Turn picky eaters from yuck to yum

By Addie Broyles
Source: http://www.therecord.com

AUSTIN, TEX. — Let’s face it: We all have foods that we just don’t really like to eat.
For me, I just can’t embrace celery like everyone else, not even with peanut butter and cute little “ants.” For my husband, it’s goat cheese. For others, it’s root beer, olives or white chocolate.

A willingness to try new things is a virtue, and food is no different. No one wants to seem like an uncultured swine for not liking pork belly, but let’s be honest, a chunk of seared pork fat has a texture that might not be for everyone.

And it’s no wonder we don’t like everything. With thousands of ingredients that can be combined in an infinite number of dishes, it’s easy for your tastebuds to feel overwhelmed. Eating involves all of our senses, so if the taste, texture, colour or smell of a certain food isn’t particularly pleasing, we tend to reject it. At least at first.

There’s some truth to the adage about having to try something 20 times before you like it, but for some people, especially children, sometimes you have to present it to them 20 times before they’ll even think about trying it, says Lea Gebhardt, a registered and licensed dietitian with Nutrition Therapy for Kids, who also works at Cedar Springs Austin, a clinic that specializes in treating people with eating disorders.
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What are ways to encourage a healthy relationship with food/positive association with meal time in young children in the effort to prevent the onset of eating disordered behaviors?