Got a picky kid? You might even have a picky spouse! Knowing the right ways to help your family members become healthy eaters isn't easy. Every person is different, so hitting on that one solution is always a tough one.

So it's a good thing the New York Times is telling us about six food mistakes that parents make. If we see ourselves in some of these, then we'll know where to start.

Join me after the jump to read about the six mistakes and my take on them.

• Sending your kids out of the kitchen. It's been said that if kids know where food has come from and how it is prepared that they have a better time accepting it. Besides, it's fun -- most of the time! -- to cook with a little one who loves to measure, pour and snitch the healthy ingredients along the way.
• Pressuring them to take a bite. C'mon, you know you do it. "Just try a bite and see if you like it ...." Yeah, stop doing that, say the experts. It's stressful and you want to make positive associations with mealtime.
• Keeping "good stuff" out of reach. If it's forbidden, they'll want it. If you think you have to restrict it, then don't have it in the house, the experts say. I say, just hide it from your kids altogether and eat it when they are in bed!
• Dieting in front of your children. Supposedly, your kids will pick up on that inevitable binge-eating as well, so stick to good portion control and a balanced meal at all times.
• Serving boring vegetables. How many of you want your veggies steamed, really? My 3-year-old loves roasted veggies, and dare I even tell you that Brussels sprouts are his favorite? But he won't eat anything pureed or mushy, so that's where we've got our challenges.
• Giving up too soon. I see this all the time at playdates. Kids will only eat certain things because they've only been offered certain things. It is sure easier to keep giving those if you know your kids will eat them, huh? I have a kid who can love a food so completely, yet still not want to eat it two days in a row, so I have becone accustomed to offering many different things all of the time.
  
  

The lessons? Be a good example, just keep offering, and make mealtime a pleasure.

[via Mercola]