The chicken nugget showdown. Been there? You try your best to put wholesome, delicious, nutritious food on the family table but your best intentions are met with a wrinkled nose and request for chicken nuggets…again. Sigh. How do we help kids try new foods?
A bit ago, we had a conversation where a friend asked just this question. So, we turned to one of our favorite experts for an answer! Read on, friends, for ideas from a dietitian on how to help picky eaters eat healthier foods.
Question: My young daughter doesn’t always like what I’ve prepared for dinner. But if I made only what she likes, we’d have noodles and chicken nuggets every night! Do you have ideas to encourage young kids to try new things?
Got a picky eater at your table? Here’s how to help kids to try new foods:
Most parents would agree that their little ones are notoriously picky eaters. Before you find yourself in a Brussels sprout showdown, let’s consider why kids tend to be so averse to particular tastes.
It’s all because our kids are…well, superheroes!
Kids are super-tasters and super-smellers…they come hard wired to be extra sensitive to everything from taste and smell to color and texture. Because of this sensitivity, our super little tasters are much more likely to run away from bitter foods like veggies, and do anything they can to get their hands on sweet or savory items.
Over time our tastebuds dull, which explains why most of us enjoy foods our younger selves would have tried to hide in a napkin. And, kids are drawn to sweet foods because of the high calorie content, because it takes a lot of energy (and therefore calories) to be a kid!
So it’s pretty smart that children are designed to search for the “biggest bang for their buck” when it comes to food calories. Unfortunately, that means they are even more likely to reach for the cookie over the apple.
Don’t despair!
Although predisposed to want energy-dense foods, you can expand their palates and help kids try new foods with these strategies:
- Try introducing one new food at a time and don’t give up! It can take weeks or even months for children to enjoy new foods, due to their ever-changing taste buds.
- To increase your likelihood of success, try incorporating more mild flavors first, like sweet bell peppers or ripe tomatoes.
- For maximum buy-in from your little one, encourage hands-on participation with a new food. For example, find a new recipe together and allow your child to help you with the prep when appropriate. Click here for a good list if you’re looking to get kids into the kitchen!
- You could go one step further by letting your kids grow their own food. Start some tomato plants in the back yard, plant a simple herb garden in a pot or start a full garden of veggies. Things like pole beans, cucumbers, squash and sugar snap peas grow quickly, are plentiful and are fun to watch.
Research indicates kids are much more likely to be willing to try new things when they are involved in the food making (or growing) process.
photo from N. Gasow
Nina Gasow, RD, LD
Nina Gasow is a Registered Dietitian specializing in eating disorder treatment. In her private practice, Nina is devoted to counseling those who are struggling with eating disorders or disordered eating behaviors by guiding and educating clients down their path of recovery. Nina is an advocate for positive body image and an expert on developing a balanced, non-restrictive relationship with food to take back the joy in eating.
