How to Handle Picky Eaters?

Rotidua's post about her picky eaters inspired me to write this.
I think Rotidua is not alone in her dillema, right?
Come on, don't be shy, spill the beans... !
Okay let me start with mine:

Ilham - he's 10 and he is starting to explore new foods. He is beginning to eat vegetables, but only lettuce and cucumber. He likes curries, and fried fish or chicken, but most of the time it's just that with rice, no vegetables at all. Loves eggs cooked any way, but especially sunny side up with the yolk slightly runny so that he can form a 'lava flow' on his volcanic mound of rice.

Ihsan - is going to be 9 in october and he eats plain white rice, with NOTHING. Not even soy sauce. Sometimes he'd take fried fish. What he likes most is crabs, but I can't afford to have that every day. Would not touch a vegetable with a ten-foot pole. Loves eggs cooked any way but sunny side up.

Anis - is 6 in March and is more adventurous, but again, no veggies. If I make fried rice or meehon with shredded or tiny pieces of vegetables in them, she would painstakingly pick them out and put it aside. She complains about eating rice everyday, but she loves masak lemak (Coconut milk gravy) and crispy fried chicken (especially the skin). Also loves eggs cooked any way but sunny side up.

Izani - is 2 in April. He is my star vegetable eater. He loves the crunchy carrots and cucumber. Likes to try anything or everything, but if he doesnt like it, he just spits it out anywhere, anytime he likes. Does not like fried eggs, but does not mind omelletes or scrambled eggs. Izani is very difficult to feed though. If I try to feed him, he'd say he wants to eat on his own, but when I leave him to eat on his own, he plays with his food (he's 2, whatdya expect?).



If I let my kids have their way, they would choose to eat cake, fries and candy all day.

What I've learned so far with my kids are these ...



Lead by example
If they see you enjoying various types of food, they will eventually (hopefully) will want to try them too. Try to make a show of how yummy certain foods are. If you're shy, you can even restrict passionate gastronomic responses to the privacy of your own home. But you'll soon see that your kids will start to like foods that they see you like.
This 'education' can start as early as while they're still in your tummy! I found that because I ate a lot of salads when I was pregnant with Izani, he was not averse to eating vegetables.
Unfortunately, kids pick up your bad habits too. Like my need to eat everything with something crunchy, be it keropok or twisties.

Introduce new foods gradually
Taste is acquired, so if you want to introduce something new, do it bit by bit, gradually. Have them try it at first, then when they have acquired the taste, you can increase the frequency of that dish, or introduce the ingredients into other dishes. This works with spices as well.

Find out what they like
This is probably the first thing that your mother (or other mothers) would ask your children when they're not eating: "What do you like?". It usually ticks me off when people go out of their way to prepare something my kids like when I am trying to teach them not to be so picky, but I have found that the information I gather here could be useful. How? *points to the next item*

Hide the veggies!
My kids like cucur udang (prawn fritters). So instead of making plain cucur udang, I shred carrots, sweet potatoes, scallions, parsley, etc etc into them. Another good way to hide veggies is inside tomato sauce (for pasta) or cheese (but some kids dont really like cheese) (Not my kids!). Or you can go the extra mile and do what Jerry Se1nfeld's wife did - puree her veggies and put them into brownies and cookies. (Get more ideas here - http://www.deceptivelydelicious.com). I can easily see her ideas modified into some kind of cucur, or masala vade, or kuih talam.

Explain nutrition
I usually would ask them what they would like to eat, but I'd usually veto some of their choices and I would tell them why. "Candy gives you cavities", "Chips are not healthy food", "You need vegetables to make you smart", etc etc. I am hoping that by telling them why, I could at least education them on what is healthy and what is not, and this would guide them on what foods to eat when I am not around to choose it for them.

Keep treats as really special treats
Don't make junk food as part of their diet. Don't put chips or candy in their lunchbox. Make it a once in a while thing, so that they don't develop the habit of eating it all the time and confusing them with regular food. Make sure they know the difference, by saving it as a treat. Make sure they know it's a special treat, and you cannot eat it ALL the time.

I can't say that all of the above are sure fire tips. But I do try and have had a few small successes. I think good eating habits is a learning process, and all we can do as parents is try to teach them and expose them as much as we can.
I remembr when I was younger that I hated vegetables too, but as I grew up, i developed a taste for them and can't have a meal without them (but then again that may be due to age.. can you say 'constipation'?)

Would love to hear your stories on this topic!