The toddler years, ages 1 to 3, are important years. Your child is finally able to interact with the world around him. This is a time where toddlers want to explore and experience what they see. It is also a time to begin introducing new foods to them. This can be a trying time for both the child and parent.

The child needs to be given the opportunity to try new foods, decide if she likes them and not be forced to consume a food that she dislikes. Keep in mind a child's taste buds are more sensitive to flavor than ours. As we age, our taste buds' sensitivity begins to diminish -- as do so many other things in our bodies. So something that tastes mild to you may be horribly bitter to your toddler. There is a chemical found in foods called phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) that causes the bitter taste in some foods such as grapefruit, strawberries, oranges, apples, bacon, turnips, broccoli and green beans. Some people are sensitive to this compound and, therefore, are sensitive to the bitterness of those foods. So keep in mind that your child's dislike of a food may be out of his or her control.

You do not want to force feed your child. The "clean your plate club" is a thing of the past. As an adult you do not (and should not) make judgments about your adult family member's personal food preferences. When a child is this young it is not the time to give him a complex about his food preferences. He should be allowed to try what everyone else is trying and make his own decision as to whether or not he likes that food. I am not suggesting going out of your way to create a completely different meal than what the rest of the family is eating, but give the child the chance to taste and develop his own likes and dislikes.

A child may develop something called a "food jag." A food jag is when the child gets stuck on eating a certain food. In college, during our discussions on food jags, a classmate voiced concern about her nephew's desire to only eat garlic bread. My teacher's reply was not one of concern; she told us food jags are temporary and not harmful to the child's nutrition status. They will come around when ready; food jags don't last forever.

Here are some suggestions taken from The Yale Guide to Children's Nutrition Status, by William V. Tamborlane, M.D.:

• Prepare relatively simple meals.
• Present the child with small portions on a small plate.
• Allow the child to ask for more food and drink.
• Do not insist that the child finish the meal before having dessert. Consider serving the dessert with the meal to de-emphasize dessert.
• Praise the child for trying new foods and for exhibiting appropriate behavior at the table.
• Use mealtime as a time to discuss positive things such as good deeds, good behaviors or nice work done that day.

There are going to be many challenges with your toddler. Food is definitely going to be a big one. However, try to remember your child has never tasted the foods being served to her. Here are some of my own recommendations:

• Draw on your own experiences. I know I wasn't very adventurous as a child or teenager with foods. I only wanted peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch from junior high school through high school. As an adult I am now more eager to try new things.
• Be sensitive to your child's needs. There is absolutely no reason a child should feel guilty because she doesn't like a certain food, or she doesn't finish the food on her plate. It is completely up to the parent to create a positive relationship between the child and food.
• Food is a necessity of life. It is not to be used as a reward, or taken away as a punishment.

I cannot stress enough the importance of creating a positive relationship with food. The amount of young girls with eating disorders is unbelievable. Although not the norm, boys are susceptible, too. While we can blame the fashion magazines and the rest of the media for imposing perfect body images on us, the relationship with food begins at home. As a parent, you control that relationship 100 percent from the get-go. Please do all you can to prevent a negative relationship between your child and food.