Creating quiet, enjoyable mealtimes for Superkiddos and the whole family can be a welcome break on days when your routine is disrupted, especially during the summer.
Children with autism are often picky eaters due to their heightened sensitivity and limited interests. In this article, we will provide tips to make mealtime enjoyable for the whole family and offer some delicious and nutritious meal ideas for your Superkiddos this summer.
Remember to always consider your child’s preferences and sensitivities when preparing meals, especially for children with autism. Opt for textures and flavors that they enjoy to ensure a positive eating experience.
Essential Tips to Optimize Mealtime for SuperKiddos
The main thing is to focus on how you deliver meals and snacks to your children (colors, textures, shapes). A good starting point is to make mealtime fun and entertaining, taking advantage of your child’s tastes!
- Find out what your child likes and doesn’t like.
- Maintain a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere at mealtime.
- Try sensory methods to help your child eat and a variety of textures and flavors.
- Involve your child in meal planning and kitchen tasks.
- Don’t force your Superkiddo to eat if he is not hungry.
These strategies can improve your child’s eating habits and mood.
Snacks are also an excellent option to giving Superkiddos the energy and nutrients needed to fuel their busy days.
For a quick and nutritious snack this Summer, here are 5 ideas for you:
1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
They are rich in vitamins and fiber and provide a variety of textures and flavors.
Nutritional aspects: Low in fat and calories, high in vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Recipe: No cooking necessary. Offer sliced apples, carrot sticks, or cucumber slices.
2. Greek yogurt with dressings
Greek yogurt is rich in protein and probiotics. Dressings can add texture, flavor, and even nutrients.
Nutritional aspects: It is high in protein and moderate in fat. Toppings can add variety, and you can add fresh fruit or granola for extra nutrition.
Recipe: No cooking necessary. Serve yogurt with toppings such as granola, berries, or honey.
3. Nut mix
They are a balanced mix of nuts, seeds and dried fruits that can provide energy.
Nutritional Aspects: Although some trail mixes are high in calories due to the nuts and dried fruits, they can also be high in healthy fats, protein, and energy.
Recipe: No cooking necessary. Create a custom mix with almonds, sunflower seeds and raisins, or make your own mix of nuts, small chocolates and pretzels or cereal pieces. Just be sure to keep a good balance of natural and unprocessed ingredients, like nuts, and not add too many processed sugars.
4. Hummus with vegetable sticks
The hummus provides protein and the vegetables add crunch and nutrients.
Nutritional aspects: Hummus is a good source of plant-based proteins. Vegetables provide vitamins and minerals.
Recipe: No cooking necessary. Combine hummus with cucumber, carrot or bell pepper sticks. If your child doesn’t like the taste or feel of certain vegetables, keep searching until you find one he or she likes. You can also dip hummus into pita chips or pita pieces or flatbread.
5. Fruit Popsicles
Refreshing and can be made with real fruit and juice.
Nutritional aspects: Depending on the fruits you use, ice pops can be a source of sugar. The unprocessed sugars found in fruits appear to be healthier than processed foods. Even so, it’s still important to track your child’s sugar intake and avoid overconsumption of sweets.
Recipe: Requires freezing. Blend your favorite fruits with water or juice and freeze them in molds.
It’s important to remember that textures and flavors must be catered to the liking of children with autism. Be sure to always consider your child’s preferences and sensitivities when preparing meals.
Additional tips can be found on the Autism Speaks website to further improve your child’s eating habits and mood.
Do you need support in any area of the development of your SuperKiddo? We offer a wide range of Behavior Analysis Services to promote complete development of children.
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