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Health Tip: Encouraging a Picky Eater

(HealthDay News) -- If your child is a picky eater, there's a good chance that it's an early attempt to exercise control, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says.

Here's how you can placate your picky eater while getting him or her to munch on more nutritious offerings:

  • Serve at least one food that you know that your child loves, but offer it along with other foods that other family members enjoy.

  • Help your child feel more in control by offering two or three choices. Avoid offering too many choices, which can be overwhelming.

  • Let kids participate in preparing, planning, shopping for and cooking meals.

  • Make sure you eat the foods that you're encouraging your child to eat.