02/27/98

How can I help my fussy child eat a balanced diet?

Q: Our four-year-old son will only eat about ten different foods. He hates all vegetables except raw carrots. And if two foods mingle on his plate, he won't touch either one. Will he ever eat normally?

A: Sometimes I think kids invented eating disorders. Such picky little consumers, they are! When my son was four, his French toast had to be cut in triangles, his orange slices picked clean of white "strings" and casseroles or gravy were taboo --- just plain ingredients, please. One four-year-old friend of his would only eat white foods! The boy's parents managed to come up with a balanced diet of milk, cheese, chicken, cauliflower, potatoes and ... you get the picture.

Force feeding, of course, doesn't work. Hovering over every spoonful doesn't either. Would your appetite improve if someone watched every chew and swallow? Probably not!

As long as your son stays healthy, has plenty of energy and shows consistent height and weight gains on growth charts, he's probably getting adequate nourishment.

Here are a few rules of thumb:

• Offer a variety of foods at each meal, prepared simply.
• Make mealtime a pleasant family event.
• Have a little fun with new foods. For example, my children didn't like vegetables much either. A plain stalk of celery? No chance. But when I made "ants on a log" (celery filled with peanutbutter and decorated with raisins), they loved it! I also invented silly meals, which began with dessert and went backward from there. Our children would eat just about anything for dinner if I served dessert first, and their friends would, too!

Most children eventually outgrow their finicky eating habits. My son is 24 now and eats foods I'd never touch. Guess who's the fussy one now!

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.