5 Ways to Make Dinnertime

Peaceful with Picky Eaters

I’m so happy
you’re here!

I’m Veronica, mom of 2, Registered Dietitian

and founder of The Fight to Bite Method.
I help parents who struggle with picky eaters and want to
break free from stressful mealtimes.

I have worked with kids and parents for several years, but
it wasn’t until I had my own kids that I realized how tricky
feeding kids really is! I know the day-to-day challenges of
trying to ‘get’ your kids to eat.

Every meal together feels like a power-struggle. You’re worried

they’re not getting enough. Previous advice hasn’t worked. It’s
causing tension between you and other family members. Will this
picky eating just go away?

I see you, and you're not alone! Your child is not destined
to eat only the same few foods forever. I created this
guide because there ARE some things you can do to get
started towards happier and healthier mealtimes (without
being forceful or sneaky).

I have used these tips with MANY families and have seen
their lives change. This is what this guide is all about,
giving you the resources to see the transformation within
your own family and FINALLY enjoy mealtimes again.
 LAY OFF THE PRESSURE

Some examples of what using pressure looks like:

"Eat your broccoli or NO iPad after dinner!"

"You’ll make me so happy if you eat (xyz), I cooked
it just for you!"
"Just take one bite of your broccoli, you’ll love it!"

Sound familiar? If you’re nodding your head yes, you

are not a bad parent! We often fall back on what we
know, and many of us were pressured to eat when we
were kids.

Research shows that pressuring our kids to eat can

make picky eating worse and cause them to like foods
we want them to like LESS, not more. Oftentimes when
we pressure, it can make our kiddos push back, which
causes more stress and battles at the table.

Accept where your child is right now with their

eating. Don’t try to bribe them, guilt them or force
them into eating.

This is a HUGE step in getting them on the right path

to liking new foods.

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 SERVE MEALS
DECONSTRUCTED

You may have noticed that your picky eater doesn’t

like the foods on their plate touching, or freaks out
when you serve a ‘mixed meal’ like a stir-fry.

To make meals a little less scary- try serving your

meals 'deconstructed' like in the examples below:

Kids (especially picky eaters) love having the control

of choosing what they’re going to eat and mixed
meals prevent them from having that control.

And just like THAT, mealtimes just got a lot easier!

 SERVE A VEGGIE
NIBBLE PLATE

Ok so here’s a scenario:

Your child hasn’t touched a vegetable or eaten well

all day and they come to you at 4pm begging for
their favorite snack (goldfish crackers).

You feel like they’re finally going to eat something,

so you give in to their snack request. When you sit
down to dinner at 5pm, your child comes to the table
uninterested in what’s on the table. They don’t touch
the foods on their plate.

You feel defeated and stressed yet again!

When your picky eater is HANGRY before dinner, put

out a variety of vegetables. Serve a veggie that they
like along with new ones (it's all about exposure)!
Tell them they can eat anything from that plate but
there is no other food until dinner is ready.

Pro Tip: Chop the veggies up once per week to save

on food prep time.

You might be surprised at what they try!

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 HAVE FUN WITH FOOD

Grab a fun new utensil, a colorful cup or a plate

with a your kids' favorite character.
Cut foods into different shapes.
Use a fun food pick.

Fun utensils create novelty and interest!

I’ve seen my own kids interact with a new food all

because I offered a fun utensil and cut foods into a
fun shape.

More interactions = one step closer to trying new

foods and expanding variety in their diet!

cookie cutters to turns food

make shapes into fun!

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 GET YOUR KIDDOS IN
THE KITCHEN

It's SUPER helpful for picky eaters to get to know

new foods outside of mealtimes before deciding
they're ready to give them a try.

MANY kids need 20-40 exposures (or more) to a

new food in many different ways before finally
feeling comfortable enough to taste it.

A great place to start is with a food they have

never tried.

Choose a root vegetable like potatoes, carrots or

beets.
Ask for help washing the food.
Then point out what happens when the food is
peeled, chopped, mashed or blended.
You can ask them to touch the food at each
stage to see how it transitions from raw to
cooked.
Don’t expect them to be hands on at first if they
feel uncomfortable, they may need several
exposures before they’re ready to handle the
food.

Pro tip: you can offer them gloves if they have a

hard time touching the food at any point.

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