PARENT TIP

Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D., University of Missouri-Columbia

	Are your children picky eaters?  Try the following tips to make mealtime more pleasant.

	The key to solving the picky-eater syndrome is to involve your children in meal planning, shopping, preparing and serving meals. In the spring, give your children a small section of the garden to plant their own seeds. Children will be more willing to eat those foods they have helped to grow and prepare. Serve children a variety of foods with different textures, flavors and aromas. Savor and enjoy foods together. Talk about different foods on your plate and how they each help to make us grow and stay healthy. You might even try giving foods fun names or reading a book about a special food before eating it.