Healthy Food For Super Picky Eaters ( Guide to Eating plan)

If you have a child who hates eating healthy food for Super picky eaters, I would like to share what I do with my son. The first thing that I do is make sure that he has a good breakfast.

The next thing that I do is pack him a lunch for school, and put it in the refrigerator the night before. Then for dinner, we have something light as a starter such as hummus or fruit, and as the main course, either chicken or fish with vegetables or salad.

The key is to make sure that he won’t be hungry. If his stomach starts growling, then he’ll end up eating anything you put in front of him, especially if it’s a high-calorie food.

What is picky eating?

It’s usually caused by very sensitive taste buds (like a baby having problems with their tooth). Being picky about tastes has nothing to do with food allergies. The problem can be solved by parents giving the child different kinds of food whenever they try anything new.

Some Healthy Recipes for Picky Eaters:

1. Sneaky Turkey Meatballs:

Ingredients:

• Ground turkey,
• Parmesan cheese,
• bread crumbs,
• eggs,
• onion powder.

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Form the turkey mixture into balls of whatever size you would like to eat. Once formed into balls, place on a cookie sheet or rack if baking.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with your child’s favorite sauce, like tomato sauce sweetened with some sugar. These are great to make the night before since they are one of my kid’s favorites, especially if I make them for dinner!

2. Chicken Nuggets:

Ingredients:

• Boneless skinless chicken breast or tenders,
• Parmesan cheese,
• bread crumbs,
• milk.

Preparation: Cut the chicken into small nuggets. In a bowl, combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Dip the chicken pieces in a milk and egg mixture to help the bread crumb mixture stick better.

Then, roll them around in the breadcrumb mixture until they are completely covered with this mixture. Then, place the nuggets on a cookie sheet and bake at 370 degrees F for 15 minutes.

3. Mini Veggie Pizzas:

Ingredients:

• English muffins or pita bread,
• pizza sauce,
• mozzarella cheese,
• grated carrot,
• cooked broccoli florets (or chopped spinach).

Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the English muffins in the oven for a few minutes until they are slightly brown but not too crispy (you want them to be able to hold up when you add the sauce and cheese).

Put your child’s favorite pizza sauce on top of the toast, mozzarella cheese, and any other toppings that they like (my son loves grated carrots and chopped spinach). Bake for 5 minutes on top of the oven.

4. Yogurt Parfait:

Ingredients:

• Vanilla yogurt,
• vanilla wafers,
• strawberries, or other fruit cut into small pieces.

Preparation: Put about 1/2 cup of yogurt into a small cup and top that with about four vanilla wafers, chopped strawberries, or other fruit.

5. Savory Sweet Potato:

Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes,
• orange juice,
• brown sugar,
• bread crumbs (or cornmeal),
• salt, and pepper.

Preparation: Slice the washed sweet potatoes as thin as possible and place them in a dish. Then, pour orange juice over the potatoes and sprinkle on brown sugar and bread crumbs (or cornmeal). Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the edges of the potatoes are crispy (you may need to turn them once during baking).

6. Mac & Cheese:

Ingredients:

• Shell pasta or elbow macaroni,
• chicken or beef broth,
• milk,
• Eggs,
• cheddar cheese.

Preparation: Cook the pasta according to package directions. In a saucepan, stir together chicken or beef broth and milk to taste (I usually add about 1/2 cup of each). Then, in another bowl, beat together two eggs.

Drain the noodles and add to the saucepan with the broth mixture. Stir over low heat until it starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add in your cheese (I usually use a generous amount of cheddar). Stir until melted, remove from heat and pour over pasta.

7. Scrambled Egg Pancakes:

Ingredients:

• Eggs,
• parsley,
• salt and pepper,
• cheese (optional),
• whole wheat tortillas.

Preparation: Mix the eggs in a bowl with a touch of water or milk, then add parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Pour the mixture onto a heated pan (sprayed with Pam or another cooking spray, if necessary). Cook like you would for scrambled eggs.

When cooked through, cut into strips and serve like pancakes on top of whole wheat tortillas that have been spread with cheese (if desired) and then microwaved for about 20 seconds.

8. Nachos:

Ingredients:

• Corn tortilla chips,
• shredded cheddar cheese,
• refried beans.

Preparation: In a bowl, combine the corn tortilla chips with some refried beans and mix until all of the chips are covered. Microwave for about 20 seconds to heat the mixture, and then sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese (or your child’s favorite cheese). Microwave again until the cheese is melted.

9. Cheese Quesadillas:

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat tortilla,
• cheddar cheese,
• cooked ground beef or turkey, and
• salsa.

Preparation: Heat a griddle or pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray if necessary. Spread some salsa onto a whole wheat tortilla and top with cheddar cheese slices. Put another tortilla on top of the cheese.

Cook for about 3 minutes or until it is crispy, flip over and cook on the other side until it’s crispy (you may need to add cooking spray if it starts sticking). Then, cut into triangles (like pizza).

10. Cream Cheese Delight:

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat pita,
• cream cheese,
• dried cranberries or raisins,
• granola with no added sugars.

Preparation: Spread cream cheese into the whole wheat pita and top with dried cranberries or raisins. Sprinkle some granola on top.

How do Healthy Food For Super Picky Eaters?

I have a picky eater who does not care for fruits and veggies. I have been told to mask the flavor with other items. These ideas seem helpful, but if you have any others, please let me know!

I make my kids smoothies with various frozen fruits and veggies; though they know what’s in it, they don’t like eating them like that – but they will drink them as a smoothie!

You can also make them milkshakes or freeze yogurt and fruit – they will eat it like a popsicle, but still, get the veggies! I do these things to help them not be picky about eating raw veggies. 

I know that one thing that helps our kids is to offer only healthy options for snacks (veggies, fruits, popcorn, string cheese), and then anything they want that’s processed is a big reward. It doesn’t work all the time, but it helps sometimes!

The healthy eating plan for picky eaters

1. Breakfast ideas for picky eaters

• Smoothies with yogurt, fruit, and wheat germ;
• Eggs;
• Fresh fruit;
• Cold cereal with low-fat milk;
• Pancakes or waffles (with or without all the fixings – what you want them to taste like is syrup, butter, and maple-flavored!);
• Homemade muffins or loaves of bread (try a carrot cake, banana bread, or pumpkin bread recipe);
• Leftovers from dinner;
• Cold sandwiches.

2. Lunch ideas for picky eaters

• Tuna salad sandwiches/wraps;
• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches;
• Leftovers from dinner;
• Boxed macaroni and cheese or other prepackaged meals that are healthy (like Beanie Weenies).

3. Dinner ideas for picky eaters

• Chicken nuggets, fish sticks, baked fish. If your child likes chicken, buy the chicken tenders in the freezer section. Bake them instead of frying them, and you’ll save a lot of fat and calories;
• Hamburger with just the beef patty, lettuce, tomato (no cheese or sauce), on a whole wheat bun;
• Baked potato (with or without toppings – they like our homemade pizza sauce mixed in);
• Grilled cheese or butter sandwich with pasta or soup for dipping;
• Tacos, chili, homemade pizza with veggies added to it.

What do you feed an extremely picky eater?

You give them a variety of foods in their personal “treat” section, or you keep the potluck that is their lunch until they get hungry enough to eat something. You’d think this would be simple.

But healthy food can be boring, too! Luckily, plenty of easy recipes satisfy even the most extreme palate challenges.

How can a picky eater eat healthily?

If you are the parent of a picky eater, here are some tips to help your child eat more healthy and nutritious food.

Picky eaters have unique tastes. It would help if you tried to accommodate them by trying different kinds of food each time they try something new. Trying a new dish every time your picky eater tries a new word will make them curious about what is weird or strange.

It is important to get your child involved in the preparation. This way, they will get excited about the recipe and the taste when it is prepared.

Slowly they will learn about new foods and try to eat those foods. Preparing meals together will make your children more open to trying new things.

Are picky eaters less healthy?

Many picky eaters fall into the “poor eater” category. These kids won’t eat anything new and will only eat foods they already know. They don’t like the taste of healthy food and don’t want to try new things.

This means you always have to keep a special secret menu in mind when going out for pizza or pasta with a friend. Many restaurants have secret menus, too.

But the most important thing to remember when dealing with picky eaters is that it’s ok. Most picky eaters aren’t unhealthy; they have a very sensitive palate.

Moms break out the blender, food processor, or kitchen sink to make new flavors for breakfast and lunch for their picky eaters. But you shouldn’t let this stop you from trying new things yourself!

At what age does picky eating stop?

Most people stop being picky eaters as they grow older. But some people are still picky eaters when they are adults. Some never outgrow it, and some do but don’t like trying new things.

Either way, getting them to try something new if they haven’t already is important. If you can’t get your kids to try anything new, you should be careful about what you feed them.

For example, many kids have been given just non-fat yogurt for dinner and nothing else to eat. But most kids need a variety of foods in the same meal to get their full nutrition.

Conclusion

This blog post aims to help you understand how picky eaters think and what they find enjoyable. Hopefully, by the end of it, you will have some ideas on keeping your child eating healthy food even if they don’t enjoy any newly introduced foods.

If you have any questions about our advice for parents with picky eaters, please leave a comment below! We’ll be happy to answer them as soon as possible.