Do you have picky eaters in your home? Maybe you want to get your kids to eat healthy foods, but just haven’t got a clue where to start when they turn up their nose and whine about what you are feeding them? You may feel defeated in getting those picky palates turned toward foods that are good for them.
So I wanted to share with you some fun and interesting ways to introduce foods to your kids, that will hopefully make you feel a bit more equipped to take up the challenge. I have a feeling you may be seeing some changes and get quick results.
Keep it cold. Raw veggies and fruits are so much better when served crisp out of the fridge. I have noticed my boys lap up carrots sticks and crisp apple slices so much better when I do this. You can even cut up veggies at the beginning of the day and have them ready to go, so your kids can run to the fridge and self-serve when they want to.
Offer a dip. Ranch dip or hummus is the perfect thing to get more veggies in your kids. It’s all about flavor. Now my boys just eat carrots plain, but they used to need the dip. As they have gotten used to eating fresh veggies their palates have changed, and they enjoy the plain sweet carrot. Peanut butter and nut butters are a winner for dipping apples as well!
Make food fun! The same old way you serve foods isn’t going to work. You are going to have to pull out all the stops and make the food appealing and kid friendly. I do a lot of divided snack plates like you see above. My kids eat this kind of meal in the day so much better then other kinds of meals, and love the variety. Have fun cutting cheese and lunch meats into cubes and offering a toothpick to pick them up. They will love it!
Make food interactive. We make these apple snacks you see below, and the kids get to add their own toppings. By letting your kids get involved in the assembly process, they think it is the best thing ever. These apple snacks are a perfect example of creating something sweet that isn’t loaded with junk like a big piece of cake, and it satisfies the sweet tooth in a moderate way.
Beat them to hunger. I have found that if I fix a plate of food for lunch before my kids ask for it, I get much better results. This way there is no negotiating necessary. I also anticipate snacks times, as this keeps their blood sugar levels better, and keeps the moods lifted when they are fueled with nourishing foods on time.
I no longer ask my kids what they want for a meal. I just serve it up and say “here you go!” It’s amazing how much better that works, and they love the surprise of what I bring them. I also do this with snacks.
If your kids come in the door from school starving, try having some healthy snacks waiting for them, so they will eat the right thing instead of junk. Blend up a smoothie, or set out some apple slices with peanut butter. How about some veggies and dip? See how they respond, and you might be pleasantly surprised.
Offer a variety and always include favorites and not-so-favorites together. I always mix it up, and then I say “you have to eat at least so many bites of each thing. ” This way my kids are having to keep experiencing new foods, and we all win, and we stay in control!
Require a certain number of bites. We always require so many bites of the not-so-favorites at dinner. Otherwise my kids want to just fill up on the tater tots and not eat any of the meatloaf. So we monitor numbers of bites, and it works out well. They can’t be excused from the table if they haven’t eaten enough variety from their plate.
Keep trying and don’t give up. I once read that you have to introduce a new food to children like seven times before they will like it. I have one boy who was a gagger. If he thought he didn’t like something he would hold the food in his mouth and gag to the point of throwing up some times! But with persistence that never happens anymore. That same boy is still a picky eater, but he is getting so much better. My kids beg for brocoly at dinner! They never would have done this, had we not started young and kept having it at most meals. I steam it and put butter on it, and a little sea salt. They lap it up and tell me it’s their favorite food! Yeah it can happen–I promise.
Require protein before other things. I have taught my boys about food groups and having a balanced diet. So from an early age they have known they had to eat protein along with veggies and fruits in order to get a balanced diet and to feel good. (They also know that if they eat well they will get a homemade cookie for dessert at dinner) I have taught them, that a cheese stick and apple make a good healthy snack. Or they know that carrot sticks are good to have with a PB&J. They don’t argue anymore about this, as I have hammered it home over time.
Ditch the sweet drinks. My kids used to be hooked on juice, and I could see it was causing a problem. So we limited the juice and that helped with the sugar carvings, and ti doesn’t spoil their appetite. Now it’s rare that my kids drink anything sweet like juice. We never drink sodas, and we offer water and milk. I also have to limit milk or my kids will fill up on it and not eat a good meal. We always just have water with dinner, and this helps a lot with getting them to eat a good amount when we sit down.
Try making fruity flavored waters. My kids love just water in a mason jar with floating fruit and a straw, like these above. I let my kids make their own combinations of fruit. Be sure to mash up the fruit a little but so the flavor infuses into the water. This is the perfect summer refresher and it’s not sugary but your kids will love it. They can eat the fruit as well.
Plant a garden.There is something about planting a garden with your kids that gets them so interested in eating fresh. My kids are already asking me for pea pods and fresh corn from our garden. When kids can eat veggies straight from their own planting efforts, the taste can’t compare to store bought, and they want to eat them, because they watched them grow and had a part in the process.
Season and prepare well. I am a stickler that if foods are healthy they need to taste really good too. Season your foods so your kids will like them. I keep foods in their whole state as much as I can. We don’t eat casseroles and mixed things, so that my kids learn to appreciate the flavor of the food. Learn how to steam veggies and keep things light and fresh. I find this helps tremendously.
Get the kids cooking with you. Let the kids in the kitchen to prepare some meals with you. When your kids have a part in preparing a meal they are more prone to try the foods they cooked.
Have the kids go grocery shopping. When our kids are part of the process of choosing healthy balanced foods it makes all the difference. Make the shopping a learning experience. If you homeschool this is a great way to teach health and nutrition, and your kids will feel good that they made great choices for the week.
Pick berries, and fresh fruits. Let your kids pick berries with you and then enjoy the process of washing and preparing them for pies and freezer jam. There is nothing like homemade jam and pies!
Always make a fair trade. One mistake I think people make is in deleting all things from their kid’s diets that they love, and then not giving them a healthy alternative that tastes good! I make homemade cookies that have organic ingredients where I can monitor the ingredients, and sugar in them. My kids think it’s the best thing ever to have homemade chocolate chip cookies after dinner, and it’s a treat for eating all their meal. If you want your kids to change over you will have to find healthy alternatives to help them out. I have found this to be the best success. I find organic and natural foods selections that my kids like, and they then never feel deprived.
You can do it! I promise with some patience and tweaking, you will be able to get your kids eating healthy and begging you for more.
Don’t expect to change all the foods in your house at once either. Do one thing at a time, and take it slow. My kids used to beg for candy and sweets. We would stop at the local fast food joint often….back in the day. Over time our palates have changed. We never eat at fast food places and we only like good wholesome organic and fresh foods. You can change your kid’s palates with some perseverance. So hang in there, and don’t give up!
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