Rachael Ray for the 1st time yesterday, and to my surprise she had some rather interesting advice for parents. Of course I can't exactly remember the meal she was preparing but it involved fish sticks and she claimed the kids would love it. What I do remember is what she said about picking eaters, have them help in the kitchen! Give them an age-appropriate task, whether it be helping stir, measure, add or say, grate cheese and let them feel as though they really helped. Ray says that this helps them take ownership in the meal and then are much more likely to try it (perhaps even eat it) if they've invested themselves in it.


She also had another interesting story later on in the show, paraphrasing here,

"I used to do 30 minute meals at a grocery store. Kids would walk by and say 'Wow. That smells good, can I try it' and the parents would look into the pot and say 'oh thats... you don't like that'. Kids are braver than you think!"

She was insisting that sometimes parents get in the habit of holding picky eaters back because they have been so picky in the past. Sure they hated seafood last week, but if it smells good to them this week, let them try it.