Tired of the nightly battle to get your little one to eat their broccoli? It’s a common scene at dinner tables everywhere, but one expert says if you’re constantly fighting with your child to get them to eat their veggies, you may have more success if you take a step back.
According to The Sun, intuitive eating expert and registered nutritionist, Laura Thomas says parents shouldn’t pressure kids to eat their greens because it “almost always backfires.” She says the struggle to get children to eat could come down to the mistakes parents are making at the table. And here’s the real kicker – according to Thomas, trying to make kids clean their plates can actually make them pickier eaters.
So are parents supposed to give up on nutritious, healthy meals and just let kids eat whatever they want? Thankfully, it doesn’t have to come to that. Instead, Thomas recommends parents develop a “positive feeding relationship.” And that starts with avoiding these mistakes she says parents make with kids at mealtimes:
- Being overly restrictive with the foods they eat
- Blackmailing them to eat certain foods
- Linking foods with rewards
- Telling them they need to clear their plate
- Being strict with portion sizes
- Strictly limiting their snacks
- Overcomplicating meals
- Focussing on what other people are doing on social media
Source: The Sun
