Picky Eaters: What To Do When Your Child Is A Junk Food Lover

It is no secret that most children love ‘junk’ food. Sweets, chocolates, fried food and burgers are but a few of their favourites on the menu. While it's fine to indulge their sweet and savoury cravings once in a while, it could be a problem if that is all that they eat. Refusing healthier food choices such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains makes your children picky eaters. It should concern parents and you need to take corrective steps at the earliest.

Junk food tends to be high in calories and low on vital nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre compared to healthier food choices. This type of picky eating may lead to an overload of energy that may cause obesity. They may also miss out on important nutrients for overall growth and development.

But with lots of patience and simple feeding strategies, you can help the picky eaters in your home adopt a healthy and balanced diet over time. Soon enough, you could be watching them happily chomp down on nutrient-rich food like broccoli and carrots.

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Telltale Signs That Your Children Are Picky Eaters

Strong preference for junk food
Refusal to try new types of food
Avoids fruits and vegetables
Has a habit of snacking

Consequences Of Picky Eating

Inadequate nutrition
Compromised growth
Susceptibility to illness
Lower cognitive development
Strained parent-child relationship

Mum Shares

Shashi Rai with 5-year-old Rudran

Shashi Rai, mum of 5-year-old Rudran Vickram shares, “My son is extremely picky when it comes to his food. He loves macaroni and cheese, burgers and pizzas. He will fuss over a healthy home-cooked meal that will hardly be touched."

"I have tried to compromise by combining his favourites with healthy ingredients – e.g. cheesy broccoli rice – but he will end up meticulously picking the broccoli pieces. My husband and I have even tried bribing him with desserts if he eats his greens but to no avail."

She adds, "He complains that fruits are sour and that vegetables are bitter. I feel helpless because on one hand, I do not want him to go hungry but I also do not want to indulge his picky eating any longer.”

Doctor's Advice

Dr Chan Poh Chong, Paediatrician at National University Hospital, says that it's not uncommon for a five-year-old to develop preferences for food, especially junk food. However, it's important to acknowledge that Rudran has a problem with his dietary habits. He seems to have an aversion to greens, sour and bitter tastes. This is typical of a child who has a highly selective intake or sensory food aversion.

In order to identify the extent of his problem, we need to first assess his weight and nutritional status to see if his eating habits have caused any excessive weight gain or nutritional deficiencies.

5 Tips For Mums To Deal With Picky Eaters During The Pandemic

As much as we'd think it's okay to indulge our children's dietary habits, the fact is that you need to discipline them and not encourage too much junk food. This is particularly necessary during the pandemic wherein kids now have a more sedentary lifestyle with home-based learning being the norm.

Nevertheless, you can make some active efforts to change their food habits with these steps:

Change your child's food choices gradually.
Tempt with small amounts of sour/bitter fruits and vegetables
Prepare healthier food at home (e.g. Use cooking techniques such as baking instead of deep-frying)
Have meals together and act as role models for your child to see and follow
Avoid ordering food from outside as much as possible

For more tips on teaching your child healthy eating habits, go to www.pickyeating.com.sg.