Healthy Eating for Kids

BY kristen // March 31st 2009 // Child Nutrition

snacking on pistachios at the park
snacking on pistachios at the park

I’m currently reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, Disease-Proof Your Child: Feeding Kids Right, and I came across a passage that Dr. Fuhrman refers to as his “program” for getting picky eaters to eat healthy foods, but it is so simple and straightforward that it’s just great advice for parents and non-parents alike. Dr. Fuhrman was consulting a mother as a family physician. The mother said that her child would only eat foods like cookies and french fries. Dr. Fuhrman writes:

I explained to Mrs. Tenenbaum that if I took her son home with me for a few weeks, where cookies and pretzels would not be present, he would not starve to death. She disagreed. She believed Billy had to be given what he wanted or he would not eat. I finally convinced her that if she removed all the unhealthy food from her refrigerator and cupboard and instead stocked up with raw nuts, fresh vegetables, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, and fresh fruit, Billy would have no choice but to try some other food to relieve his hunger. Mrs. Tenenbaum agreed to give this a try.

Billy was distressed for the next twenty-four hours and he did not eat. He complained and threw a tantrum. His mom, frantic and unhappy with my advice, phoned me. I convinced her to stick with it a little longer. Billy eventually tried one or two healthy foods that were available, starting with an entire banana and a fresh corn on the cob. He hadn’t touched these foods since he was in diapers. Of course, Billy’s mom was still nervous that he was eating so little, but he ate enough food to maintain his body weight. Within a few weeks he was consuming larger amounts of food, and within a short time, he was consuming the same number of calories as he had before, only now he was eating a healthy diet.

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Comments About Healthy Eating for Kids

// 1 comments so far.

  1. Kirsten // August 26th 2010

    I’m willing to try lots of things out to increase range of food eaten. This year is already big success in cucumber becoming a favourite; cherry tomatoes becoming a favourite again after being rejected last year; a couple of carrot sticks making it in every few days; and melons and plums rejoining the favourites list (she’ll devour the fruit bowl if I let her!).
    Smuggling small amounts of green beans, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, red and yellow peppers or carrot into tomato sauce also works, as long as it is finely blended.
    Sometimes it is ‘this is the deal – you eat those 2-3 mouthfuls and then whatever else you want from your plate’.
    Sometimes she just goes hungry (and crabby).
    Will work on it even more now.

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