Medical studies have recently defined picky eaters ”as those who consume an inadequate variety of food through rejection of a substantial amount of food stuffs that are both familiar and unfamiliar.” Chances are, either you or someone close to you fits this picky eater defintion. This conflict between your desires as a picky eater and your willingness to lead a healthy lifestyle can be overcome by implementing the following four meal prep ideas for picky eaters into your routine.
Meal Prep Ideas for Picky Eaters to Try Out
Healthy meal prep encourages adequate diversity in your diet and strives to ensure that your body receives the nutrients it needs for carrying out all the things you love to do.
There are a number of ways to introduce a wider selection of healthy foods into your picky eater’s diet. Here’s how to meal prep for picky eaters:
1. Let the Picky Eaters Pick Their Healthy Food
Having the freedom to choose their own fruits, vegetables, grains, and favorite legumes will help picky eaters feel like they have a little more control over what goes in their meals.
This is a great strategy that encourages you or your picky eater to get all the essential nutrients and vitamins to sustain healthy growth and development. It’s one of the best ways to do healthy meal prep for picky eaters.
2. Flavor Up the Less Desirable Food
Find new ways to flavor those foods that picky eaters don’t like.
For example, steamed broccoli may present a consistency issue for many people. But if you roasted those tiny green trees with some garlic and pepper, it tastes like a completely different food.
Try different flavor combinations to encourage more diversity in the palette of your picky eaters. Using different herbs and spices may be just the right trick to get the vitamins you need from certain foods that you may have not wanted to touch before.
3. Experiment with New Recipes
Explore the web to find new and exciting ways to cook foods that picky eaters don’t usually go for.
You will be shocked to find out just how much you can enjoy vegetables and other less exciting foods when they are prepared using a particular recipe.
For foods that picky eaters don’t eat, like mushrooms, cauliflower, peaches, and peanut butter, try finding new recipes for these ingredients. For example, a Spicy Thai Peanut Sweet Potato Bowl or Vegan Peach and Quinoa Summer Salad.
4. Buffet Preps for Extremely Picky Eaters
It can be overwhelming to cook several different meals to suit the preferences of each person in your family. To make it less stressful, choose meal ideas that allow people to add their favorite toppings.
For instance, with tacos, your family of picky eaters can easily grab toppings from the fridge according to what they like. The same applies to burrito bowls, salads, and stir frys.
From Picky to Happy Eaters
Remember that when you are preparing a meal as a picky eater or for someone in your family, simplicity goes a long way.
Start out with simple meals with fewer ingredients to give you an easier time in the kitchen. As your confidence grows, you can certainly become more adventurous in the kitchen as you transform those picky eating habits into life-giving happiness.