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T8: persona

Picky Eaters
INDEX

Clinical Definition

Meal prep for picky eaters focuses on familiar flavors, approachable textures, and gradual introduction of nutrient-dense ingredients. The strategy is to work with preferences—not against them—using "stealth nutrition" techniques like blending vegetables into sauces and building on comfort food foundations.

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This content is for informational purposes only. Consult a healthcare professional before making dietary changes.

Condition Profile

Type persona
Protocols 5+
Rules 4

Nutrition Rules

Hidden Vegetables

Blend 1-2 servings of vegetables into sauces, smoothies, or baked goods

Maintains nutrient intake without triggering texture or flavor aversions

Protein Variety

Rotate between 3-4 accepted protein sources weekly

Prevents nutritional gaps from eating the same protein exclusively

Fiber

Add fiber through accepted foods like applesauce, oats, or white beans

Picky eaters often under-consume fiber, leading to digestive issues

Multivitamin Bridge

Consider a daily multivitamin as nutritional insurance

Fills gaps while gradually expanding the accepted food repertoire

Recommended Protocols

FAQ

Blend cauliflower into mac and cheese sauce, add finely grated zucchini to meatballs or meatloaf, mix spinach into smoothies with banana and chocolate, and puree butternut squash into pasta sauce. The key is smooth textures and familiar flavors that mask the additions.
Build variations on their accepted foods. If they like chicken nuggets, make homemade versions with different coatings (panko, cornflake, parmesan). If they like pasta, rotate sauces. Small modifications to safe foods are more successful than introducing entirely new dishes.
Use a modular system: prep a base (rice, pasta, or tortillas) and protein separately, then offer different toppings and sauces. The adventurous eaters add kimchi and sriracha while the picky eater sticks to butter and cheese—same base, different builds.
Neither extreme works. The research-backed approach is "repeated low-pressure exposure"—put a small amount of the new food on the plate alongside accepted foods, without requiring them to eat it. It takes 10-15 exposures before a new food becomes familiar enough to try.
Cheese quesadillas (15g protein), peanut butter sandwiches (14g), Greek yogurt with granola (18g), scrambled eggs (12g), and smoothies with protein powder blended in. Many picky eaters accept dairy and egg-based proteins more readily than meat.