I only had 1 child and he was NEVER a picky eater, he did some odd things with his food but he was adventurous. He adored vegetables and I discovered he got everyone's vegetables at school lunch that the others wouldn't eat. One day he started laughing at dinner and said "I had 10 helpings of broccoli at school today". I was so lucky
I am a single woman with no kids and I love watching your videos! You always give me great ideas to up my boring meals. I downloaded your free cookbook and can’t wait to try some recipes! Thank you Mindy!
Forty years ago, my first daughter was a very picky eater. A diagnosis of Asperger’s when she was in her teens made us realize she had sensory issues with the textures of food. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles, and this was one I chose to let slide. She was healthy and bright eating only Mac and cheese, carrot sticks, cheese pizza, and nuggets. Plus a daily vitamin. She’s still that picky at 40. Thanks for this video.
Understandable. That’s why I gave that qualification at the beginning. This isn’t meant to address sensory issues or eating issues of kids on the spectrum.
I have a daughter on the spectrum. She turns 20 next month. I am a very picky eater and always have been. So, of course, she was picky as well. Here's my take on food aversion...EVERYBODY has likes and dislikes. It's perfectly normal! Stop shaming or forcing children to eat things they are not ready to accept! Instead, encourage them to try different things, but allow them to not like it. They say you need to try foods 3 or more times before you might accept the food. I would encourage my daughter to try something new. If she didn't like it, that's fine. No fuss was made. I would wait until she forgot she'd tried it (months or even a year later) to encourage her to try again. Even lied when she asked if she'd had it before! But I would do the same process over again. Sometimes, she'd change her mind, sometimes not. Didn't matter, I was always just encouraging and happy when she'd tried. Furthermore, I was especially encouraging to try new things when we ate at buffets or pot lucks. Restaurants make things way more yummy than I could, and you never know if you might find a new recipe your child likes through someone else. It's also a lot easier to allow them a small bite of something new in these situations. What I found was that my daughter was very excited to try anything new when it was breaded and deep-fried. That would open the door to eating the item cooked other ways and/or in other dishes. I can tell you my daughter still has sensory issues with food and sometimes refuses to eat things she previously would enjoy. But overall, her tastes have greatly changed over time, and she even loves foods I do not like. She found her own path, her own likes and dislikes, and I'm very proud of her!
Thank you for this, I deal with this and the guilt of not being able to get healthier food down her stomach. She has a reflux and has thrown up many times at the dinner table after trying to get her to eat something healthy. It's the texture. I have such guilt.
Mindy, Thank You! For all Mothers with young children just do what you can and each child is different. One morning 25 years ago my daughter was in kindergarten she would not eat her breakfast so I said tell me what you want you have to eat something she grabbed the cheetos and ate them.On the morning Mom's were invited to come in and join morning circle time. The teacher asked each one what they ate for breakfast that morning.I broke out into a full on sweat it was dripping down my flank! When they got to her she said I ate carrots! Oh sweet baby Jesus thank you. She thought they were carrots! She is 25 and loves veggies. Hang in young Mom's it will work out!
This nearly brought me to tears as I am currently dealing with a 3 year old who doesn’t want to eat anything these days. Knowing it’s temporary is so comforting.
@@claudiag.3036 It is! It will also fly like the blink of the eyes. Enjoy it and don't stress and beat yourself up. Do your best thats all you can do. Hang in!
@@claudiag.3036 It does get better. All of my kids went through periods when they wouldn’t eat something at all. I felt like I was crazy. They have gotten so much better. Keep trying. And sometimes breakfast for dinner is a win. In my house backwards Wednesday (breakfast for dinner) has stayed on the menu and they’re now 12-16 😅😅😅
@@claudiag.3036 Oh dear Claudia…It’s upsetting and especially if someone in your life is trying to give ya advice. As long as you’re not giving your child a candy bar three times a day ☺️ it will turn out ok and some adults never want to eat a lot of different foods too. I learned that it seems to work out better if there isn’t too much discussion about it with a child or anybody else.
@@mariselaali1396 I'm a full grown adult with kids of my own but there is something special about breakfast for dinner. As a kid I'd swear it tasted different and better than in the morning
All great pieces of advice. As a mom of a 2-year-old and 4-year-old, I would also add serving a "safe" food especially on nights when you try a new recipe or something you know they haven't liked in the past. Typically this is fruit, a safe veggie, or garlic bread. For example, I love red beans and rice and I'm making that tonight. I know my 4 - year - old doesn't love it so I'll leave some of the sausage on the side for him and also give a few slices of apple with the rest of the meal. Often it encourages them to eat more of the new food like magic!
I’ve done so many of these things and i still have 2 awesome eaters and 1 of the pickiest eaters ever 😭 I’ll still keep trying. I never let my kids say “that’s gross” etc about food. Food is a blessing and so many people go without it.
I totally agree with your grow up comment, Mindy! When I was first married, my husband didn't like a lot of vegetables. I said, "Too bad." We have kids here that need to see you eat vegetables, so you have to eat what I make. There were no ultimatums. The two kids grew up fighting over who got the last of the vegetables that I made that most kids hate( Lima beans, brussel sprouts) Sometimes you just have to put your foot down with husband's! LOL
Love the message you are making here about adults setting examples. I'm a dietitian and for my capstone presentation I researched adolescent health outcomes influenced by family meals. The number one take away from my studies (3 years ago now) was that regardless of the mother's position (shopping, prepping, cooking household meals, and her preferences), children will mimic the father's eating behaviors. So if the dad doesn't like vegetables and openly does not eat in or encourage vegetables (or any food group, just using veggies as example), the children will follow his lead. Thus having major nutrition and potential chronic illness precursors on the children when they reach adulthood. Areas where there was not enough data to discuss and make conclusions included same sex parent household and single parent households. So Mindy, you're giving good advice coming from this dietitian with a food science degree!
I have an almost 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. My oldest eats great. He loves veggies and he's finally coming around with eating meats other than ground beef. My younger son is in a phase where he only wants bread type foods. I bake ours myself with freshly ground flour so I feel less bad about it, but I still want him eating meats and veggies. Every meal I offer all that is on the table, but sometimes I just put a little bit of each on his plate to avoid throwing food and feeding it to the dog lol I've found that he randomly will try something and actually swallow it at times. He really likes to do what his brother does so sometimes my older son will encourage the younger to try it. Sometimes that works! We're getting there. I also do some smoothies with lots of veggies and berries for sweetness. That way I know he's getting nutrition, but we're also trying to get him to eat the food by itself on his plate.
Honestly I grew up with my dad being a picky eater. He doesn't eat dark meat, he doesn't eat meat on the bone, he only has a handful of veggies hell eat. So when my kids started I wasn't surprised. I was patient and kept introducing things and most of my kids eat so many veggies. I used to get comments from people because my kids would eat a salad but the veggies had to be separated and my son doesn't like dressings. I'm like if he doesn't want dressing I'm not going to force it at least he's eating his veggies 😂
I also have one who won't do dressing but loves her veggies. It's frustrating when I'm cooking with sauces that she doesn't eat and I have to think how and when to separate things out. On the other hand, it feels weird to tell her she needs to eat the less healthy stuff when she will willingly eat the healthy stuff😅
Getting kids involved in growing their own vegetables is another great way to get kids eating their vegetables. Here in Australia, some of our elementary schools have school garden programs to get kids involved in this. So if you have a garden at home, it might be a fun way to involve kids in producing the food they eat,
My toddler tried snap peas for the first time because she helped plant them, watch them grow, and picked them. Decided she didn't like them but exposure is a starting place. She wouldn't have tried it otherwise.
I try to find family friendly meals as much as possible and I make sure there's at least 1 thing on the table that each person likes. The rule at my table is that you have to at least try everything, even if it's just 1-2 bites. I've found that sometimes this helps my girls realize that something doesn't taste as bad as they imagine it does. It doesn't always work, but I always praise them for trying. I also try to do slight modifications if I can (such as my older daughter not wanting cheese on top of everything, I'll just cover half of a casserole with cheese). When possible, I also make assembly lines for everyone to do it themselves instead of preassembling - tacos, quesadillas, lettuce wraps, salads, homemade pizzas, etc. Everyone's more likely to eat if they make it themselves. I'd still need to prep all the ingredients so it's no extra work on me.
Good ideas. My mother lived through the Great Depression. Her mantra seas , eat it, and be grateful you have it. I deal with a picky eater husband every day, it’s a problem. Thank you for the ideas.
This is SO good, thank you for putting it out! I finally got to a point when my kids were teens where I was like "Look I am not a made to order chef here guys. I am making a nice dinner, if you do not like it that is fine, but no comments about it and make yourself something else." I also made sure to let them know what I was planning ahead of time and if they didn't want it, that really was okay with me, but I only made enough for the people who did want it. This cut way down on waste and too many leftovers. If they chose to make their own dinner they had to clean up their mess and do the dishes. Nine times out of ten this cut the whole I'm not eating what mom is making way down. Lol, my kids didn't always like cooking for themselves and found that many times they actually did like what I made, but just thought they wouldn't!
I have been watching your videos for some time, but held off at first with watching this because I wasn't sure what to expect, but so glad you went in the direction that you did! I have two kids (adults now) that were both picky eaters along with having sensory and texture issues. Despite how severe they were, we were not short order cooks and just worked around what they could and couldn't eat. As they both grew older their picky side diminished and all that was left was their sensory side. My oldest is able to eat most things fine, we just have to work on my youngest because they have such a difficult time with textures. Then, my husband got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and we once again worked on making dinners for everyone. My husband is diet controlled, and everyone is eating the same dinners, just some avoid certain aspects of the dinner.
I agree 100% with being an example on the picky eating. When my boys were growing up, we had a "1 bite" house rule. Tastes change over time. Now, if I was aware of something someone absolutely hated, I would do my best to figure out a way to leave it out, make it very tiny, or large enough to pick out. I lived by my rule, and ate mushrooms as example. Using this "one bite" rule both of my sons eat all kinds of foods and all vegetables (I don't know of any veggies they don't like) And to think, my youngest wouldn't even touch a green bean when he was little! And my oldest went from "I hate onions" (raw) to "I love slimy onions" (cooked) lol 🤣 They're grown now with kids of their own now, and plan to use the same technique with my grandsons! God is good! Thanks Mindy! ❤
We had a win recently with one of my kids. She discovered at 17, that she loves brussel sprouts. Both of my kids have diva palettes. They are both teens now so if I cook something they don't like, they are welcome to make their own dinner. I keep things in the freezer that I know they can fall back on when that happens. It's so odd to me that they are so picky because me and Dad will eat nearly anything.
Modeling eating your veggies and not talking bad about them is so important when kids are little!! I realized when I was pregnant with my first that if I wanted her to eat her veggies I was going to have to eat mine, and I better start now so I can learn to like them. I didn't like most veggies on the first try. BUT I would try a different recipe, cutting it differently so the texture was better (looking at you squash), or sometimes I just needed to get used to the strong flavor by trying one or two pieces at a time until my tastebuds adjusted. I am still learning to like some but I eat way more than I used to and I really think that helps my daughter. Oh and don't let family act shocked when they actually eat a vegetable! It's just a food on the plate to my daughter. She doesn't need to know it's not normal to love broccoli 😅
Mindy, Rule #3 is of utmost importance. I actually told my husband before we had our first child, to never ever say "I don't like...," or worse "You won't like ..." We both followed that plan. My eldest eats almost everything, drawing the line at organ meats and for some reason raw green bell peppers. I'd say that is pretty good. The other two even eat those things.
I love your comment on the adults eating their veggies. My son (elementary school now) eats pretty much any vegetable. He loves asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, spinach and the list goes on (when I say loves I mean guard your plate so he doesn't steal yours). Do I try preparing the same vegetable different ways and different seasoning until we land on a version we all like - yes. Does everyone not only eat but express pleasure in the taste ...also yes. Kids follow our lead and if they don't get to try it and often - how will they learn to like it? The first time my guy tried cheese tortellini - you'd think we were coaxing him to eat dirt. Now he loves it. Same applies to offering veggies more than once, prepared in a way that taste good (no plain steamed with no seasoning please). Parents at his recent birthday party were surprised to see their kids eating veggies with the pizza. When I brought the plate around anyone who said no was gently informed they had to choose at least one (we have 3 options). With everyone having veggies on their plate - they all ate at least one serving any many had second helpings.
Yes! Needed this one! Love how you mention tweaking something, without making a whole separate meal. My kids won't eat casseroles, so I make up their plates with the separate ingredients, then mix it up for the casserole for the adults.
I’m thankful my kids actually love most veggies. And we all eat the same thing so it’s fair. Also, with after school snacks we don’t do them in my house. My kids won’t eat dinner otherwise so as soon as I get home from picking them up I usually start working on dinner that way they fill up on food better for their body! Plus they get a snack of fruit or veggie that the school supplies for all students before pickup.
This is so helpful. Thank you so much for including all of these printables. Your videos are so intentional, and you are my favorite to watch on RUclips. You put so many helpful ideas out there, I appreciate your content so much!
Thank you, Ashley, I really appreciate that. I try to think about how I can make helpful and realistic videos, it's my primary channel goal, so hearing I hit the mark is really encouraging, thank you!
The way you talk is so comforting. English is not my first language, and I appreciate the way you talk and pronounce. I enjoy and learn without getting tired of trying to understand and catch up with you. Thank you
Thanks for saying that about sensory and medical. We struggle so much with our sensory kiddo. Some people just do not understand the complexity of texture, sensory, and medical issues. For example, in my home, I have 1 person eating keto, 1 person lowering cholesterol and maintaining a good glycemic index, 1 person with sensory issues, and 1 person that is an extremely active and growing teenager. So, for example, 2 people breaded chicken, 2 people without, 3 people eating the green beans, 2 people eating the Mac, adding an extra salad or veggie for the adults to feel more full.
Mindy- A dollop of those yummy Walmart dips are fabulous for upgrading mac and cheese as well! Personally I love a spoon of the “bacon ranch dip” in mine-SO good!
As someone who was labelled as a picky eater as a kid (and given a ton of flak about it my whole childhood) we realized later it was totally textures and smells that affected me, and that I liked my foods seperate, cant do a casserole, but I sure can do piles of veggies and proteiins in their seperate spots lol. Great idea about putting out the options and letting everyone build their own plates. I think something people forget is some of us "picky eaters" don't do it to vex everyone, it really sucks to not be able to eat eggs even if I want to but then being guilted for not eating eggs. I pretty much dread eating anywhere becuase of it's really creamy or whatever, I'm out haha. That being said my kids are not picky, but we never give the option. They eat what we eat, sushi, dim sum, veg and chicken, we ignore the pickiness, and keep exposing them to everything and never talk about it.
This video is so interesting! I know my own mother had trouble feeding our family since we're all picky eaters. But as we got older, she started to vary what we made-- ie replacing a lot of red meat dishes with chicken, pork, or fish to help with my dad's cholesterol levels. And making vegetables in a way that everyone would be able to eat, or at least tolerate. I know when I was a kid I hated most vegetables, especially eating them raw, because of texture issues. But I'd happily eat vegetables if they were in soups or stew, and I loved eating corn and potatoes in various ways. So my mom would focus on making me those things so I'd get at least some sort of vegetable in my diet.
I agree wholeheartedly about the children need to see the adults eating good healthy foods to model a healthy lifestyle for their children. I did this for my kids when they were small and now they are two very healthy adults with good appetites for good healthy food. They also know how to prepare them in a healthy way. They exercise a lot in their 30s and they also saw that as well as a good work ethic growing up. They do what they see good or bad! Just something to think about. I also realize I am very blessed that they have made good choices.
Thank you! ❤️ So very helpful, I'm definently in the season of life where I'm exhausted and unfortunately giving in to bad habits. I cant wait to try all this wonderful advice. I appreciate you ❤
Thats's very interesting my son was pretty picky up until age 8 and then he was eating Indian food and other foreign foods and thats what he loves now at 26. He was always experimenting in the kitchen. He developed a mature palate early. Now I'm having to go back to childlike foods for my 90 yo mom lol I miss Indian food , Mexican etc Thank you for the recipes ❤😀
Well done, Mindy. I have major aversions to food scents, textures, and many foods taste different to me than everyone else, and even the visual appearance of a dish can make or break it for me, and this passes my picky palate. I struggled a lot as a picky eater and a single mom to please my own palate while trying to introduce my children to new foods and tastes because it was hard to prepare something I wasn't going to eat, was disgusted by, or unfamiliar with. They grew up to be adventurous diners and there isn't much that they won't try or don't like. I still have texture aversions and cilantro tastes like dish detergent, certain carrots taste like perfume, and potatoes taste like dirt, while I adore brussels sprouts, black licorice, anise, and other things most people dislike. I like coriander but cilantro is soapy. Taste buds are weird.
I totally agree with being a good example of parents eating and cooking vegetables. My Mom made a plethora of different veggies as we grew up and I can honestly say I love all veggies except turnips. So go Mom!
I just reached through your camera and gave you a big hug!!!!! I hope you felt it!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you for saying outloud these topics!!! They needed to be said!❤❤❤❤
You are so right! My kids are exceptions. I've always given them what the adults are. They asked for tuna salad in elementary school. The teacher called and asked if I had an accidentally given my kid my lunch.😂😂 they ate salads, tomatoes, all the veggies. Loved it all!
Thank you for the free recipes! Looks like that chicken spaghetti might be cheaper than the one I use with velveeta! Love the way you created this video making a recipe while giving tips all at the same time. So creative! You’re a gem!
I just watched the video and downloaded the little cookbook. Thank you for doing this and for making a freebie---gotta love that :) I am a household of one and , while I like to cook and try new recipes, most often I prefer to make simple meals,, easy, thrifty meals. This ticks all those boxes for me. Thanks again.
We offer raw veggies with ranch as an option to the cooked ones. Most kids will at least eat carrots or cucumbers as long as there's ranch. I have also hid veggies to get more nutrients into them... pureed in spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.
A lot of people put sugar in the marinara/tomato sauce. Instead of doing that, I puree a good amount of carrot and onion, saute until they are soft and put that in the sauce. Better flavor and much healthier. Also bulks it up a bit to make it more filling and economical.
When my kids were younger, they would say they didn’t like certain foods, I knew they had not eaten it before, so I had them try a spoon full. They usually loved it 😊😊😊
👏 Thank you Mindy! I laughed at the "tough love" parts, but you are SO right! I babysit little ones who are all picky eaters and cannot even get them to eat mashed potatoes. I can get them to eat a few vegetables, though mostly raw. I keep trying though, maybe one day... Thank you for the free e-cookbook! You are amazing! 🙂
Growing up my mother allowed my stepsister & I to choose 1 thing from each of the food groups. Since this different today then it was in the 80's I'll specify these groups for you: Vegetables, Fruits, Meat, Dairy, and Breads. My sensitivity to sulfur in Egg Yolks & the Onion family (the liquid/juice has the most sulfur in it) didn't really apply here. She just used powdered versions instead of fresh. Later we discovered that Chives has the onion flavor but low in Sulfur. So those became my Onions. Anyways, these were my food picks from each category, and it's still holds true today: Vegetable: Lima Beans - Fruit: Plums (inc Prunes since they're just dried plums) - Meat: Liver (Beef or Chicken) - Dairy: Limburger Cheese (When I was little I didn't know the name, and I just called it "Stinky Cheese" - Bread: Pumpernickel. Mom wouldn't make us eat our chosen foods, and would give us another option instead. Example: Mom made Liver & Onions w/ Mashed Potatoes & Corn. I could have a leftover meat (Chicken, Meatloaf, etc.) instead but have the Mashed Potatoes & Corn like everyone else.
We had 11 kids between the ages of 4 and 15 at one point. Everyone got to pick one thing that they never had to eat. I would work around it. We would schedule seafood meals when one daughter was at an overnight with Grandma, or I would make sure we had leftover potatoes for my one son when we had rice. Or I would cook mushrooms separately for the lovers to add. I also always put fresh veggies and dip out while I was cooking. They were hungry and that was available. They all eat all the fresh fruits and veggies!
When I was a kid through a new mother I only ate peas, corn, Lima beans and cabbage. Like you said, over the years my tastes have changed! I love a lot of leafy greens, squash and low carb veggies. Im still not a big fan of green beans but I will eat them mixed with other vegetables in soups and casseroles!
One thing my parents did when I was a kid that I think helped me to not be a picky eater was that we had a 3 bite rule. They didn't force us to finish anything that we didn't like, but we did have to at a least try three bites of everything on our plates. And we were never served special meals - we were always fed the same thing that the adults were eating.
I find that our 2 year old daughter is pretty adventurous when it comes to food compared to her cousins and friends. As a rule early on, we always give her what we eat. If she doesn't eat it, we finish and cover her plate. When she gets hungry again, we offer it back to her. 9 times out of 10, she eats it. I'm old and tired now so I don't have the energy to be a short order cook. 😂
This is what we did in our house too. And now my son does this with his kids. I told them I wasn't a short order cook. You gotta eat what mama makes! However my youngest is a picky teen. She gets away with a lot more. I somewhere along the lines lost my hard edge.
When my kids were young and I was poor I would do what I could to make what they liked and was still healthy. Sometimes they would say I'm not eating this or I don't like this. I would say well that's what we have. You're not getting anything else to eat til tomorrow and no dessert. Usually that worked. I hated to say that, but it really was all this tired mom was going to do. Now they eat most anything. Thanks for the tips. I now have grand kids and these ideas will work with them.
Thank you Mindy for this. I really wish I had access to this information and ideas when my youngest was little. He's 27 now but he was the pickiest eater ever as a child. I actually had to have a visiting nurse come and help me try to get him to eat as a baby. He would only eat chicken nuggets and fries or Mac n cheese but I started putting tuna in the Mac n cheese and there went that!! Really appreciate the info!!
Great tips Mindy! One of the best pieces I’d advise I got from our pediatrician was to cut out snacks. You were spot on when you said they will come home and fill up on snacks and then not eat dinner. My youngest would snack all day if I let her. LOL.
We try to do this where we can. I like doing quesadillas for lunch because they're easy but my toddler likes it unassembled. So I have a chicken quesidilla and she has plain tortilla, chicken, and cheese (plus a fruit or veg). Happy campers all around.
One thing I’ve always noticed is that most kids don’t like to chew a lot so when mine were little, I used to offer fruit that I cut up first. They really weren’t gonna bite into an apple and I think that’s why a lot of whole fruits aren’t eaten during school lunchtime. I struggled with overeating when I was younger so I didn’t say much about food to my sons and to this day as adult men, they eat well and didn’t acquire my problem.
Canned frozen or fresh green beans can be covered in water with bacon fat onions and maybe a potato or two and boiled till the water is about gone. When they’re wilty they taste the best 😋
love this idea of either or recipes, after so many years of cooking I get tired of looking for ideas, you hand them to me on a plate ( pardon the pun) :)🍽🤩😋
No I don't have kids and don't intend on having kids but as somebody who used to be picky sometimes I do appreciate that you're trying to give people alternative ideas to make sure their kids eat that isn't what I had to go through was was sit at the kitchen table for 6 hours until I force myself to eat it. It's really helpful
Totally get it about vegetables. I really didn't like Brussels sprouts as a kid. But as an adult I discovered birds eye cracked black pepper and sea salt steam able brussel sprouts. Yummy.
My favorite for our family of 6 (1 pescatarian, 1 with food allergies, and 2 that are just plain picky) is definitely the "bar" type meals...Nachos/Tacos and baked potatoes are definitely the biggest hits!
Agreed. If I didn't have a channel that revolves around food, we'd probably eat that way more often in my household, namely because of our schedules in the evenings.
I made a deal with my kids that they got a tablespoon of anything new and they had to take one bite of it. That way if they didn’t like it not much was wasted, but if they liked it they could have more. This way there were no fighting over not wanting to try new things.
I don't have kids, but I did choose that option in your poll. My wife and I agree on a lot of meals, but I definitely have a more adventurous palate than she does. She grew up in the Midwest, and that creamy comfort food is definitely her comfort zone. But we've found enough types of meals to agree on. Stir-fry? Yes. Protein + vegetables sheet pan meal? Yes. We don't eat salads very often, which was something I ate a lot growing up, but we eat lots of veggies in different ways.
I remember growing up(60 years ago)you ate what was put in front of you, or you went hungry. Of course, the fact that my mom and grandma were great cooks made this no problem.
Those were the rules at our house too. I didn't have any problem going to bed hungry. My aversions were so strong that shut my hunger down. I suspect that I had sensory issues, but they just called it being a "picky eater", which is weird because I am a foodie now, but still very picky about textures or flavors like cilantro.
As an adult picky eater, I would like to expand on Mindy’s tough love by saying that, if possible, it might be a good idea to try to involve an adult picky eater in the meal planning/cooking process. When I first went to college and became responsible for feeding myself, I decided I would only eat my favorite foods and never eat anything else… that didn’t last long. But my mom’s style of “eat it or else” also didn’t work when “or else” included much more appealing options. I had to learn to use ingredients I don’t particularly care for in ways that I could learn to genuinely enjoy. There are still some ingredients or dishes that I just can’t stand, and that’s okay for me right now - but I still work on broadening my horizons because I’ve learned that you never know when financial or health constraints might pop up.
Totally agree. Although as a mom it is so hard to tell whether my son is picky or it is more sensory aversions. We certainly work to offer as many choices. Agree that snacks are hard to limit but cause issues with meal time. Lunch is my son’s problem area of snacking instead of healthy lunch.
I grew up in a very poor household. We couldn't afford to be picky, so I learned to have a good palate and eat anything. Either that or not eat much at all, plus I felt bad if I declined food, because I knew my parents were doing the best they could. I am actually grateful for that, because I can enjoy so much variety of foods now as an adult.
I was a picky eater as a child. Looking back on that, it was mostly from fear. I didn't know how something might taste or feel in my mouth. Fast forward to college. There were very few food options for me. I tutored Japanese exchange students. In return they fed me. I learned to be adventurous and became a much better person for it.
Love this and totally agree- us parents have to set the examples and try and serve it all.. it’s a everyday battle in my house with my husband and youngest son- they are so picky- I don’t even want to cook because of it sometimes 🤯🙃
Thank you for sharing those recipes! My first kid was not picky. He tried and still tries everything. I thought I was doing a great job. My 2nd is very picky. We always put a little of everything on his plate but we try not to force.
I've been doing the Ticktock method before it was ticktock (although milk can go in the same time as the water) to teach my littles to cook Mac and cheese since they can't lift the pot to drain.
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I only had 1 child and he was NEVER a picky eater, he did some odd things with his food but he was adventurous. He adored vegetables and I discovered he got everyone's vegetables at school lunch that the others wouldn't eat. One day he started laughing at dinner and said "I had 10 helpings of broccoli at school today". I was so lucky
I am a single woman with no kids and I love watching your videos! You always give me great ideas to up my boring meals. I downloaded your free cookbook and can’t wait to try some recipes! Thank you Mindy!
Forty years ago, my first daughter was a very picky eater. A diagnosis of Asperger’s when she was in her teens made us realize she had sensory issues with the textures of food. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles, and this was one I chose to let slide. She was healthy and bright eating only Mac and cheese, carrot sticks, cheese pizza, and nuggets. Plus a daily vitamin. She’s still that picky at 40. Thanks for this video.
Understandable. That’s why I gave that qualification at the beginning. This isn’t meant to address sensory issues or eating issues of kids on the spectrum.
I have a daughter on the spectrum. She turns 20 next month. I am a very picky eater and always have been. So, of course, she was picky as well. Here's my take on food aversion...EVERYBODY has likes and dislikes. It's perfectly normal! Stop shaming or forcing children to eat things they are not ready to accept! Instead, encourage them to try different things, but allow them to not like it.
They say you need to try foods 3 or more times before you might accept the food. I would encourage my daughter to try something new. If she didn't like it, that's fine. No fuss was made. I would wait until she forgot she'd tried it (months or even a year later) to encourage her to try again. Even lied when she asked if she'd had it before! But I would do the same process over again. Sometimes, she'd change her mind, sometimes not. Didn't matter, I was always just encouraging and happy when she'd tried.
Furthermore, I was especially encouraging to try new things when we ate at buffets or pot lucks. Restaurants make things way more yummy than I could, and you never know if you might find a new recipe your child likes through someone else. It's also a lot easier to allow them a small bite of something new in these situations. What I found was that my daughter was very excited to try anything new when it was breaded and deep-fried. That would open the door to eating the item cooked other ways and/or in other dishes.
I can tell you my daughter still has sensory issues with food and sometimes refuses to eat things she previously would enjoy. But overall, her tastes have greatly changed over time, and she even loves foods I do not like. She found her own path, her own likes and dislikes, and I'm very proud of her!
Thank you for this, I deal with this and the guilt of not being able to get healthier food down her stomach. She has a reflux and has thrown up many times at the dinner table after trying to get her to eat something healthy. It's the texture. I have such guilt.
Mindy, Thank You! For all Mothers with young children just do what you can and each child is different. One morning 25 years ago my daughter was in kindergarten she would not eat her breakfast so I said tell me what you want you have to eat something she grabbed the cheetos and ate them.On the morning Mom's were invited to come in and join morning circle time. The teacher asked each one what they ate for breakfast that morning.I broke out into a full on sweat it was dripping down my flank! When they got to her she said I ate carrots! Oh sweet baby Jesus thank you. She thought they were carrots! She is 25 and loves veggies. Hang in young Mom's it will work out!
This nearly brought me to tears as I am currently dealing with a 3 year old who doesn’t want to eat anything these days. Knowing it’s temporary is so comforting.
@@claudiag.3036 It is! It will also fly like the blink of the eyes. Enjoy it and don't stress and beat yourself up. Do your best thats all you can do. Hang in!
@@claudiag.3036
It does get better. All of my kids went through periods when they wouldn’t eat something at all. I felt like I was crazy. They have gotten so much better.
Keep trying. And sometimes breakfast for dinner is a win. In my house backwards Wednesday (breakfast for dinner) has stayed on the menu and they’re now 12-16 😅😅😅
@@claudiag.3036 Oh dear Claudia…It’s upsetting and especially if someone in your life is trying to give ya advice. As long as you’re not giving your child a candy bar three times a day ☺️ it will turn out ok and some adults never want to eat a lot of different foods too. I learned that it seems to work out better if there isn’t too much discussion about it with a child or anybody else.
@@mariselaali1396 I'm a full grown adult with kids of my own but there is something special about breakfast for dinner. As a kid I'd swear it tasted different and better than in the morning
All great pieces of advice. As a mom of a 2-year-old and 4-year-old, I would also add serving a "safe" food especially on nights when you try a new recipe or something you know they haven't liked in the past. Typically this is fruit, a safe veggie, or garlic bread. For example, I love red beans and rice and I'm making that tonight. I know my 4 - year - old doesn't love it so I'll leave some of the sausage on the side for him and also give a few slices of apple with the rest of the meal. Often it encourages them to eat more of the new food like magic!
Great tip!
I’ve done so many of these things and i still have 2 awesome eaters and 1 of the pickiest eaters ever 😭 I’ll still keep trying. I never let my kids say “that’s gross” etc about food. Food is a blessing and so many people go without it.
I totally agree with your grow up comment, Mindy! When I was first married, my husband didn't like a lot of vegetables. I said, "Too bad." We have kids here that need to see you eat vegetables, so you have to eat what I make. There were no ultimatums. The two kids grew up fighting over who got the last of the vegetables that I made that most kids hate( Lima beans, brussel sprouts) Sometimes you just have to put your foot down with husband's! LOL
Love the message you are making here about adults setting examples. I'm a dietitian and for my capstone presentation I researched adolescent health outcomes influenced by family meals. The number one take away from my studies (3 years ago now) was that regardless of the mother's position (shopping, prepping, cooking household meals, and her preferences), children will mimic the father's eating behaviors. So if the dad doesn't like vegetables and openly does not eat in or encourage vegetables (or any food group, just using veggies as example), the children will follow his lead. Thus having major nutrition and potential chronic illness precursors on the children when they reach adulthood. Areas where there was not enough data to discuss and make conclusions included same sex parent household and single parent households. So Mindy, you're giving good advice coming from this dietitian with a food science degree!
That’s so interesting!
My husband sat with the older kids on his lap and let them share his salad. They eat it, the others don't.
The SNeaky CHef is great
I have an almost 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. My oldest eats great. He loves veggies and he's finally coming around with eating meats other than ground beef. My younger son is in a phase where he only wants bread type foods. I bake ours myself with freshly ground flour so I feel less bad about it, but I still want him eating meats and veggies. Every meal I offer all that is on the table, but sometimes I just put a little bit of each on his plate to avoid throwing food and feeding it to the dog lol I've found that he randomly will try something and actually swallow it at times. He really likes to do what his brother does so sometimes my older son will encourage the younger to try it. Sometimes that works! We're getting there. I also do some smoothies with lots of veggies and berries for sweetness. That way I know he's getting nutrition, but we're also trying to get him to eat the food by itself on his plate.
Honestly I grew up with my dad being a picky eater. He doesn't eat dark meat, he doesn't eat meat on the bone, he only has a handful of veggies hell eat. So when my kids started I wasn't surprised. I was patient and kept introducing things and most of my kids eat so many veggies. I used to get comments from people because my kids would eat a salad but the veggies had to be separated and my son doesn't like dressings. I'm like if he doesn't want dressing I'm not going to force it at least he's eating his veggies 😂
Ooh I don’t eat meat on the bone, dark meat, any fatty meat 😬 I’m super picky when it comes to my meat!
I also have one who won't do dressing but loves her veggies. It's frustrating when I'm cooking with sauces that she doesn't eat and I have to think how and when to separate things out. On the other hand, it feels weird to tell her she needs to eat the less healthy stuff when she will willingly eat the healthy stuff😅
I used to be a picky eater until I was 19 years old and I started making things and trying them, really helped so much
Getting kids involved in growing their own vegetables is another great way to get kids eating their vegetables. Here in Australia, some of our elementary schools have school garden programs to get kids involved in this. So if you have a garden at home, it might be a fun way to involve kids in producing the food they eat,
So true!
My toddler tried snap peas for the first time because she helped plant them, watch them grow, and picked them. Decided she didn't like them but exposure is a starting place. She wouldn't have tried it otherwise.
My kids will eat the veggies they grow outside only. It's crazy, bring them inside and put them on a plate and they won't.
I try to find family friendly meals as much as possible and I make sure there's at least 1 thing on the table that each person likes. The rule at my table is that you have to at least try everything, even if it's just 1-2 bites. I've found that sometimes this helps my girls realize that something doesn't taste as bad as they imagine it does. It doesn't always work, but I always praise them for trying. I also try to do slight modifications if I can (such as my older daughter not wanting cheese on top of everything, I'll just cover half of a casserole with cheese). When possible, I also make assembly lines for everyone to do it themselves instead of preassembling - tacos, quesadillas, lettuce wraps, salads, homemade pizzas, etc. Everyone's more likely to eat if they make it themselves. I'd still need to prep all the ingredients so it's no extra work on me.
Good ideas. My mother lived through the Great Depression. Her mantra seas , eat it, and be grateful you have it. I deal with a picky eater husband every day, it’s a problem. Thank you for the ideas.
This is SO good, thank you for putting it out! I finally got to a point when my kids were teens where I was like "Look I am not a made to order chef here guys. I am making a nice dinner, if you do not like it that is fine, but no comments about it and make yourself something else." I also made sure to let them know what I was planning ahead of time and if they didn't want it, that really was okay with me, but I only made enough for the people who did want it. This cut way down on waste and too many leftovers. If they chose to make their own dinner they had to clean up their mess and do the dishes. Nine times out of ten this cut the whole I'm not eating what mom is making way down. Lol, my kids didn't always like cooking for themselves and found that many times they actually did like what I made, but just thought they wouldn't!
I have been watching your videos for some time, but held off at first with watching this because I wasn't sure what to expect, but so glad you went in the direction that you did! I have two kids (adults now) that were both picky eaters along with having sensory and texture issues. Despite how severe they were, we were not short order cooks and just worked around what they could and couldn't eat. As they both grew older their picky side diminished and all that was left was their sensory side. My oldest is able to eat most things fine, we just have to work on my youngest because they have such a difficult time with textures. Then, my husband got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and we once again worked on making dinners for everyone. My husband is diet controlled, and everyone is eating the same dinners, just some avoid certain aspects of the dinner.
I agree 100% with being an example on the picky eating.
When my boys were growing up, we had a "1 bite" house rule. Tastes change over time. Now, if I was aware of something someone absolutely hated, I would do my best to figure out a way to leave it out, make it very tiny, or large enough to pick out. I lived by my rule, and ate mushrooms as example.
Using this "one bite" rule both of my sons eat all kinds of foods and all vegetables (I don't know of any veggies they don't like) And to think, my youngest wouldn't even touch a green bean when he was little! And my oldest went from "I hate onions" (raw) to "I love slimy onions" (cooked) lol 🤣
They're grown now with kids of their own now, and plan to use the same technique with my grandsons!
God is good! Thanks Mindy! ❤
We had a win recently with one of my kids. She discovered at 17, that she loves brussel sprouts. Both of my kids have diva palettes. They are both teens now so if I cook something they don't like, they are welcome to make their own dinner. I keep things in the freezer that I know they can fall back on when that happens. It's so odd to me that they are so picky because me and Dad will eat nearly anything.
Modeling eating your veggies and not talking bad about them is so important when kids are little!! I realized when I was pregnant with my first that if I wanted her to eat her veggies I was going to have to eat mine, and I better start now so I can learn to like them. I didn't like most veggies on the first try. BUT I would try a different recipe, cutting it differently so the texture was better (looking at you squash), or sometimes I just needed to get used to the strong flavor by trying one or two pieces at a time until my tastebuds adjusted. I am still learning to like some but I eat way more than I used to and I really think that helps my daughter. Oh and don't let family act shocked when they actually eat a vegetable! It's just a food on the plate to my daughter. She doesn't need to know it's not normal to love broccoli 😅
Mindy, Rule #3 is of utmost importance. I actually told my husband before we had our first child, to never ever say "I don't like...," or worse "You won't like ..." We both followed that plan. My eldest eats almost everything, drawing the line at organ meats and for some reason raw green bell peppers. I'd say that is pretty good. The other two even eat those things.
I love about 95% of all veggies, but I can't stand raw green bell peppers. It's an overpowering flavor for me.
I love your comment on the adults eating their veggies. My son (elementary school now) eats pretty much any vegetable. He loves asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, spinach and the list goes on (when I say loves I mean guard your plate so he doesn't steal yours). Do I try preparing the same vegetable different ways and different seasoning until we land on a version we all like - yes. Does everyone not only eat but express pleasure in the taste ...also yes. Kids follow our lead and if they don't get to try it and often - how will they learn to like it? The first time my guy tried cheese tortellini - you'd think we were coaxing him to eat dirt. Now he loves it. Same applies to offering veggies more than once, prepared in a way that taste good (no plain steamed with no seasoning please). Parents at his recent birthday party were surprised to see their kids eating veggies with the pizza. When I brought the plate around anyone who said no was gently informed they had to choose at least one (we have 3 options). With everyone having veggies on their plate - they all ate at least one serving any many had second helpings.
Yes! Needed this one!
Love how you mention tweaking something, without making a whole separate meal.
My kids won't eat casseroles, so I make up their plates with the separate ingredients, then mix it up for the casserole for the adults.
I’m thankful my kids actually love most veggies. And we all eat the same thing so it’s fair. Also, with after school snacks we don’t do them in my house. My kids won’t eat dinner otherwise so as soon as I get home from picking them up I usually start working on dinner that way they fill up on food better for their body! Plus they get a snack of fruit or veggie that the school supplies for all students before pickup.
This is so helpful. Thank you so much for including all of these printables. Your videos are so intentional, and you are my favorite to watch on RUclips. You put so many helpful ideas out there, I appreciate your content so much!
Thank you, Ashley, I really appreciate that. I try to think about how I can make helpful and realistic videos, it's my primary channel goal, so hearing I hit the mark is really encouraging, thank you!
The way you talk is so comforting. English is not my first language, and I appreciate the way you talk and pronounce. I enjoy and learn without getting tired of trying to understand and catch up with you. Thank you
Thanks for saying that about sensory and medical. We struggle so much with our sensory kiddo. Some people just do not understand the complexity of texture, sensory, and medical issues. For example, in my home, I have 1 person eating keto, 1 person lowering cholesterol and maintaining a good glycemic index, 1 person with sensory issues, and 1 person that is an extremely active and growing teenager. So, for example, 2 people breaded chicken, 2 people without, 3 people eating the green beans, 2 people eating the Mac, adding an extra salad or veggie for the adults to feel more full.
Mindy- A dollop of those yummy Walmart dips are fabulous for upgrading mac and cheese as well! Personally I love a spoon of the “bacon ranch dip” in mine-SO good!
As someone who was labelled as a picky eater as a kid (and given a ton of flak about it my whole childhood) we realized later it was totally textures and smells that affected me, and that I liked my foods seperate, cant do a casserole, but I sure can do piles of veggies and proteiins in their seperate spots lol. Great idea about putting out the options and letting everyone build their own plates. I think something people forget is some of us "picky eaters" don't do it to vex everyone, it really sucks to not be able to eat eggs even if I want to but then being guilted for not eating eggs. I pretty much dread eating anywhere becuase of it's really creamy or whatever, I'm out haha. That being said my kids are not picky, but we never give the option. They eat what we eat, sushi, dim sum, veg and chicken, we ignore the pickiness, and keep exposing them to everything and never talk about it.
I totally agree with you. Parents, adults ARE the models to the younger eaters. Love your tough love!
This video is so interesting! I know my own mother had trouble feeding our family since we're all picky eaters. But as we got older, she started to vary what we made-- ie replacing a lot of red meat dishes with chicken, pork, or fish to help with my dad's cholesterol levels. And making vegetables in a way that everyone would be able to eat, or at least tolerate.
I know when I was a kid I hated most vegetables, especially eating them raw, because of texture issues. But I'd happily eat vegetables if they were in soups or stew, and I loved eating corn and potatoes in various ways. So my mom would focus on making me those things so I'd get at least some sort of vegetable in my diet.
I agree wholeheartedly about the children need to see the adults eating good healthy foods to model a healthy lifestyle for their children. I did this for my kids when they were small and now they are two very healthy adults with good appetites for good healthy food. They also know how to prepare them in a healthy way. They exercise a lot in their 30s and they also saw that as well as a good work ethic growing up. They do what they see good or bad! Just something to think about. I also realize I am very blessed that they have made good choices.
Thank you! ❤️
So very helpful, I'm definently in the season of life where I'm exhausted and unfortunately giving in to bad habits.
I cant wait to try all this wonderful advice.
I appreciate you ❤
Thats's very interesting my son was pretty picky up until age 8 and then he was eating Indian food and other foreign foods and thats what he loves now at 26. He was always experimenting in the kitchen. He developed a mature palate early. Now I'm having to go back to childlike foods for my 90 yo mom lol I miss Indian food , Mexican etc Thank you for the recipes ❤😀
Well done, Mindy. I have major aversions to food scents, textures, and many foods taste different to me than everyone else, and even the visual appearance of a dish can make or break it for me, and this passes my picky palate. I struggled a lot as a picky eater and a single mom to please my own palate while trying to introduce my children to new foods and tastes because it was hard to prepare something I wasn't going to eat, was disgusted by, or unfamiliar with. They grew up to be adventurous diners and there isn't much that they won't try or don't like. I still have texture aversions and cilantro tastes like dish detergent, certain carrots taste like perfume, and potatoes taste like dirt, while I adore brussels sprouts, black licorice, anise, and other things most people dislike. I like coriander but cilantro is soapy. Taste buds are weird.
I totally agree with being a good example of parents eating and cooking vegetables. My Mom made a plethora of different veggies as we grew up and I can honestly say I love all veggies except turnips. So go Mom!
I just reached through your camera and gave you a big hug!!!!! I hope you felt it!!!! Thank you Thank you Thank you for saying outloud these topics!!! They needed to be said!❤❤❤❤
You are so right! My kids are exceptions. I've always given them what the adults are. They asked for tuna salad in elementary school. The teacher called and asked if I had an accidentally given my kid my lunch.😂😂 they ate salads, tomatoes, all the veggies. Loved it all!
Thank you for the free recipes! Looks like that chicken spaghetti might be cheaper than the one I use with velveeta! Love the way you created this video making a recipe while giving tips all at the same time. So creative! You’re a gem!
Yay!!! I have 7 kids. They are all picky eaters. Never fails that someone does not like something so THANKS SO MUCH for the ideas. 😊
Thank you for the freebie Mindy! I look forward to making a lot of these recipes.
I just watched the video and downloaded the little cookbook. Thank you for doing this and for making a freebie---gotta love that :) I am a household of one and , while I like to cook and try new recipes, most often I prefer to make simple meals,, easy, thrifty meals. This ticks all those boxes for me. Thanks again.
We offer raw veggies with ranch as an option to the cooked ones. Most kids will at least eat carrots or cucumbers as long as there's ranch. I have also hid veggies to get more nutrients into them... pureed in spaghetti sauce, chili, etc.
A lot of people put sugar in the marinara/tomato sauce. Instead of doing that, I puree a good amount of carrot and onion, saute until they are soft and put that in the sauce. Better flavor and much healthier. Also bulks it up a bit to make it more filling and economical.
When my kids were younger, they would say they didn’t like certain foods, I knew they had not eaten it before, so I had them try a spoon full. They usually loved it 😊😊😊
Thank you for sharing this video! I have 2 very picky teenagers and planning our menu every week is a struggle! So seeing this was very helpful! ❤️
👏 Thank you Mindy! I laughed at the "tough love" parts, but you are SO right! I babysit little ones who are all picky eaters and cannot even get them to eat mashed potatoes. I can get them to eat a few vegetables, though mostly raw. I keep trying though, maybe one day...
Thank you for the free e-cookbook! You are amazing! 🙂
Thank you! For being a straightforward mom! It is appreciated
Growing up my mother allowed my stepsister & I to choose 1 thing from each of the food groups. Since this different today then it was in the 80's I'll specify these groups for you: Vegetables, Fruits, Meat, Dairy, and Breads. My sensitivity to sulfur in Egg Yolks & the Onion family (the liquid/juice has the most sulfur in it) didn't really apply here. She just used powdered versions instead of fresh. Later we discovered that Chives has the onion flavor but low in Sulfur. So those became my Onions.
Anyways, these were my food picks from each category, and it's still holds true today:
Vegetable: Lima Beans - Fruit: Plums (inc Prunes since they're just dried plums) - Meat: Liver (Beef or Chicken) - Dairy: Limburger Cheese (When I was little I didn't know the name, and I just called it "Stinky Cheese" - Bread: Pumpernickel. Mom wouldn't make us eat our chosen foods, and would give us another option instead. Example: Mom made Liver & Onions w/ Mashed Potatoes & Corn. I could have a leftover meat (Chicken, Meatloaf, etc.) instead but have the Mashed Potatoes & Corn like everyone else.
We had 11 kids between the ages of 4 and 15 at one point. Everyone got to pick one thing that they never had to eat. I would work around it.
We would schedule seafood meals when one daughter was at an overnight with Grandma, or I would make sure we had leftover potatoes for my one son when we had rice. Or I would cook mushrooms separately for the lovers to add.
I also always put fresh veggies and dip out while I was cooking. They were hungry and that was available. They all eat all the fresh fruits and veggies!
When I was a kid through a new mother I only ate peas, corn, Lima beans and cabbage. Like you said, over the years my tastes have changed! I love a lot of leafy greens, squash and low carb veggies. Im still not a big fan of green beans but I will eat them mixed with other vegetables in soups and casseroles!
Yes! We need to be good examples to our kids in all aspects
Thank you for the great ideas and tough love! And thank you for the free ebook! I can’t wait to try the chicken spaghetti 😃
Hope you like it!
One thing my parents did when I was a kid that I think helped me to not be a picky eater was that we had a 3 bite rule. They didn't force us to finish anything that we didn't like, but we did have to at a least try three bites of everything on our plates. And we were never served special meals - we were always fed the same thing that the adults were eating.
I find that our 2 year old daughter is pretty adventurous when it comes to food compared to her cousins and friends. As a rule early on, we always give her what we eat. If she doesn't eat it, we finish and cover her plate. When she gets hungry again, we offer it back to her. 9 times out of 10, she eats it. I'm old and tired now so I don't have the energy to be a short order cook. 😂
This is what we did in our house too. And now my son does this with his kids. I told them I wasn't a short order cook. You gotta eat what mama makes! However my youngest is a picky teen. She gets away with a lot more. I somewhere along the lines lost my hard edge.
@Brianne Hill No Mama, you like me just got tired, lmao. Especially if you have more than one.
@@pandapoof8798 I have 3 kids and 2 grandkids! I think you're right,lol. I am tired!
When my kids were young and I was poor I would do what I could to make what they liked and was still healthy. Sometimes they would say I'm not eating this or I don't like this. I would say well that's what we have. You're not getting anything else to eat til tomorrow and no dessert. Usually that worked. I hated to say that, but it really was all this tired mom was going to do. Now they eat most anything. Thanks for the tips. I now have grand kids and these ideas will work with them.
Thank you Mindy for this. I really wish I had access to this information and ideas when my youngest was little. He's 27 now but he was the pickiest eater ever as a child. I actually had to have a visiting nurse come and help me try to get him to eat as a baby. He would only eat chicken nuggets and fries or Mac n cheese but I started putting tuna in the Mac n cheese and there went that!! Really appreciate the info!!
Yessss!! We eat fruits and veggies with almost every meal. Even if it's a can of green beans and some grapes, let's feed our kids well! ❤
Great tips Mindy! One of the best pieces I’d advise I got from our pediatrician was to cut out snacks. You were spot on when you said they will come home and fill up on snacks and then not eat dinner. My youngest would snack all day if I let her. LOL.
Thank you so much!!! My boyfriend gets menu fatigue so easily, so this is just so helpful!!!! ❤❤
Such an important topic!! Thx for another great video Mindy🌸
Thank you for sharing and thank you for saying what needed to be said. Being a good example is very important.
We try to do this where we can. I like doing quesadillas for lunch because they're easy but my toddler likes it unassembled. So I have a chicken quesidilla and she has plain tortilla, chicken, and cheese (plus a fruit or veg). Happy campers all around.
Thank you for the free download it will really help my family out. Kathy Utah
So glad you did this video. I struggle with this. My kids used to not be picky and now here we are. I hate cooking now because of this.
One thing I’ve always noticed is that most kids don’t like to chew a lot so when mine were little, I used to offer fruit that I cut up first. They really weren’t gonna bite into an apple and I think that’s why a lot of whole fruits aren’t eaten during school lunchtime.
I struggled with overeating when I was younger so I didn’t say much about food to my sons and to this day as adult men, they eat well and didn’t acquire my problem.
Mindy, you are an 😇. Thank you for all you do inspiring me and others in our cooking skills. 👍😁❤️🙏
Thanks so much for the printable cook book!
Excellent video addressing this topic, Mindy!
Canned frozen or fresh green beans can be covered in water with bacon fat onions and maybe a potato or two and boiled till the water is about gone. When they’re wilty they taste the best 😋
love this idea of either or recipes, after so many years of cooking I get tired of looking for ideas, you hand them to me on a plate ( pardon the pun) :)🍽🤩😋
Different variations of food that probably my picky eaters would eat 😋 thank you for your time to teach us
Thank you so much for the freebies!!! I can’t wait to try them out!
No I don't have kids and don't intend on having kids but as somebody who used to be picky sometimes I do appreciate that you're trying to give people alternative ideas to make sure their kids eat that isn't what I had to go through was was sit at the kitchen table for 6 hours until I force myself to eat it. It's really helpful
Thank you for the free recipes! You are awesome!
You are so welcome!
Great video! Thanks so much for the freebie menu suggestions! You're the best! ❤
I was just searching the other day for your spicy Ramen recipe. Thank you so much!
Totally get it about vegetables. I really didn't like Brussels sprouts as a kid. But as an adult I discovered birds eye cracked black pepper and sea salt steam able brussel sprouts. Yummy.
My favorite for our family of 6 (1 pescatarian, 1 with food allergies, and 2 that are just plain picky) is definitely the "bar" type meals...Nachos/Tacos and baked potatoes are definitely the biggest hits!
Agreed. If I didn't have a channel that revolves around food, we'd probably eat that way more often in my household, namely because of our schedules in the evenings.
These are AMAZING tips!! Thank you!!
I made a deal with my kids that they got a tablespoon of anything new and they had to take one bite of it. That way if they didn’t like it not much was wasted, but if they liked it they could have more. This way there were no fighting over not wanting to try new things.
I don't have kids, but I did choose that option in your poll. My wife and I agree on a lot of meals, but I definitely have a more adventurous palate than she does. She grew up in the Midwest, and that creamy comfort food is definitely her comfort zone. But we've found enough types of meals to agree on. Stir-fry? Yes. Protein + vegetables sheet pan meal? Yes. We don't eat salads very often, which was something I ate a lot growing up, but we eat lots of veggies in different ways.
We love the sheet pan meals with protein and roasted veggies. Sounds like you've got a good rhythm!
I remember growing up(60 years ago)you ate what was put in front of you, or you went hungry. Of course, the fact that my mom and grandma were great cooks made this no problem.
Those were the rules at our house too. I didn't have any problem going to bed hungry. My aversions were so strong that shut my hunger down. I suspect that I had sensory issues, but they just called it being a "picky eater", which is weird because I am a foodie now, but still very picky about textures or flavors like cilantro.
@@PinkTigger33 understood.
Ty for the free cookbook Mindy!
Thank you for the recipes! There are several I’m going to try. Very helpful video.
Hope you enjoy!
As an adult picky eater, I would like to expand on Mindy’s tough love by saying that, if possible, it might be a good idea to try to involve an adult picky eater in the meal planning/cooking process. When I first went to college and became responsible for feeding myself, I decided I would only eat my favorite foods and never eat anything else… that didn’t last long. But my mom’s style of “eat it or else” also didn’t work when “or else” included much more appealing options. I had to learn to use ingredients I don’t particularly care for in ways that I could learn to genuinely enjoy. There are still some ingredients or dishes that I just can’t stand, and that’s okay for me right now - but I still work on broadening my horizons because I’ve learned that you never know when financial or health constraints might pop up.
I guessed what to cook when you don't feel like cooking BUT this is even better!!! ❤
Mindy, You are amazing! Thank you for the free recipes. they sound so yummy. You are a wonderful mom and person. Thank you again. Have a great day.
Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words. :)
Totally agree. Although as a mom it is so hard to tell whether my son is picky or it is more sensory aversions. We certainly work to offer as many choices. Agree that snacks are hard to limit but cause issues with meal time. Lunch is my son’s problem area of snacking instead of healthy lunch.
I liked your tough love! Years ago I told my girls to find a man that loves God, loves his mom, and eats his vegetables. They never forgot it.
Thank you for the free recipes!!
Great tips! Thanks for the freebie (already downloaded!).
Thanks for the free ebook! I will use it ❤ please more of them 😅
I grew up in a very poor household. We couldn't afford to be picky, so I learned to have a good palate and eat anything. Either that or not eat much at all, plus I felt bad if I declined food, because I knew my parents were doing the best they could. I am actually grateful for that, because I can enjoy so much variety of foods now as an adult.
I was a picky eater as a child. Looking back on that, it was mostly from fear. I didn't know how something might taste or feel in my mouth. Fast forward to college. There were very few food options for me. I tutored Japanese exchange students. In return they fed me. I learned to be adventurous and became a much better person for it.
Thank you for the recipes. Can't wait to try them!!
Hi Mindy, I love your recipes and videos, thankyou for some new recipes 😋
Love this and totally agree- us parents have to set the examples and try and serve it all.. it’s a everyday battle in my house with my husband and youngest son- they are so picky- I don’t even want to cook because of it sometimes 🤯🙃
Thank you for sharing those recipes!
My first kid was not picky. He tried and still tries everything. I thought I was doing a great job.
My 2nd is very picky. We always put a little of everything on his plate but we try not to force.
Thanks for the ideas for my VERY picky eater!!! Btw....looking AMAZING in those shorts girl!!!! More motivation for me🥰
Thank you!
I completely agree with you about the vegetables.
I've been doing the Ticktock method before it was ticktock (although milk can go in the same time as the water) to teach my littles to cook Mac and cheese since they can't lift the pot to drain.