How to make sure picky eaters get all the nutrients they need

Brought to you by Zarbee’s Naturals™.

Even the luckiest parents are usually presented with some picky-eating challenges from their children. Maybe your little one is all about apples or totally into tomatoes, but their not-quite-refined palette might not be digging the spinach and broccoli you put on the table from time to time.

If you’re hearing “ick” a bit too much from your child, take heart. You can make sure they’re not missing out on any key nutrients by getting creative with your food offerings — and getting a little help from specially formulated vitamins, too. Here’s how.

Give your child options.

Lots of picky eaters just like to have more choices, so enlist their help in selecting foods. Walk your little one through the produce section of the grocery store, asking them to assemble a rainbow of colors in your cart. At home, instead of asking what they’d like for lunch or dinner, give them two or three healthy choices. Ask questions like, “Would you like carrots, cucumbers or celery with your sandwich?” That way, they feel like they’re getting the best of what you have to offer — whether there’s more in your fridge or not.

Add a yummy gummy vitamin to your child’s diet.

Zarbee’s Naturals Kids’ Complete Multivitamins provide vital nutrients, with 11 essential vitamins, including Vitamin A, C, E, B6, and B12, and 100% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin D3 to help absorb calcium. Plus, they’re sweetened with honey and don’t contain any artificial sweeteners or high fructose corn syrup! Two gummies, taken at any time of the day, will help fill the nutritional gaps in a picky eater’s diet.

Find creative ways to substitute healthy alternatives for foods they dislike.

Lots of revered members of the fruit and veggie family have alternatives with the same nutrients. Put on your research cap if you’ve got a picky eater on your hands. If your child complains about carrots, for instance, offer them options that also pack the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, like sweet potatoes and cantaloupe. If they won’t drink milk for the calcium, orange juice and mozzarella string cheese can also pack a punch of the nutrient. Don’t forget other protein alternatives as well. If your kiddo turns up their nose at most forms of meat, try out things like beans and lentils in soups, or nuts and seeds in healthy trail mix instead.

Sweeten the deal.

If you want kids to consume more vitamin-rich fruits, conceal them as “dessert” for after the meal. Bake pears and drizzle with honey. Whip up a delicious apple crisp made with healthy whole-grain oats and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Drizzle chocolate sauce on a banana boat with peanut or almond butter. You can even encourage your kids to take their multivitamin as a sweet treat after a meal. Zarbee’s Naturals Kids’ Complete Multivitamins are made with antioxidant-packed honey, so they taste good and are good for your child. Eat up!

To make sure your kids are getting all the nutrients they need to grow up healthy and strong, get creative with food — and enlist a little help from key vitamin supplements. For more information, visit

(Photo credit: Shutterstock)

Meet the Author | Katie Kavulla

Having just made the move from big city life to settle down in the town where she and her husband both grew up, Katie Kavulla is a mom of three who strives to slow life down a bit… as impossible as that is with three kids under the age of 10. A blogger turned writer, Katie has spent the past few years combining the things that she loves into a career, with a focus on helping other moms tell their story, because Katie truly believes that every mom has one to tell.

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