I

N an ideal world meal times are a harmonious gathering where children wolf down their greens with glee before asking for seconds. In real life, the dinner table is often more akin to a battlefield where stealth tactics and bribery are deployed just to get a couple of peas down the hatch. While all parents would like their children to eat healthier foods, many throw up their hands at what seems like a mission impossible.

“There is hope,” says Mia Von Scha, a life coach who works with parents to steer them on their child-rearing adventure, “and it starts with parents becoming aware of the messages they convey to their kids about food.”

Von Scha works with the parents of “picky eaters” and her first task is to assure them that they have done nothing wrong. “It has more to do with understanding how the mind of a child works. My job is to look at ways in which parents can present food as a natural part of everyday life.” A crucial step is to introduce children to the process of preparing meals. “Start them young. Even toddlers can be present when meals are prepared. This is an excellent way of demonstrating that food preparation is a normal part of the day, even if they are not actively involved.”

As children get older they can help with vegetables can make them more appealing. “In our house broccoli was never popular, but ‘dinosaur trees’ have become a firm favourite.”

At the same time, Von Scha warns against the trend of making all meals look like a novelty display at a kiddies party. “Children grow up believing that food presented without a gimmick is somehow inferior, and it is a mentality that is easily carried beyond childhood.”