When it comes to raising a child who eats a variety of foods, many parents face challenges, particularly during the notorious picky eating stage. In this blog post, I’ll share practical tips to help your child become an adventurous eater who is willing to try and enjoy new foods. Let’s dive right in!

8 Tips for Raising Adventurous Eaters

Raising an adventurous eater is a journey that involves patience, creativity, and a positive attitude. By following these 8 tips, you can create an environment that encourages your child to explore and enjoy a variety of foods.

1. Follow the MyPlate Guidelines for Balanced Eating

The MyPlate guideline is an excellent starting point for introducing an array of foods using the food groups. Here’s a brief overview of foods are categorized by nutrient content for MyPlate:

• Proteins and Dairy Foods: Include a variety of foods like eggs, dairy (cheese, yogurt), plant-based options (beans, tofu), and animal-based options (meat, fish, chicken).
• Fruits and Vegetables: Aim to include at least one fruit and/or vegetable at every main meal. These can be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried to provide variety and essential nutrients.
• Grains: Incorporate whole grains such as cereals, crackers, bread, pasta, and rice. Whole grains provide fiber and important nutrients like B vitamins.

Why This Works: Balancing different food groups on the plate exposes your child to a wide array of foods, a broad range of nutrients, and may increase their willingness to try new things.

2. Explore Diverse Cuisines

Don’t shy away from experimenting with various cuisines. Try Asian foods like Thai, Chinese, or Japanese dishes. Introduce other ethnic foods, like African, Mexican and Lebanese cuisines, as well.

Why This Works: Children may surprise you with their willingness to try and enjoy spicy or savory foods. By making food exploration an adventure, you open doors to new flavors and textures.

3. Introduce New Foods with Familiar Favorites

Whenever you introduce a new food, offer it alongside a food your child already knows and likes. It doesn’t have to be their favorite, just something familiar and comfortable.

Why This Works: Pairing a new food with a familiar one increases comfort and reduces resistance, making children more willing to try the new food.

4. Encourage Autonomy in Eating

Allow your child to handle their utensils, have a say in what goes on their plate, or even serve themselves from the meal options available. This builds their autonomy and motor skills.

Why This Works: When children have control over their eating, they develop a sense of competence and are less likely to resist mealtime.

5. Make Food Exploration Fun and Low Pressure

Encourage your child to touch, lick, or even kiss new foods without the pressure to eat them. Exploration is part of the learning process.

Why This Works: Exploration without pressure allows children to become familiar with new foods in a stress-free environment, making them more likely to try and enjoy them in the future.

6. Create Inclusive Family Meals

Prepare meals that everyone in the family can eat together. Sharing meals and even sharing food from your plate can encourage children to try new foods.

Why This Works: Family meals provide a model for children. Seeing parents and siblings enjoy the same foods can motivate them to try these foods themselves.

7. Use Dips and Condiments

Children love dipping their food in condiments like ketchup, hummus, or ranch dressing. These can be used to make unfamiliar food more appealing.

Why This Works: Dips and condiments can make trying new foods fun and provide additional flavors, making the experience enjoyable for children.

8. Eat Together as a Family

Family meals are essential for modeling healthy eating behaviors. When children eat with their parents, they learn how to behave at the table and how to interact with food.

Why This Works: Parents provide a positive example of eating and trying new foods, which children are likely to emulate.

By implementing these strategies, you can help your child develop a healthier relationship with food and make mealtimes more enjoyable for the entire family. More importantly, these tips will help you raise an “eat everything” kid, and have fun while doing it!

Resources

For more insights on raising a healthy and happy child, check out my upcoming book, Kids Thrive at Every Size, available now.