The top foods kids won't eat (and how to get them to!)

Hey Rebecca!! Someone who thinks like I do. Either they eat what I put on the table or they don't eat AT ALL!!!

I completely understand people saying that kids should be healthy. As far as making them eat things...not so much. When I was little, I was an extremely picky eater (but not unhealthy). I refused to ever eat a burger or steak until I was 14. I was the chicken queen. And for people like Rebecca, maybe that's how you choose to raise your kids. I'll tell you one thing though, anyone who "made me do it anyway" and made me eat something I didn't want to. I hate to say it, but they got puked on. I hate english peas, I hate tomatoes, I hate cooked cabbage and spinach. It doesn't make me an unhealthy eater, but I also don't HAVE to like everything put in front of me either. It's often not the case that people are scared of their kid's reactions...my parents weren't scared of me. They just understood that no person will like everything. They didn't eat everything because they didn't like some things, and they didn't make me do it either. That comment just reminded me alot of my stepmom. The same woman who told me if I refused to eat cooked cabbage and black-eyed peas at new years, that she'd take me to the barn and make me eat cow pellets (the cow food that's all grains packed into a pill-like form). So guess what? I had cow pellets for new years. It's people like that who force their ideas on everyone else that shouldn't have kids.

our son is an extremely picky eater... he will eat meatloaf, but hates hamburgers. Interesting enough, the kid loves vegatbles and salad. So, let your kids eat what they like, and in turn, eventually they will try new things.

To the woman who said that people tricking kids into eating shouldn't be parents, I want to know if she is a parent? That was a stupid comment to make. We trick people all the time into eating things (adults and kids a like)... so don't judge us parents until you are in the same situation.

my experience with forcing a child to eat (or taste) something he did not want to: when my son was 6, i was so tired of him being picky beyond belief that i told him the rule from now on was that if he did not eat most of his dinner, he would eat nothing else that night. almost every other parent i knew had this rule & it semed to work for them. the next night, the testing began. we sat down to dinner, he announced that he didnt like anything, i reinforced the new rule & the crying began. after 15 minutes of my daughter & i trying to eat with this going on (it only got worse the more i asked him to stop), we went into the living room to finish. when i came back to the kitchen with our dishes, the crying became scream-crying. we lived in a double & i didnt want the elderly couple next door to think i was torturing him, so i called to let them know what was happening. he flung himself on the floor. i picked him up & put him back in the chair. that went on about 5 more times & i couldnt pick him up anymore. he began vomiting & then gagging. i started wondering what kind of deep-seated emotional problems he must have & how i completely failed as a parent. i tried explaining to him once again that tasting food is a normal part of life & people do not react this way & he was mainly hurting himself, i decided it was not worth it in any way because at this point, nothing worthwhile was going to be accomplished & i told him to just take his bath & go to bed. he was too upset to eat anything anyway. he never became a child that was willing to try new things easily. today, at age 32, he is pretty damned normal, very sweet & responsible. he can still be picky about some things, but he eats more of a variety than his sister (now 28), who as a kid would eat almost anything.

First off, I think that whoever wrote this article is probably writing based on “Problems Parents Have Expressed” in some form or another. (Unfortunately!) If a picture is worth a thousand words I have a picture that would leave some people speechless… My 2 year old daughter at a birthday party where everyone is eating chocolate cake and ice cream, she is eating a salad….
I speak from experience that children will eat what they are given, and will look to you as an example! I had my elder son when I was 16 (I do NOT condone or applaud teenage pregnancy and I do not want to be slandered for it please) I did not “know” better and didn’t really think too much about the importance of nutrition for him or myself for that matter. He will absolutely not eat veggies, salad or anything remotely “good for you” I can’t blame him. As a parent I did not set a very good example, and I did not expose him to more nutritional options. So he is happy with eating, a hot dog and cheetos for dinner, and will fight me to “try anything else”
So here is where my “experience” comes in:
Fast forward 12 years, I am a vegetarian (for 5 ½ years) and have a 2 year old daughter who is also a vegetarian. We do not eat any “processed foods, junk foods, fried foods (occasionally we will have fried mushrooms or fried zucchini)” Sweets?? At a birthday party she is allowed a small piece of cake so that she is not excluded socially… sometimes she doesn’t even want it. She just eats what we eat (mom and Dad) Example… tonight we had lightly salted steamed cabbage with pesto tofu and she is more than happy with it. I do not have to trick her, or beg her she eats it happily. Because that is what she knows, that is ALL she knows. We also have a 6 month old son that will be raised vegetarian as well…
So, with that said I do speak from experience that children will “mimic you.” We should not give each other such hard criticism because we are all doing what we think is best, at the time. As we grow and learn what we think is best may change.

guess i'm lucky cuz the only one my 2 preeschoolers won't eat is brussell sprouts. Tomatos, eggs, and tuna are highly requested around here. The secret: start young and don't give them junk food options. we don't have cereals loaded in sugar and koolaid in the fridge. they know what foods are treats and which are healthy food. Simple (and hard) as that.

It's not about tricking your kid as opposed to introducing a variety of foods and prepare them in ways that work for kids. They're not saying to puree the brussel sprouts and mix it in their pasta sauce, or hide foods.

I'm a mother and a Nutritional Scientist and I don't think that a buttered egg muffin sandwich with bacon is going to hurt your child as long as they eat in moderation, and as long as the rest of meal/day is balanced (less saturated fat with plenty of veggies, fruit and grains). It is much more protein-packed than cheerios or pancakes, and fats that kids DO NEED to some extent in their diet.

The article is a good one in my opinion. It's about moderation and continually getting your kids to try healthy foods. That said, however...I believe, if you introduce healthy vegetables early and consistently enough without all the extras (butter, salt, sugar, etc), children will learn to eat them as is and really accept and enjoy the true flavors. It's like giving a kid ice cream every day, then all of a sudden asking them to eat plain yogurt. They won't like it.

This article is to provide parents with picky eaters some alternatives. How you parent your children at the table is your own business.

All this article is doing is giving unhealthy alternatives to foods that are generally good for you (I'll keep my veganism to myself on this one!). Parents who follow advice like this are reasons so many kids today are obese! My cousins, brother, and I all grew up loving vegetables because Grandma had a pretty sweet vegetable garden. We'd pig out on all of her vine-ripened tomatoes, green beans, and strawberries. My stepdad still grows blackberries and all manner of herbs in his back yard. Maintaining a little vegetable garden (and maybe some fruit trees) with your kids could be a great way to get them interested in eating produce. It's always fun to eat something you grow yourself. I always preferred Grandma's tomatoes to the ones in the store anyway...

My kids (ages 2,3,4) eat everything on this list, except brussels sprouts (and that's because I don't eat them). I don't mask any foods. They either eat what I give them or they don't.

If your kids don't snack between meals and come to the table hungry, if you show how you eat your vegetables and enjoy them, and if you don't offer anything else to eat until the next meal, you might be surprised how fast the little darlings snap up WHATEVER is on the plate in front of them.

My kids were also raised with a healthy dose of television showing the huge number of starving kids who would cry with joy at the chance to eat a plate of scrambled eggs.

It's time for parents to take back control of their household.

My sons don't like sweet potatoes mashed but I cube them up, roast them in the oven, and let the boys dip them in honey. They can't get enough of them. It's all in the presentation!

Seriously, some stuff is just gross. I can't stand brussel sprouts, brocolli or cauliflower and would never force anyone to eat it. I can't stand asparagus either. By the way, studies have shown if you don't like most greens, you may lack an enzyme to digest them well.

You wouldn't have to camouflage these foods if you raised your kids on healthy food choices instead of junk. These listed here were some of my favorite things to eat when I was younger. Then again, my mother LIVED on produce while she was pregnant and always had an affinity for healthy eating. Genetic or just how you're raised? Don't know, either way you are the parent and the breadwinner of the house. You make the rules, lay them down firmly and keep by them.

How 'bout this: your kids don't leave the table until they've cleared their plates AND drunk that whole glass of milk? My siblings and I are one healthy bunch of people, and that's what we had to do. I can't stand it when parents allow themselves to be bullied by their kids.

However, another tasy dish for cauliflower is to boil them and puree them - a lot like mashed 'taters.

Our technique is, and always has been, to serve a variety of foods without any indication as to what is healthy. Make a fuss over why a kid needs to eat brussel sprouts

I loved spinach when I was a kid! I hated brussel sprouts though. I'll still only eat them if they are in a rice and cheese casserole.

Strange. Everyone kid in my family ate a diverse set of vegetables when we were little. My Mom did not disguise them, hide them, flavor them with exotic things, etc. We all loved them, whether it was brussel sprouts, spinach, you name it. There were foods we did dislike, spaghetti, swiss steak, probably lots of others. On the whole we ate what was provided and did not throw tantrums in regards to foods being served. But then things were much different in the 70's, we didn't have spoiled kids who dictate and threaten to throw their parents in jail if they don't get what they want. Much different way of life now.

I wouldn't say that disguising the true form of a food is tricking any one. Fixing foods in a way that make them taste and look better is just common sense. I do this for myself as well as my kids.

"To entice kids into a healthier morning meal, whip up your own version of the McMuffin, a buttered english muffin filled with scrambled eggs, ham or bacon, and melted cheese."

I'm sorry, but why bother feeding your kid eggs if it's hidden by butter, bacon and cheese? I don't see the how this is healthier than a bowl of cheerios or even a couple pancakes. Is the goal here to get your kid to learn healthy habits or to sneak in the mystery ingredient? Seems like a trick designed just to make you feel like a good parent.

When I was a kid I hated EVERYTHING for breakfast, even cereal. I refused to eat a hamburger with anything on it. I still don't like milk in my cereal, but as I got older and believe it or not, ate at other people's homes (where the rule was you eat whatever they serve you) I started liking different things. I think it pissed my mom off sometimes, but sometimes I think tastes just come and go as you age. I thankfully don't have kids so not sure how I would handle it, but I don't understand why American kids have such a strong dislike for the good foods when in different countries kids eat all sorts of weird things most of us grown ups would never eat, so not sure how those folks get their kids to eat stuff.