Why 3 more bites is not the answer

We all want our children to be healthy.

This means that when our kids refuse to eat the broccoli at dinner, chooses crisps over carrot sticks after school or prefers packaged snacks to fresh food, we feel stressed.

And this stress leads to pressure. Pressure to get our kids to eat vegetables. Pressure to get them to try new food. Pressure to get them to eat the way we want them to.

It's not just us feeling this pressure. Your kids will feel it too. They'll hear it in what you say to them.

"Three more bites."

"You need to eat some or you're not getting pudding."

"I spent ages making this. You need to try some."

"Everyone else is eating it." "Just three bites." We all do it. We all worry about our kids and want the best for them.

And they might take those three bites. But it won't be a positive experience. They'll feel stress too. And stress causes an increase in adrenaline. It happens easily and quickly. Even language at the dinner table can cause an increase in adrenaline in your child. And adrenaline suppresses appetite.

So what is the answer? Instead of telling your child to eat healthy food, create an environment where they enjoy eating. Make meals a time to enjoy each others company, a time to tell stories and laugh. Allow your child to decide which of the food on the table they are going to eat. Ensure that your child feels calm rather than stress when they are eating to avoid that adrenaline surge.

It won't happen overnight but an enjoyable eating experience leads to an increase in variety.

Let's face it, you deserve to enjoy meals too. So if you're ready for some support, get on the waitlist for the next Brain Bites for Picky Eaters program where I guide you step by step through the strategies to help your child to eat that tricky broccoli (and all the brain food their body needs.)