Overcoming a restricted diet

What can I do when someone wants to tackle their restricted diet?

When children get older, they can become more socially motivated to challenge the way they eat. This is often when they start to feel that their restricted diet is getting in the way of doing things they want to do, like going on school trips or going to parties or sleepovers.

Choose the food to focus on

They may have their own ideas about which food they would really like to eat so that they can join in. This might be foods like pizza or chips. If they need help thinking about a food they might want to try, ask them:

• Think about the foods you like now, what do you like about them?
• Do they have something in common? Are they crunchy, salty, spicy or something else?
• What else might be similar? Is there something with a similar taste, texture or shape?

Talk together about what is similar about the new food, and the foods they already eat without pressure. This is called food chaining.

Talk about how you could use foods or sauces they currently eat to help them try the new food, this is called a ‘bridging food’.

How to start

Draw up a ladder of steps with your child, using the rough guide of the hierarchy of acceptance (look, smell, touch, taste, eat) but tailoring it with your child.

Break down each stage into very small manageable steps, knowing the stage that you think your child will struggle with most. For example, once your child is comfortable with look, touch and smell and are ready for taste, they can try and spit out a tiny piece. This can be as small as a grain of rice.

Then move on to a piece as big as a pea.

Then move on to a piece as big as their fingernail.

Then move on to putting the piece into the side of their mouth and chewing it twice before spitting it out. Sometimes they might not want to spit it out, but let them know they can if they need to.

Spend as much time at each step as they need.

What if it is not working?

It simply might not the right time for your child to take on this challenge. You can pause this for now, and go back to it when they are a little older or when life is more generally settled.

It is important to follow your child’s cues and wishes. If they show that they are not enjoying this or they have lost interest stop. The focus is on positive interactions with food, following the lead of your child.

Sometimes children will need specific psychological support to be able to support their anxiety around challenging their restricted diet. If your child is seeing a medical consultant at the Children’s Hospital, ask about a referral to the Psychology Team.