Is Your Child a Picky Eater?
A lot of kids are picky eaters, and many of them tend to focus on so-called “beige foods”, which can include everything from bread and cookies to chicken nuggets and fries. But what can you do if your little one refuses to eat anything that isn't beige or white? Well, there are some options available to you. Read on to learn more.
What Is Beige Food?
Before we go any further and look at how to help the child eat more healthily, let’s focus on a quick definition. What exactly is beige food? Well, as the name implies, the term “beige food” covers any foods that are beige, white, or lightly golden in color. This includes things like bread, popcorn, cereals, crackers, and so on.
Reasons Why Picky Eaters Love White and Beige Foods
So, why do so many kids gravitate towards beige food? Here are a few reasons:
It Looks Non-threatening
There's actually a deep evolutionary reason why some children prefer beige foods: because they look safe. Back in the days before modern civilization, people needed to be careful about what they ate and use their judgement to avoid poisons. Foods that are light in color tend to look safer than those that are bright green or purple, for example.
It’s the Color of Lots of Kid’s Favorite Foods
One of the more obvious reasons why kids tend to love beige foods is because lots of tasty treats, including baked and fried goods, tend to be beige or golden in color. Think about things like French fries, chicken nuggets, white bread, sugar cookies, and fried cheese sticks, for example: they’re all beige.
Texture Also Matters
A lot of fussy-eating children also care about texture in their foods, and many of them find some comfort in the fact that beige foods have similar textures. Since these foods are often fried or baked in some way, they tend to have similar crispy and crunchy textures or soft and airy fillings, like bread.
How to Get Kids to Eat Healthy
So, what can you do to improve the diet of your little fussy eater? Well, there are actually plenty of top tips and proven techniques you can use to introduce more variety into your child’s diet and reduce their dependence on beige goods. Here are some useful tips to keep in mind:
Prepare a Healthy Meal or Snack Together
Kids often enjoy making their own food, and they really love tasting the things they make. So, why not have your own little cooking session, using safe and simple accessories like cookie cutters and tasty, healthy ingredients to make some super snacks or even a whole meal together?
Buy Less Junk Food
Sometimes, kids eat junk food because that's what they have access to. If you limit that access and provide other options and a wider range of foods, your child will naturally start to try other things. So, a simple way to help them is to cut down on the amount of beige foods and junk foods you purchase, opting for healthier (and more colorful) alternatives.
Model Eating Healthy Foods
Kids also like to imitate their parents; they spend a lot of time watching you and learning from your behaviors. So, set a good example for them! Try to eat healthily with your busy schedule, snacking on fruits and enjoying colorful salads each evening, and show them how much you enjoy those foods. With time, they may want to start tasting those same foods, too.
Plant a Garden if Possible
If you've got the space and time to do so, planting your own fruits and vegetables is an amazing way to not only teach kids about nature and plants, but also to get them interested in growing and eating their own healthy foods. Even if you don’t have much outdoor space, simply planting something like a tomato plant in a pot on the kitchen window can be effective with little ones.
