Mealtime with a picky eater is a daily challenge! Getting a picky eater to eat more than one or two foods from the food pyramid is a feat.

There were a few years there when my mother had two picky eaters and three that had the following rigid eating guidelines:

• No food could touch another food on the plate.
• All foods on the plate needed to be in the same amount so the eater could eat in clockwise order and finish all the foods in equal rotation.
• Each bite of food had be followed by one sip of water or milk.

The mealtime rules had to be followed otherwise the meal could not be eaten!

Eventually we all grew out of our picky and ritualistic meal behaviors. Today we all eat just about anything under any mealtime conditions.

What follows are URL addresses of sites that have suggestions for handling the picky eater in your home. You may have tried some, but hopefully there will be some suggestions that you haven’t tried. Good Luck!

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/childrens-health/in-depth/childrens-health/art-20044948

https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/education/picky_eaters/

http://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/picky-eaters.html

http://www.parentingscience.com/picky-eaters.html

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/feeding-a-picky-eater

Dear Parents,

I am writing to ask your input on story lines we are developing for programs for “Can Do” Street that combat obesity before it becomes an issue for a child, not after he or she develops a serious weight problem.

We want to begin our obesity prevention programs by targeting young children who are learning to make food choices based on what is prepared for them wherever they are at mealtime or snack time.

Please share how you influence your child’s food choices, so that more often than not, he or she chooses healthy foods over high caloric and /or fatty foods.

What methods do you use for encouraging your child to make healthy choices when choosing from a restaurant menu or ordering in a fast food place?

Do you talk to you child about foods that are always good to eat and foods that need to be a sometime treat, not for every day?

Do you involve your child in meal prep and grocery shopping? If so, do you use this time to talk about how the foods you are buying or preparing will help them to grow strong and fit?

Please email me at jeanc@candostreet.com with what works for you.

If you have a particular area that you have dealt with successfully, such as a picky eater, please share how you have gotten them to make healthier food choices.

I look forward to hearing from you. I welcome any and all suggestions that can help with getting programs out there to prevent obesity.

Best,

Jean