Never fear - adventurous eaters are just around the corner

Introducing new foods to a young child can be a chore.

While we all want our kids to eat a diverse, healthy mix of foods, that's sometimes hard to accomplish when the child turns her little nose up in the air and demands another chicken tender.

But there's hope.

Fortunately, little taste buds will grow up to become more adventurous.

In my house, this is happening at the four-year-old mark.

Suddenly, my daughter is willing to try new foods.

That asparagus isn't so scary any more, especially when given a squirt of lemon juice. Same for broccoli.

With each passing day, she grows a little more brave.

Recently, she tried a bite of salmon.

“It's not for me!” she declared.

But her reasoning wasn't the taste of the fish itself - it was the spices used to season it.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes it may take many tries before a child is ready to try a new food, and even more tastes before the child actually likes it.

AAP recommends putting a small portion of the new morsel on your child's plate, and seeing what happens. Don't force them to try it - but offer it up. If he sees you enjoying the same food, he may be more inclined to give it a shot as well.

You can also hide healthy food in otherwise tasty looking packages.

For example, blending milk, fruit and ice will create a delicious breakfast shake, with lots of calcium and a serving of fruit.

AAP also recommends adding nonfat dry milk to cream soups, milkshakes, and puddings to boost the nutritional content. Or, try adding grated zucchini and carrots into breads, muffins, meatloaf or lasagna.

AAP offers some good tips to remember when feeding young children.

* Don't feed children younger than four round, firm food unless it is chopped completely. Nuts, seeds, chunks of meat or cheese, hot dogs, grapes, fruit chunks, popcorn, raw veggies, hard or sticky candy and gum can all be choking hazards.

* Don't use food as a bribe or reward. In the long run, that usually creates more problems than it solves.

* When the child will only eat one food, provide it, as long as it's healthy. Continue to offer other foods, and eventually, he will move on, usually after just a few days.

To learn more, visit healthychildren.org.