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My kids are similar – I guess all kids are.
Avoid buying sugary stuff and find the proteins that they like.
This is difficult, and I learned the hard way. The BEST is to start when they are VERY YOUNG (like 2 years old). Otherwise my wife cooked chicken in many different ways (for protein) so the kids now know which kind they like/dislike. At first they turned their noses away, but with treats and common-sense, we bribed them to finish their plates. Whether it’s dipping it in ketchup(their favorite way to eat chicken) or to give them delicious drinks, etc. Eventually they enjoy and like it, they now eat a whole lot of protein. BTW, when kids eat protein, they are MUCH EASIER to try new foods. Kids who eat no protein, are fussy eaters and have a hard time eating new foods!
Only Shabbos do we serve sugary cereals. Weekdays we have a variety of healthy cereals from which they can choose from-and they love it! For example, today we had corn flakes with sliced pieces of bananas for fun! Fish is not a good seller, unfortunately , and my older kids won’t go near it except gefilte fish. My little ones eat fish, b”h.
hatzlochah!
negative reinforcement is always nice…beat him with a sack of donuts and then offer him a carrot
i also think that starting off young is a must.
however you must also set yourself as an example.
we gre up in a house that ate mostly healthy foods, never any sugary stuff let alone colored soda.
as of today I still maintain this, and mostly eat only healthy.
I am having the same trouble with an 18-year old. He has only been living with us for a year, and grew up in Russia where he learned nothing of good eating habits.
Left to his own devices his diet would be meat and candy. We are having a hard time changing that. He is very strong-willed and skeptical of advice.
Bribery. Example:
If you eat an apple, I’ll give you a pack of Gushers!
ronrsr
Perhaps skip the advice and just let him learn through osmosis via your OWN eating patterns.
And kudos to you for taking him under your wing (pun intended).
soliek -LOL!
ronrsr – I agree with AYC! you’re so nice! If you don’t teach him now, he’ll have terrible problems later in life R”L. It’s such an important task you have, please show him the way, for his sake.
oh, I wish it were that easy. Osmosis sounds like the way to go, but my wife and I both eat and cook well, and he just likes to eat the cheapest junk. He says he doesn’t like home cooking, which is a shame, since my wife is a wonderful cook. His preferences run to preserved meats, white bread and candy.
He’s been with us for a year-and-a-half, and the osmosis hasn’t even started to take.
Now, I’m starting to buy him sugary foods that are better than the candy he buys himself. I give him sweet granola and nut bars for his walk to school in hopes of displacing his usual breakfast of a candy bar.
He’ll only be with us another 6-9 months, and I feel panicky that he needs so many life skills to live independently (even at college) and I’m running out of time.
I still need to teach him: thrift, budgeting, how to do laundry (we have been working on this one for 15 months), how to keep a datebook and a checkbook, etc. That’s just the top of the list.
He is a slender, healthy-looking boy, in apparent good health now, but I worry about the sheer amount of white sugar he eats every day, some days close to a pound.
He’s a nice kid and most days I am very fond of him and care for his future. We talk a lot and have a good relationship, but as with many teenagers, he knows everything and there’s nothing he can learn from me.
Which kid doesn’t like a good burger? Make your burgers from better, healthier cuts of meat like shoulder steak, or tenderloin. Mix beef with veal when making burgers. Grill chicken on the BBQ, it is hard to resist. Throw vegetables even corn on the grill as well.
Try cooking meats and fish differently to make it interesting. If you are used to well done steak or meat, then cook it rare and juicy. Cook it in a sweet marinade or hot sauce if they like spice.
Fish sticks can be warmed up with some cheddar cheese on top. Tuna fish can be mixed into macaroni and cheese. Eggs are a good source of protein and you can cook them up in many different ways.
Try offering them bites from your own plate and not giving them a plate of their own. If they refuse to try things then use their logic. When they want to do something like watch a NEW video or game, you say “I don’t like that, I only like what I like and what I know. I don’t want to try anything new” If they want to go to a new store or new park “I don’t like that place, its new I only like what I like and I don’t want to try anything new”. They will get the message. In most cases it has nothing to do with what they like or dislike it is just a matter of being stubborn and not wanting to make changes.
aries, I like the advise. I will try it. One of my kids won’t eat any fruits or veggies (and very few protiens), and is starting to get chunky. I have tried many different ways to get him to try new things. I will try your advice next. Tx
that negative reinforcement idea is sounding better and better.
keep setting a good example. cut up fruits and vggies so they are available and look inviting to eat
if you must serve cookies get oatmeal and raisin instead of chocolate chip etc.
Don’t serve oatmeal raisin cookies to your kids. No child deserves that.
If you lock them in a cage and only feed them carrot sticks for a few months, they develop a taste for it. Trust me.
The surest way to teach a child anything is by setting a good example. Most will follow their parents’ lead, a few will rebel and do the opposite. Fortunately for me, my kids rebelled and are wonderful adults.
Is a habbit a cross between a hare and a rabbit? And are they kosher? And if so, please post a good-eating recipe.
Not forcing your kids to eat, having set mealtimes and that’s when they eat. No eating when it’s not a meal.
Teaching them to eat by their hunger signals.
Never telling them to eat more or less.Baalhabooze:
How did you get your kids to eat gefilte fish and not regular fish?? My kids turnedup their noses at most fish, but gefilte fish merited a speical “yuuuchhh”. Somehow, they developed an (expensive) taste for sushi but still won’t eat most grilled or fried fish. I agree with several of the posts above that forcing kids to even “try” foods they push away is the best way to turn them off on those healthy foods. Ultimately, they will try stuff on their own (typically when with their peers) and come home and announce they like XYZ which you’ve been trying to get them to eat for years.. Minimizing the junk food options around the house is also a good idea.
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