Five steps to try a new food and actually like it! (even super picky eaters)

Picky eating can be a real problem for parents trying to provide their child a balanced diet and for a child distressed at the thought of certain foods. So what can you do?

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Food, eating, feeding, and cooking can all be touchy subjects. Let’s keep it easy-breezy for today. To begin, let’s talk about what not to do:

Do not force feed your finicky friend
Don’t beg and bribe for a bite
Avoid giving up completely and hoping that one day they will choose to try a food that’s good for them and enjoy it but for now they can have skittles for dinner for the rest of their life I don’t care any more
whatever.

vegetables, carrot, food — There are a lot of ways to try a new food successfully, but forcing, fighting, and coercing are not on that list.

We have all been there–even the professionals hit that point of frustration sometimes! Picky eating is hard on everyone. A good idea is to call in support when you hit that limit BUT a better idea is to set yourself up for success by using proven strategies.

What can you do?

One way to try a new food that is especially helpful for picky eaters is to take a “sensory journey” before considering a bite. Here are the steps:

1 – Look at the new food and describe it together

2 – Touch the new food and talk about how it feels

3 – Sniff the food and discuss the smell

4 – Lick the food and talk about how it tastes, what it tastes like (salty, sweet, etc.), and what is is similar to (other foods they have tried before)

5 – Take a bite and decide if they like it or if they might like it next time. Talk about the parts you liked and what you didn’t together. This will give you a better idea of what is blocking them from enjoying a food and you may be able to work around those elements.

There are MANY ways to customize this procedure to fit your child’s needs and preferences so don’t feel boxed in! Picky eating can be caused because of medical issues or sensory processing difficulties, so don’t be afraid to touch base with your pediatrician. They are not a bad kid because they are a picky eater!

If you are not sure how to move forward or if you would like more details, download the PDF guide (below) and consider scheduling a free Discovery Call with me to discuss how to customize this tool to work for you.

Here is a free guide to help you use this strategy:

Want to get your kids more involved in trying new foods?

Getting a child excited to try something new can be a part of the challenge. Here are a few resources that may help in the form of educational food based subscription boxes for under $30/month.

Little Sous

In their words:

Little Sous turns the kitchen into a place where families connect, and kids learn to become creative, confident cooks. Themed, monthly cooking kits include cooking lessons, recipes, food science, lessons in food culture and kid-safe kitchen tools. Head to the shop to learn about subscription and purchase options!

You can click the pictures (left) or the blue words (above) to go to the site and learn more.

What I really like is that they send a tool, recipes, lessons, and activities that can help your child get engaged with cooking and their food. That’s a lot of learning material that can be used over and over again.

As you are going through a Little Sous recipe together, consider using the 5 Steps I shared earlier on different ingredients or at different stages of cooking.

eat2explore

You can click the pictures (right and below) to go to the site and learn more.

This company helps you “Explore the world in your kitchen” by sending 3 recipes (and shopping lists for each–super convenient!), collectables (a passport book, country stickers, flag pins, tools, toys…all sorts of things), educational activity sheets, a brochure for the country you exploring, a few essential spice/sauce/grain mixes that you will need to get the signature flavor of the country you are focusing on that month.

This is a great way to expand learning in the kitchen past trying new foods to learning about the world. During this time of being stuck indoors, this can be a great “get away” adventure for you and your family. Trying new food should be a fun and exciting experience, after all.

In conclusion

Food is hard. Feeding a kid is hard. Feeding a kid who is a picky eater is so incredibly hard that it can keep you up at night. The tools and strategies outlined above can help make that challenge a little bit easier.

Of course, if you ever want to talk about it further, you can send us an email with your questions or schedule a free Discovery Call to get some deep and personalized advice. We know how hard this can be and want to support you however we can!