How To Deal With Picky Eaters, According To Rachael Ray

We can all remember being a kid and absolutely hating to eat some foods, like broccoli or Brussels sprouts. That's why parents have all sorts of tactics for sneaking in veggies, be it mixed in with a bowl of mac-n-cheese or smothering the broccoli florets with cheese. People are always looking for ways to prevent their kids from becoming picky eaters. 

In an interview with the podcast "Teach Me Something New," host Brit Morin talks with Rachael Ray about her show and some of her cooking secrets. Among these were making and using herbed butters as a way to mix up your meal, and making sure you're using the right type of pan or skillet for your dish (per Brit + Co). One nugget of wisdom that Ray shared was on how to keep kids from becoming fussy eaters, and how to deal with them if they're already being a bit selective about what they eat.

If you have kids or know children that are fussy eaters, Ray has a few tips for working on it. "If you give a child exactly what you're eating for dinner, which is all my mom ever did, they'll eat or they won't eat and I guarantee you they're not going to starve themselves," she says (via Brit + Co). The cook suggests making sure you're exposing kids to different foods constantly, and ensuring that they're trying it more than once. 

She also recommends having a child try a food "a minimum of six times" but preferably more than that to allow them to decide if they really like it or dislike it. Another tip she shared is to make cooking and eating meals a family affair and have children help out. "Let children see the fun and the beauty of being able to be self-sufficient and to provide for yourself and the people that you care about," Ray says. Remember, picky eaters are made, not born, so it's up to the parents to broaden their childrens' horizons and have them try new foods.