And so it begins. Last night, the lovely husband and I watched with a combination of amusement and dismay, as our one year old crawled underneath her baby gate. We're pretty sure she's not being trained as a marine at daycare, so how she figured out that she could wriggle underneath on her belly I'm not sure. The gate is supposed to separate the living room from the kitchen and as it's all on one level, this isn't a very big deal. It does however render the gate at the top of the stairs useless. Both were installed immediately above the skirting boards – which are apparently exactly the depth of a one year old ninja. Who knew?

To emphasise the fact that we are no longer in charge, this week Chloe has also mastered the word 'no'. Amongst a cute array of animal noises (meow, GRRRRR!, baaa, moo, woof) and the obligatory mama and dada, 'no' crept in benignly. As she started by answering any question with 'no' regardless of whether or not she meant it, we just took this as a sign that our clever little angel was extending her vocabulary. However, as she has moved on to the concept of either yes or no, 'no' now really means 'NO!' Do I still think she's an angel? Hmmm, I'll get back to you! To date, I have been exceptionally lucky and Chloe has eaten nearly everything I have put in front of her. My favourite moments include her eating a bowl of lentils at her birthday party (don't worry, I gave the poor girl cake too) and a whole bowl of broccoli florets in front of her daddy. As both of these were 'nyum, nyum!' I relaxed into a false sense of security. Last night however, I had my first outright refusal of a meal I had lovingly prepared. Worse, I had stayed up late and missed a whole section of 'American Idol' (disaster!) making it. After 20 minutes of trying to get her old favourite of sweet potatoes, salmon and broccoli into her, I gave up and she ate a bowlful of banana and avocado and then a mountain of dry organic cornflakes. As I have long associated a full tummy with sleep (I know this is not true but I can't help it), I decided it wasn't the time to have a meal time battle. Also I'm a firm believer in keeping meals fun and not to let your child see they are rattling you – especially if it helps prevent food from becoming the area where they regularly exercise their will over yours. However, remaining unphased as your culinary masterpiece is cast aside is hard to do in practice. If you have had the experience of spending ages preparing some Annabel Karmel extravaganza, only to have it rejected, you'll know what I mean.

Whilst this would of course be a perfect opportunity for me to give you fabulous tips for getting your child to eat a healthy and varied diet, all my knowledge is text-book at the moment. I know a lot in theory, but in practice, I am a work-in-progress! Give me a few more months and I'll align my personal experience with the nutritional theories and let you know what has worked best for us. In the meantime, how about we concentrate on feeding picky adults instead?

Fussy eating isn't just the domain of children after all. Lots of adults balk at the idea of a different – especially healthy – option. One of the most common reasons for this is that healthy 'isn't tasty'. The problem is that from a taste perspective, it's hard to compete with the sensory stimulation that comes from the salt, sugar and fat within unhealthy alternatives. Over time, the more intense flavour of junk food becomes 'normal' and healthy options can seem bland.

If this is the case for a picky adult in your life, one of the best ways to tackle the issue is to make changes slowly. Gradually reduce the amount of salt, sugar and fat in your cooking and there'll be less protest as taste buds gradually adjust. If your picky partner shares the cooking, you can try switching the salt in the shaker over to lite-salt, encourage the use of an olive oil spray rather than pouring it from the bottle and select herb and spice mixes that are salt and sugar free, or make your own. Further, don't leap overnight from serving mac n cheese, to spinach and lentils – you'll just generate outrage! Instead, start by making healthy versions of something you would normally serve or buy. The Internet is a fantastic resource for 'makeover' recipes, so long as you use legitimate resources such as Cooking Light magazine (www.cookinglight.com).

The healthy chicken fried rice recipe below came about as I came up with makeover recipes for my Nutrifit class (www.nutrifit.bm). I always give the group tasty, super-healthy suggestions, but sometimes everyone craves something with a take-out feel. Chicken fried rice is usually laden with salt and fat – causing both water retention and weight gain, but this is a delicious version you can enjoy without the guilt!

Healthy chicken fried rice

Ingredients per person:

1 cup cooked brown rice

½ cup chicken, diced*

½ cup frozen peas, cooked

½ onion

½ clove garlic, chopped

1 egg, beaten

Low-sodium soy sauce

1 tsp sesame seeds

1 fresh tomato, chopped

Fresh parsley, chopped

Black pepper

1 wedge lemon

* you can use shrimp or tofu instead

1. Coat a stirfry pan in olive oil cooking spray

2.Soften the onion and chopped garlic over a medium heat

3. Add the diced chicken and cook through

4. Pour in the beaten egg and stir as it cooks, just as you would scrambled eggs

5. When the egg is cooked through, add the brown rice and peas and toss

6. Season with sesame seeds, a little low-sodium soy sauce and black pepper. Toss again.

7. Scatter diced tomato and fresh parsley on top and serve with a wedge of lemon.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. E-mailher at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com