Picky Eater Food Science - Mango
Mmmmm mango!
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So one of my client friends is working on expanding his range of foods (the number of different foods that he will eat) in particular increasing his acceptance of fruits.
We had been ending our SOS feeding therapy sessions with a mango juice blend (V8 Splash Mango Peach). He progressed from looking at, smelling, adding sprinkles to, dipping in a Veggie Straw, blowing bubbles through the Veggie Straw to taking a small sip. Over the course of these therapy sessions, I didn’t pressure him for any advances. I supported his exploration of the food. We talked about the drink- what does it look like, what does it feel like, what does it smell like, and finally when he was ready - what does it taste like? He thought it tasted liked orange (likely to match the color and because he had no experience with other orange fruits). His mom and I agreed that the taste was mango. I brought a whole mango to the next session. We talked about the mango’s colors (red, orange, yellow, and green), the smooth feel, how heavy it was, what we thought might be inside. Then I peeled the mango and used a plastic knife to make some slices and to poke the middle to find the pit. We looked at the juice that had pooled under the mango and talked about how it looked like the drink in our cups. Then with no prompting, my friend picked up his slice and took a bite. Fortunately, this mango was fabulously juicy and sweet. Success for this friend was not just the bite of mango but the process to get him to that point. No pressuring him to eat it, validating his concerns, using neutral, science-based language to describe our senses. This is why I love the SOS approach to feeding therapy. Now we move on to another food but also keep the mango in our repertoire. This may seem like a slow process but it is child-centered and develops long-lasting gains toward feeding goals.