Picky Eater Olympics

So, I'm not feeling that hot tonight and have been perusing Pinterest while I lay on the couch and seeing a lot of Olympic posts and one about "eating around the world" and it hit me...an Olympic theme for our picky eaters. 

One of the ways to get your picky eater to become a little more adventurous is to "teach" them about the food and where it comes from. 

What better time to do explore new foods than during the Olympics?

First, pick a country to explore (preferably after watching some of the trials or actual Olympic events). You can also find a list of the participating countries at Wikipedia: 2012 Summer Olympics. 

Say you choose The Bahamas.  Find an image of the flag, print them out perhaps and glue them to some bamboo skewers for a centerpiece.

Next, maybe read a book or two about the country. 

  Find a few of the "staple" foods and recipes for the country. This is Bahamian Johnny Cake. 

Have your picky eater (soon to be an "around the world adventurous eater) help you make a grocery list and head to the store. 

Be sure to have your Olympic eater help you make the recipe. Talk about how the foods look, feel, smell and behave while you are working together as this helps a picky eater become more familiar with the foods before it gets anywhere near their mouth.

When the food is ready...PROCEED WITH CAUTION. 


You should enjoy the food but do not force the food upon your cautious eater. Ask them, after you have enjoyed some, if they  might like to try it. If the answer is "no" DO NOT push at that time. Be patient. They may come around a little later. The idea with this lesson is to explore new foods without pressure.


Stay tuned, throughout the Olympics, for more picky eater ideas. 


Thank you for reading.


Jen






For the Johnny Cake recipe, you can visit www.wanderlustandlipstick.com.


All other pictures taken from Wikipedia. 

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