Healthier white foods for picky eaters
Picky eaters often gravitate to white foods rejecting fresh fruit and veggies and many other wholefoods of colour. If you have a fussy eater, there are healthier options other than white bread and pasta that will take the stress away from mealtimes.
Why do picky eaters choose white foods?
White bread, plain white pasta, chicken nuggets are popular options for young children with picky eating behaviour. They're also usually the favourite for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or sensory eating habits with beige foods making up the most of their diet.
For parents, a beige diet that comprises of predominantly refined carbs is challenging. Continual rejection of colourful, fresh healthy foods of a variety of food groups limits food ideas. There's only so much you can do with plain mashed potato and nuggets night after night. There is also often a sense of shame that comes along with sending your child off to school with a butter sandwich and a packet of plain potato chips.
What you should know, it's not your cooking or the brand of pasta sauce you purchased. There are a number of reasons why your child has a limited carb-heavy diet and excludes healthy foods. More often than not, there is a barrier such as sensory issues or skill-based delays that restrict their ability to consume new foods of different shapes, textures, sizes and colours. There may also be an underlying nutrient deficiency that can be fuelling the food choices.
White foods are bland;
They aren't visually or sensory overwhelming;
Beige foods are typically flavoured with sugar or salt hitting their reward neurotransmitters;
There is often safety in a brand or package;
White foods are generally easy to eat and don't require much skill or time to eat;
White foods don't vary much in flavour.
Nutrition implications of a beige diet
Eating a predominately white food diet does come with nutrition implications and development issues. It can lead to nutrient deficiencies including protein, fibre, zinc, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, vitamins A and B complex vitamins. A limited diet can evolve into extreme sensitivities and avoidance of foods.
It can lead to developmental delays that lead to an inability for the child to distinguish between different tastes. The diversity of bacteria in the gut microbiome is reduced, which is associated with a variety of issues including gastrointestinal, behavioural, mood, skin, allergies, immune...the list goes on.
Many of the white foods picky kids tend to gravitate towards are also typically high in refined sugar, salt and saturated fat which can cause inflammation, immune system loading and disrupt chemical processes such as neurotransmitter and hormone production.
This is not to say you can't find white foods that offer valuable nutrients. There are certain plain beige foods that you can include in your child's diet that will increase their intake of vitamins and minerals to support their health and development.
Here, we list a variety of whole foods that can be slowly introduced to your child in order to expand their food preferences, break down the fear and make mealtime with the whole family more enjoyable.
White fruits to introduce to your fussy eater
Apple
Banana
Nashi
Pear
White peach
Honeydew melon
Frozen green grapes
Coconut
Lychee
Guava
White veggies to introduce to your fussy eater
Cauliflower
Parsnip
Potatoes
Cucumber (peeled)
Zucchini (peeled)
White carrots
White asparagus
Fennel
Jerusalem artichoke
Mushrooms
Onions
Garlic
Daikon radish
Cannelloni beans
Navy beans
Chickpeas
Turnip
Celery Root
White meat and fish to introduce to your fussy eater
Chicken
Turkey
Pork
Whiting
Flathead
Red Emperor
Barramundi
Red Snapper
School Mackerel
Yellowtail kingfish
Calamari
Prawn
Healthier white whole foods
Natural yoghurt
Greek yoghurt
Coconut yoghurt
Spelt flour
Buckwheat flour
Chickpea flour
Coconut flour
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Basmati rice
Sourdough bread
Rye mountain bread wraps
Legume pasta
Soba noodles
Rice noodles
Macadamia
Blanched almonds
White chia seeds
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