Picky eating is common in kids and even teens! In this blog post, Feed to Succeed Registered Dietitians give their input and tips on breakfast ideas for picky eaters!
Try Non-Traditional Breakfast Foods
“Truthfully, I feed my picky eater non-traditional breakfast food! She loves pasta with tomato sauce. That’s my go to many mornings! For a more traditional breakfast food–I like to make baked oatmeal and cut it in bars.” -Amanda, MS, RDN
Allow Your Child An Opportunity to Make a Choice
“I like to offer an opportunity to make a choice, so for example anything the child could add their own toppings to such as oatmeal, yogurt, toast, etc. Basically, I would offer the “base” and they could choose from a small selection of what goes on top. For example, oatmeal with strawberries or blueberries. I find letting the child choose oftentimes leads to a better chance they’ll eat it.” -Dana, MS, RDN
Fuel with a Lighter Breakfast with a Protein and Carb!
“Truthfully, my daughter is not actually a picky eater. But like many of my teenage clients, she frequently isn’t hungry in the morning, and occasionally complains of nausea. She knows now, at 17 years old, that skipping breakfast negatively affects her energy for school and sports. So to combat that, she goes for a lite low fat breakfast with protein and carb, and avoids dairy until later in the day. For example she may grab a banana with peanut butter; or a smoothie with soy milk and frozen fruit. I’m just glad she’s getting something in the morning at all!” -Betsy, Founder of Feed to Succeed, MS, RDN
Try a new recipe!
“My nephew is a picky eater, and his go-to breakfast is typically cereal. However, he also does like “energy balls” -Nicole, MS, RDN
Energy Balls:
Ingredients:
2/3 cup peanut butter, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1 cup old fashioned oats, 1/2 cup ground flax seeds, 2 tbsp. honey
Directions:
-Combine all ingredients
-Refrigerate for 15-30 minutes
-Roll into balls
For Food Allergies
“Leo (my little one) is my pickier eater of the two boys. He also has a bunch of food allergies, so to make things easy I generally only make allergy-friendly things he can have but foods that SJ will enjoy too. Both boys love vegan pancakes (see recipe below). A lot of times, Leo will just eat them with vegan butter and maple syru, but sometimes he eats them with creamy peanut butter or sunbutter. SJ will eat them with strawberry cream cheese. They could also be great buns for an egg sandwich/breakfast sandwich for those who can have dairy/eggs.” -Christine, MS, RDN
