5 Ways to Encourage Healthy, Adventurous Eaters

As a parent and a dietitian, my goal for my children is for them to eat a variety of nutritious foods and develop a positive, low-stress relationship with eating. I’ve heard the same from other parents I’ve worked with. But how can we help our children get there? And what if they’re already in the picky eating phase? Here are a few tried and true (and, importantly, evidence-based!) tips to help your child become a healthy and adventurous eater.

1.       Eat with your child.

When kids see you eat food, it reassures them that it’s safe. Think about it: Would you feel more relaxed eating if your host sat and enjoyed the same meal or stood and watched while you ate alone? Parental modeling of eating behaviors has been shown to improve children’s acceptance of foods and decrease food fussiness. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01046/full

It also simplifies mealtimes. Serve the same basic foods to everyone, with age-appropriate modifications. For example, on taco night, a young child might eat soft avocado, mashed beans, and ground meat. (Check out Solid Starts for tips on serving foods safely at different developmental stages.)

And don’t forget to season your food! If plain boiled broccoli sounds boring to you, it probably is to your kids, too. Try roasting vegetables, using dips, or adding herbs to make meals delicious for the whole family.

2.       Let kids play with their food.

Mealtimes allow little scientists to shine! Squishing, mushing, and crunching are all ways of exploring new foods. What happens when I mush a blueberry? Does this potato change when I poke it? Exploring a food with all five senses helps children get comfortable with it before taking a bite.

It’s not easy for many parents but try to embrace the mess. It’s easier when you have some tricks for cleaning up. We have a spray bottle with a little dish soap and water that we use on messy hands and the table. We’ve also used smock-style bibs, like this one. And when our first kiddo started throwing his bowls, we started serving food directly on the (clean) table. (Throwing foods is also a sign that your child is finished eating, so consider ending meals if food starts flying!)  

3.       Introduce foods in the first year.

Many parents report an increase in pickiness after their kids turn 1. That’s why it’s recommended to introduce a variety of foods within the first year, before toddler pickiness sets in. This is also backed by research – early introduction of foods (especially textures beyond purees) is associated with less picky eating later on.

The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends waiting 3 days before introducing new foods to see if the child has any allergic reactions. However, many professionals question this guideline (see here, here, and here). They point out that (a) allergic reactions generally occur sooner than 3 days, (b) most foods are not at high risk for causing an allergic reaction, and (c) waiting 3 days per food makes it difficult to introduce new foods efficiently. Except for the most common allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy, for example), it’s likely safe to introduce foods more quickly.  Focus on introducing foods that you already enjoy (or want to eat more of) as a family.

 4.       Create calm.

A low-stress, playful environment helps kids feel ready to explore. Turn off the TV, put away the phones, and encourage everyone to sit down together, even if just for a few minutes.  Focus on connection over consumption. You can talk about your day, tell a silly story, or play games with your food. Avoid pressuring, bribing, or demanding bites – these tend to backfire and increase food refusal. (Wouldn’t you be nervous to eat something if your host demanded you taste it?)

Think Bandit from Bluey – silly, creative, and encouraging without being pushy. Your job is to offer the food and keep the mood relaxed; it’s your child’s job to decide whether to eat it.

5.       Pair new foods with foods they already enjoy.

When serving something new, serve it along at least one ‘safe food’ that you know your child enjoys. This helps kids to reduce anxiety about unfamiliar foods and gives them comfort and confidence to explore the food.  And it may feel reassuring to you, as well, to know that even if your child doesn’t eat the new food, there are options that they will eat.

And it’s a good idea to avoid offering replacement meals. If your child doesn’t like the food, tell them it’ll be available for them if they get hungry and when the next meal or snack will be.

Helping kids become adventurous eaters is a process. Your role isn’t to get them to eat broccoli tonight. It’s to create the kind of environment where they eventually want to eat the broccoli. Patience, consistency, and connection go a long way.

Like this content?? Enjoy my free handout! Print it out and stick it on the fridge as a reminder of ways to encourage healthy, adventurous eating.

Want more help creating a positive eating environment to prevent or reduce picky eating? Schedule a call with me!