What is a food jag? It is when a child (or adult for that matter!) eats the same food prepared the same way everyday or at every meal.
The problem with food jags is that kids get tired of these foods and may eventually avoid them permanently.
Tip for preventing food jags:
- Make a list of all the foods the child eats regularly.
- Put these foods in a menu format where no food is repeated across 2 days.
For example*:
| Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 |
| Breakfast | Oatmeal with Bananas | Toast with Peanut Butter |
| Snack | Yogurt & Strawberries | Applesauce |
| Lunch | Ham Sandwich & Pickles | Soup & Salad |
| Snack | Hummus & Carrots/Crackers | Muffin |
| Supper | Spaghetti with Meat Sauce | Chicken & Rice |
The idea behind this strategy is that by not offering the same foods everyday, the child will not get stuck on eating one food all the time and will expand their number of accepted foods.
For children who are very picky eaters and have a very small number of accepted foods, try to not repeat a food over a 2 day period (as shown above). For children that accept more foods, you can try not offering the same food over a 3+ day period.
*This is an example to illustrate how to make a menu, please do not take this as nutrition advice, for that please see my colleague Lacey at Beyond Baby Nutrition!
Please contact me if you have any comments or questions about your child!