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influence over your child's taste and attitude, than your own taste and attitude. If you appreciate good food, and express it in a positive way, your child is likely to follow your lead.
2. Limit access to unhealthy foods. Make sure that potato chips, candy, cookies and fizzy drinks are not easily available.
3. When your child is watching T.V. or playing outside, don't ask if he'd like an apple, cut it up, present it in a fun and tantalizing way, and give it to him as if you're giving him a treat. Sprinkling cinnamon on pieces of apple can make it tastier.

4. Add a little honey or brown sugar to any vegetable to give a new flavor that your child may find more interesting. Preferably do this in front of your child. The sight of sugar being sprinkled over green beans, or of honey being drizzled over carrots, is very likely to catch the attention of his taste buds!
5. Don't cook vegetables to within an inch of their lives. Leaving them a little firm is much healthier, and they will have a different flavor.
6. Try allowing your child to participate in meal preparation. He may be more interested in eating food he's helped to prepare.
7. Ensure that mealtimes are relaxed and happy. Stress and tension around meal times can result in a subconscious block against eating.
8. Keep trying new dishes to find foods your child does enjoy, rather than insisting he eats food he doesn't like.
9. Introduce a tradition of one day a month during which the main meal is eaten without flatware, and make it as messy as possible. Lay plastic or a tarpaulin on the ground (best to do this outdoors if possible) and let children wear old clothes or swimsuits. Serve something like spaghetti bolognaise with a side salad. The most important rule is, the food may not be thrown or deliberately worn, it must be eaten, but they can get as messy as they like. This is SUCH fun, particularly if you invite a friend over for the entertainment. Obviously make sure the food is not hot!

It is most important to never threaten or punish or your child for not eating. This will only compound the stress and reluctance to eat. You want your child to have a healthy attitude towards food, and to never feel they HAVE to eat out of fear.

Good, healthy food should be enjoyable and appreciated. Demonstrate to your child by your own enjoyment of good healthy food, how you would like him to appreciate meals. The combination of your example, a relaxed atmosphere around mealtimes, no access to unhealthy snacks, choice, and a bit of fun experimentation, you should be well on track for a transformation from a picky eater to a healthy eater who relishes his nourishment!

Learn more about this author, Odille Rault.
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