What's the most effective way to get a VERY picky toddler to try a new food? -- Amy

Haylie Pomroy: There are three little tricks that I like to have my clients use:

1. I have a lot of my clients try new fruits and veggies in a frozen form. 
I know this sounds kind of funny, but organic fruits and veggies don't have as much instant impact on the taste buds. Things like organic peas or blueberries can make their way down to the belly before their flavor comes through in the mouth. Frozen string beans, carrots, strawberries can be interesting to a toddler. I would get my little ones to eat frozen sweet potato spears long before I could ever get them to stomach sweet potato baby food in a jar. A little trick, but it can work very well.

2. Do a one week sugar sweep. 
Although we try to eat really great foods at home, there are times when our busy hectic schedules allow for more processed and packaged foods to sneak in. In my household, we regularly do one week sugar sweeps. This is where we only eat real foods for one week.  Things like fruits and veggies, organic meats and dairy, whole and sprouted grains, etc. My kids are old enough to look at packaging of things like peanut butter and apple sauce and see what brands do not have any sugar added. This seems to cleanse the palate and open the kids up to more variety and healthier foods. It is a great one for Mom as well. Really watch those baby foods. Many of our toddlers become picky eaters because they are being fed a ton of added refined sugar per day in some of their foods. This can make for a very picky palate.

3. Consider a children's-based probiotic. 
These are the good gut bugs that are taken in supplement form. These can enhance digestion, can reduce inflammation in the gut, and encourage the appetite for healthy foods. This trick has brought many clients with picky toddlers huge success.

I do have a motto in my house: I tell my kids that I am perfectly okay with them not liking something. They have to try as many bites as they are old before they can decide that, though.

One note -- very picky eaters might be suffering from food allergies. If you suspect this is the case, see your doctor. 

Haylie Pomroy provides nutritional counseling and wellness consulting for clients who wish to actively enhance their health. She is an accomplished practitioner, speaker, writer, consultant, product developer, and researcher who has been featured several times on national television. Haylie practices in CA and CO and resides in Los Angeles with her two beautiful children. Haylie proudly works with the East West Essentials line of doctor's wellness products. For additional nutrition tips and recipes, become a fan of Haylie on Facebook. HayliePomroy.com