What to Do when Your Kid Only Wants Ketchup

Every parent goes through this. It's the Ketchup Phase. Your sweet little angel suddenly stops eating anything and everything, as he has done for their entire life. Now, ketchup rules and it must be on every food, or your kid won't even THINK about touching it!

The first thing to remember in these cases is that the phase won't last. Although your picky eater might still like ketchup when he's 20, he won't be putting it on everything he eats by then! So, keep in mind that this is a phase, and it will go away . . . it might just take some time!

Technically, ketchup isn't that bad for you, so if your kid is insisting on adding it to the rest of his food, there shouldn't be a problem. You can still have healthy meals, just top them with ketchup. You might even be able to get him to eat some new foods without worries because it is mixed with ketchup!

The trick here is to buy a ketchup that is healthy. Although you might end up with a very finicky little one who insists on a particular brand, that isn't too likely. And you can fool him by putting another brand of ketchup in the same bottle!

Look for a ketchup that doesn't have much sugar in it. Almost all brands will contain some, so go with the one that has the least amount. You might also want to check that the ketchup doesn't have any extra food coloring since many children are allergic to red food dyes. Avoid MSG as well.

To make ketchup healthier, you can mix it with plain tomato paste. Do a half and half mixture and add a little water if need be, to make it the right consistency. This makes your ketchup more tomato than other ingredients and your kids will probably not even notice the difference!

Should your child be more interested in ketchup by itself, you have a bigger problem! Although it won't hurt kids to eat just ketchup for a week or two, you might be worried about their nutrition. If you want to get something besides that red sauce into them, you will have to be sneaky. Try blending other veggies and mixing them in small amounts into the ketchup that you give to your child.

A very well pureed spinach or broccoli can be added in small amounts without anyone noticing, and you can use a dab or two of yogurt or pureed beans to get some protein into that little mouth. Carrots blend well with the color, as well. Be sneaky and try various veggies to see if you can't add a bit more nutrition to the ketchup that your kid is consuming by the gallon.