Tomato ketchup-sauce
I know many parents pull their hair out over their child’s ketchup ‘addiction’. However, I have a few positive things to counter-balance:
1. Ketchup is tomatoes – vegetables in any form is a good first step
2. Dips can be a good way to segue to new foods
3. Anything that brings pleasure is a plus
If you have a child that drowns everything in ketchup, an easy way to reduce the quantity without constant debate is to have a bowl on the table with the amount for that meal (rather than a full bottle).
If we have a child that’s not yet eating sauce then a tiny bowl to dip into can scaffold a new step.
Our child can dip anything from noodles, carrots, chicken to cheese.
I have made a really simple sauce here (it’s pretty yum) from tomato paste, water and a little honey. Perhaps this an alternative for the ketchup eaters too, a bridge between ketchup and a regular tomato-based sauce.
Judith is an AOTA accredited picky eating advisor and internationally certified nutritional therapist. She works with 100+ families every year resolving fussy eating and returning pleasure and joy to the meal table.
She is also mum to two boys and the author of Creating Confident Eaters and Winner Winner I Eat Dinner. Her dream is that every child is able to approach food from a place of safety and joy, not fear.
Learn more about Judith here: https://theconfidenteater.com/about/