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by Stacy Popke / July 19,
2008  How do you get
your child to go from a junk
food enthusiast to a
spinach-loving Popeye
wannabe?
Why, you use
bribery and trickery, of
course! Think I’m kidding?
Well, think again. Sometimes
disguising the offending
foods or offering an
incentive for eating them is
the only way to win the war
without having to fight the
battle. The following tips
are tried-and-true ways to
entice the pickiest of picky
eaters to make healthier
food choices. 1. Play
dress up! No, this doesn’t
involve you putting on a
bunny costume and singing
the merits of carrots in
front of your child. I’m
referring to dressing up
disliked foods with tasty
herbs. A dash of this or
that may be all it takes to
undo a food’s stigma of
blandness. Conversely,
you could dress up an
unhealthy food with
nutritious add-ons. Your
child’s beloved hamburger or
hot dog can be topped with a
variety of complimentary
vegetables. Pizza is another
food that can blends well
with numerous vegetable
toppings. 2. Use a grater
on that food hater. Before
you call Child Protective
Services on me, what I’m
really talking about here is
grating up the offending
foods into one of your
child’s favorite dishes.
Have a kiddo who’d rather
visit the dentist than eat
squash? Grate some up into a
kid-friendly dish like
lasagna and it’ll be our
little secret. 3. Get
lost in the sauce. My drill
instructor at boot camp was
fond of telling us recruits
that we must be ‘lost in the
sauce’ whenever we didn’t
meet her stringent
standards. But when it comes
to unsavory vegetables,
getting lost in the sauce
can be a good thing. Whether
you decide to drench a sweet
pea and corn combo in
chicken gravy or jazz up a
leafy salad with a raspberry
walnut dressing, your kiddo
will appreciate the added
flavor. 4. The one time
when it’s okay to be a dip?
When you’re talking about
vegetable dips! Joking
aside, your finicky eater
might even take a second
helping if you add a dip
with those vegetables. Take
the plunge with a spicy
ranch dip for those baked
zucchini fries or a cilantro
and lime yogurt dip for that
fish dish. 5. Give them
what they want. I’m not
suggesting you give up and
give in to your kiddo’s junk
food cravings. Instead, do a
compromise that’ll satisfy
everyone at the dinner
table. Top your child’s
hamburger with low-fat
cheese and use whole wheat
buns. Is pizza a family
favorite? Ditch the
pepperoni with pineapples
and say hello to a healthier
(and still tasty!) meal. If
ice cream is a wanted treat,
serve it up with fresh fruit
to add nutritional value.
6. When herbs, dips, and
sauces aren’t enough to
motivate your kiddo to eat
the offending food, then try
bribery. Offer a tempting
treat if all of their
vegetables get eaten. Keep
the treat’s serving size to
a minimum and don’t offer it
any other time. If a junk
food bribe isn’t your thing,
try using cash or some other
motivator. So the next
time your picky eater
refuses to ditch the sugary
sweets for nutritious
greens, try one of these
tips. And don’t give up
trying; if one idea doesn’t
work, the next one might be
the winner! Recommended
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