Eventually finicky eaters discover world of tastes

I've always been very picky with food - as a child my mother struggled to get me to eat. I must admit I am still very particular about what I eat.

My husband's stomach, on the other hand, is made of steel. When we travel, he will try everything. He eats rattlesnake, buffalo, venison and all variety of game. During a trip to Spain his cousin gave him a glass of goat milk still warm from having left the goat's body.

I almost threw up watching him gulp the glass down and refused to kiss him for fear of catching goat germs.

After reading "Picky, Picky, Picky," an article written by Jessica C. Kraft in Positive Thnking Magazine I felt better about being a choosy eater. The fact is that one in five adults consider themselves picky eaters.

According to the article, the sense of taste has a lot to do with the individual as well as does the culture you are raised in.

Some studies even suggest that genetics plays an important part of what we eat, if we have a parent who is a finicky eater we might pass that habit down.

So that explains it. It's my father's fault I'm picky about my food and it's probably my fault that my younger son and daughter are also finicky about what they eat.

But it could also be that we fall into the 35 percent of women and 10 percent of men who have more taste buds that the rest of the population. We are called "supertasters" and we can discern subtle flavors and varieties of bitterness that most people can't.

Raising a child who doesn't like to eat is always a concern for a parent, but there are a few things that we can do.

Experts suggest that a parent never coax, bribe or force their children to eat. This does not help create a healthy relationship with food.

Parents should always serve a small serving of vegetables and fruit, even if your child doesn't eat it. This is one way to get them use to healthy foods.

If your child does not eat vegetables, encourage him or her to eat fruit. Experts agree this won't harm your children since fruit and vegetables belong to same food group. Then reintroduce vegetables at a later time.

Some children want the same foods every day and that's OK as long as parents introduce new foods, too. Be patient and be sneaky. Make food look good so that your children will want to eat it.

With young children, parents should be more concerned about what they eat over a one- and two-week period. As long as they are getting food from all food groups, then your child is getting a healthy diet.

Parents should make meal time fun and not force their children to eat all their food. They should also set a good example by eating a variety of food.

Toddlers should not get more than 16 to 24 ounces of milk and four to six ounces of fruit juice a day. When children get more than this recommended amount they won't be hungry for food.

Limiting junk food at home is also a good idea, but some experts don't recommend denying your children dessert when they haven't eaten. Instead, offer healthy choices and only one serving of dessert.

As most finicky eaters know as we get older we do end up trying and liking a variety of foods.

For more information visit the following Web sites: Kid'sFoodCenter.com, FamilyEducation.com and AboutKidsHealth.com.

Maria Luisa Salcines is a freelance writer, certified parent educator and corporate empowerment consultant with The International Network for Children and Families in Redirecting Children's Behavior, Redirecting for a Cooperative Classroom, and Redirecting Corporate America. Contact her at her Web site at www.redirectingchildrenrgv.org.