Afraid to eat new things...?

Question

My son is 11 years old, and he doesn't eat very well. At all.

I really need to teach him how to try new things, but he says he wants to, and always chickens out. The only thing he ever eats is Chicken Tenders, Grilled Cheese, French fries (of course) and soup.

Now, thats not a lot, really. A diet of 4 things? Yeah, the average human diet is consists of at least 4x more food items than that, I believe.

Does anyone have any tips that can help me or him?

I would REALLY appreciate it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Get a fun kids cookbook (try The Everything Kids' Gross Cookbook) and have him help you pick and make the meals.  If it is fun, he may try it.  

Answer 2

"This is what we are having for dinner, you either eat it or you don't eat dinner". Seriously, is he going to starve himself or will he finally eat because he is hungry and knows you aren't going to budge? I understand not liking a certain food but having a diet of chicken tenders, grilled cheese, french fries and soup is not acceptable. He needs vegetables and fruits and he needs to understand that you eat for health not for "yumminess".  Eating for "yumminess" causes obesity and major health problems. You just have to be consistent with telling him that he needs to eat what you make for dinner and doesn't get to eat anything else if he won't eat it. Best wishes.

Answer 3

add extra things to his food. Like say spaghetti, which is usually cooked with hamburger, cook it with really fine steak. Just subtle changes and sadly if it comes down to it make him it eat like ,"This or no dessert"

and so on

Answer 4

My son is 9 and I always tell him "just try it, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat it". He responds really well to it. I stick to it, if he doesn't like it he doesn't have to eat it. But the majority of the time I find that he loves it when he tries it. I love when I hear " You know Mommy you are are a really good cook " especially when it is something he was so turned off about at first.

Answer 5

I don't think that forcing him to eat anything is a good idea at all, it will make him more determined not to try new things, my friends step son has a similar diet!  She has been taking him to the shops with her to pick what food they are going to eat and he helps her prepare it which has been helping him a lot.  Another thing she did which I thought was really good and pretty funny when he refused to taste honey, she asked him if he wanted toast and put a scraping of honey on it without him knowing and he came in and told her it was the best slice of toast he had ever had and she told him it was because of the honey.  He was annoyed at first but also found it pretty funny and it was another thing added to his diet.  Another thing you could try is to introduce new foods by making him meals including the foods he does like such as chicken tenders in a wrap with salad and cheese or serve the chicken with cheesy mash and beans so it is not a massive change all at once.

Answer 6

make the thing that you cook more interesting- i mean like take time to decor it and with more colours

Answer 7

I was immensely picky up until college - part of the problem was people making such a big deal about it - I swear if I ate a vegetable a parade would march through the kitchen to celebrate it.  

I've heard the best way is to introduce new foods one at a time... something he likes, with something he doesn't.  Just stick it on his plate.  Maybe he'll eat it, maybe he won't.  Maybe he'll eat it the 15th time you do it.  Point is, he doesn't get another option, and he doesn't get rewarded with desert.  He eats what's made for dinner, or goes hungry.  It's a battle of wills, and you're setting the precedent.  Patience will win out.

I changed because I worked really hard to in college.  It took me months to work on some things (like onions and sour cream).

Answer 8

Make a normal meals that the rest of the family eats, and tell him that he eats that or doesn't eat at all. And if he chooses not to eat don't give in to him later. Dinner is at dinner time and if you choose not to eat then, then your SOL.