RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – Every week, KOTA Territory News speaks to a medical professional in the Black Hills area that gives tips on how to avoid or treat diseases.
This week Dr. Cara Hamilton of Black Hills Pediatrics gives tips on how you can provide a balanced diet for your child.
“If you have a picky eater, really any toddler, you’ll understand the challenge of getting a balanced diet to your kid,” said Hamilton. “And I’m here hopefully to give you a few tips that might help. For one thing, if you can look at vegetables online, fruits online, different meats and protein products online to show your kid this is what this food looks like, that can help you not waste money when you go to the grocery store hoping that they’re going to like this.”
“Better yet, take them to the grocery store with you. Try different types of fruits and vegetables for them. Encourage them to pick the different colors of the rainbow. A lot of times children at this age are learning their colors and might be more excited about trying a fruit that’s purple and can encourage a buy-in for them.”
“Texture can be a big deal for some kids. Now don’t get me wrong, if your kid handles any texture, please keep that up. But when you’re trying to get a picky kid to try something new, it can help to make sure it’s a more uniform texture. Rather than those delicious roasted broccoli that has some crispy sides and some mushy centers, maybe try just steaming the broccoli instead so it has a more uniform texture for them. And some of those things that they might like the flavor of but not the onions if you cut, or not the texture, the onions you can cut large enough for them to pick out of their food or pick it out for them, so they don’t have to see that.”
“Sometimes kids really get bugged out by food that’s touching other food. Help them get engaged with trying new things as well. You might have to really hype that food up and be a cheerleader for them. If you tie the food and the balanceness of their diet to health and energy, that can help as well. I bet if you arm-wrestled your child before dinner, you would beat them pretty much every time. If they ate a good serving of vegetables and protein, they’re more likely to beat you. Just one little tip. If you have any other questions about nutrition or health with your toddler or bigger picky kid, make sure you’re talking to your pediatrician.”
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KOTA. All rights reserved.