Winter nutrition tips for fussy eaters
Winter can be an exhausting time for parents of a fussy eater. A restricted diet often leads to nutritional deficiencies and doesn't help build a robust immune system. We share some tips on how you can support your fussy eater during winter.
Are you struggling with recurrent colds and infections? Is your child spending more time on the couch than at school? Are you taking time off work to look after a sick child?
Supporting your child's immune system is vital right now. If your child is a fussy eater, this can be tricky as restricted eating behaviour means they are missing out on beneficial nutrients.
Winter nutrition tips for fussy eaters
So what can you do? Here we share some simple tips you can start with now.
Assess your feeding approach
Before we dive into nutrients and foods, you need to assess your feeding approach if you have a fussy eater. Pressure doesn't work. "Just try one bite", "you can't leave the table until you've finished", "you won't feel better if you don't eat it" are all forms of pressure.
Your feeding approach could be the cause of the problem. This is not to guilt-trip you - it’s just the reality. It’s amazing the results we see in a child's eating with just a few tweaks to the parent’s behaviour.
Hide it if needed
Hiding ingredients has its place. If you have a fussy eater and you're trying to strengthen their immune system, this is the time to sneak nutrients and ingredients in at any opportunity.
What meals does your child love? Jam pack as many nutrients as you can in that meal.
A smoothie, for example, is a great way to get raw antioxidant-rich foods in, as well as, gut-loving nutrients like fibre and kefir.
A spag bol or tomato pasta sauce is another perfect meal to add immune-boosting ingredients such as turmeric, garlic, onion, thyme and bone broth.
Limit packaged foods
Packaged foods are devoid of nutrients, especially those that support your child's immunity. Limiting these, while challenging for picky eaters, is very important as they contain nutrients that deplete the immunity system such as sugar and inflammatory fats.
We offer plenty of strategies tailored to you and your child in our consultations, but for now, here are some quick tips:
Start slowly cutting out one packaged food a week.
Experiment with your child replicating the packaged food. Cookies, pizza shapes, muesli bars etc. are all great for this.
Find whole food alternatives. For example, instead of Roll-Ups, try these fruit-only Fruit Straps or Plain Corn Chips instead of Doritos.
Reduce it slowly. For example, if your child only eats white pasta, mix 1/4 lentil pasta in with it. If your child only eats white bread, make a sandwich with one slice of white and one sourdough.
Reduce sugar
The main negative impact on your child's immune system is sugar. This single ingredient is going to be contributing to why your child gets sick and why it takes so long for them to recover.
Sugar feeds pathogenic bacteria and reduces your child's immune cells from functioning optimally. It also blocks the absorption of important nutrients for the immune system like vitamin C.
If you want to do one thing to support your kids over winter, it’s get rid of sugar. Yes, easier said than done if your child is fussy or eats a processed food diet. That's why you get support from health practitioners who know how to reduce sugar while supporting the detoxification process.
Add antioxidants to every meal and snack
Foods rich in antioxidants contain essential immune-boosting nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C and zinc. These are all your colourful fresh produce.
For parents of fussy eaters, the good news is that there are lots of antioxidant-rich fruits so they don't need to rely on vegetables. Citrus, berries, kiwi fruit, peaches, mangoes, watermelon and red grapes are all packed with nutrients that will help keep your child well.
Carrots, capsicum, beetroot, pumpkin, avocado, sweet potato and dark, leafy greens are also high in antioxidants.
Include raw food as well as cooked
Antioxidants, like vitamin C, are damaged when we cook and heat them. It’s important to note as we tend to lean towards warmer, slow-cooked meals in winter or hide these ingredients in cooked food.
If you can offer these in raw form, that can be helpful. You could:
Make a smoothie
Add fruits to a plain yoghurt
Pop raw veggie sticks in a lunchbox
Serve some raw fruit and veg alongside a cooked dinner
Focus on gut-loving ingredients
Over 70% of your child's immune system is located in their gut. It's not surprising then a big part of building a strong immune system is supporting their gut health.
We need to populate your child's gut with good bacteria and feed it so that you can build a thriving microbiome.
Here are a few quick tips:
Mix fibre-rich food into their cooked meals (yep, hide them).
Introduce fermented veggies in small amounts (we have great strategies for this) and get your kids involved in fermenting.
Add bone broth to everything!
Combine probiotic-rich foods with foods that they already like such as kefir in a smoothie, half-half of their current yoghurt with Greek yoghurt.
Rebuild after antibiotic use with a practitioner-only specific probiotic. Our practitioners can help you with this.
Use herbs and spices
Herbs and spices are your friends, especially during winter. They are packed with health benefits, particularly for immune function, and a little goes a long way.
Think garlic, ginger, turmeric, thyme, rosemary and oregano. There are many ways you can use herbs and spices that won't turn the nose up for fussy eaters and get the most out of their immune-enhancing properties.
Focus on sleep and rest
Obviously, when your child is sick, rest is important. But it's also essential during the winter months.
Many kids today have jam-packed schedules running from school to activities. And if they're playing winter sports, they're also likely to be standing in the wet and cold.
If your child is a fussy eater and already nutrient depleted this is one area that doesn't involve food that you need to focus on. Their body uses nutrients to repair itself from a lack of sleep instead of fighting foreign bugs.
Supplement if needed
Supplements don't replace a diverse, whole food diet, but in the case of fussy eaters supplements may be necessary. Not only can they fill the gaps, but they may also help to improve your child's eating habits by resolving deficiencies such as zinc and iron that are causing them to restrict their food intake.
Key supplements to consider for your fussy eater during winter are:
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Zinc
Iron
There is varying quality of supplements and forms of nutrients on the market. We recommend speaking to your natural health practitioner before supplementing so your child is taking the right product for the desired purpose. Otherwise, you may be wasting your money with little results.
Need support for your child this winter? Book a Free Wellness Call to discuss your challenges and how we can help you keep your child sniffle-free!
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