Contemporary Nutrition 3rd Edition by Gordon Wardlaw, Anne Smith, Angela Collene

Exercise 14

Getting Young Bill to Eat
Bill is 3 years old, and his mother is worried about his eating habits. He refuses to eat vegetables, meat, and dinner in general. Some days he eats very little food. He wants to eat snacks most of the time. Mealtime is a battle because Bill says he isn't hungry, and his mother wants him to eat a sit-down lunch and dinner to make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs and to eat everything served on his plate. He drinks five or six glasses of whole milk per day because that is the one food he likes.
When his mother prepares dinner, she makes plenty of vegetables, boiling them until they are soft, hoping this will appeal to Bill. Bill's dad waits to eat his vegetables last, regularly telling the family that he eats them only because he has to. He also regularly complains about how dinner has been prepared. Bill saves his vegetables until last and usually gags when his mother orders him to eat them. Bill has been known to sit at the dinner table for an hour until the war of wills ends. Bill's mother serves casseroles and stews regularly because they are convenient. Bill likes to eat breakfast cereal, fruit, and cheese and regularly requests these foods for snacks. However, his mother tries to deny his requests, so that he will have an appetite for dinner. Bill's mother comes to you and asks you what she should do to get Bill to eat.
Analysis
1. List four mistakes Bill's parents are making that contribute to Bill's poor eating habits.
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2. List four strategies they might try to promote good eating habits in Bill.
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