7 ways to get your children to try new/healthy types of food

Babyment

Exposure.

The most obvious way to coax your children into accepting new varieties of food is to increase their exposure to those foods. Exposure does not just mean offering different types of food to your children. It also means that we should offer a certain type of food such as spinach in many different variations. Examples include sautéed spinach, steamed spinach, spinach with soup et cetera. A research study conducted by PLOS in 2016 concluded that young and impressionable children will eventually accept a type of food they initially abhorred after they were repeatedly served with it (up to eight times)

Begin with small servings.

Naturally, we should not serve our children initially with large quantities of food they dislike. It is highly likely that they will immediately attempt to discard the food or vehemently refuse to touch it. Instead, it is ideal that parents start small, with a small slice of carrot, a single stalk of broccoli or a single bean. When your child consumes the food, compliment them and proceed to offer them food that they actually like this time. Subsequently, parents can attempt to mix in these vegetables that their children dislike with other types of food that they prefer, such as fried chicken with a small salad at the side or mixing sweet potato with normal mashed potato. Eventually, parents could increase the portion of healthy food while reducing the portion of the unhealthier options.

Be creative.

Presentation is key. Offering food such as sandwiches in various shapes and forms such as simulating animals, vehicles et cetera could tempt your children into consuming them without fretting too much over their contents. Although they might dislike the taste initially, they would be more willing to finish it when they like its aesthetics. It also shows how much effort the parent has put in making the particular dish, which could incite children into cleaning their plates.

Emphasize on flavor.

If your children are picky about their food, chances are they hate bland food as well. If your child likes spicy food, cook the vegetables they hate in chili or curries or season them with pepper-heavy seasonings. If the child has a sweet tooth, you could glaze your carrots and various other vegetables with syrup, honey or ketchup. If the child adores fried food, frying certain food types such as potatoes or beans could be potential options in the form of tempura, with flour or panko. Children will then be less hesitant about consuming the abovementioned vegetables when they are stir-fried or grilled in the future.

Avoid dessert if possible.

Providing your children with sweet desserts provide them with the false impression that meals are simply a slog for them to go through before reaching the good part. Sweet and unhealthy desserts should not be the ultimate prize. Consuming healthy foods and reaping the benefits should be the ultimate goal. This does not mean that we should totally refrain from eating desserts. Instead, introduce dessert sparingly and make it clear that desert is for special occasions only.

Preparing meals together.

Although your children may be too young to cook over a fire out of the fear that they may get burnt, they are still able to assist in the cooking. First allow your children to take their pick out of a few options of healthy food. Naturally, they would have to make a decision or risk going hungry. Then assign them to non-hazardous tasks such as washing fruits and vegetables that are non-irritable on touch. Other possible tasks involve turning on the microwave, taking ingredients out of the fridge or larder or mixing together ingredients that are relatively safe upon contact. Afterwards, proceed to compliment them on playing an integral role in preparing the meal. The sense of accomplishment they derived from making the meal will potentially result in the food seeming more appealing.

Introduce these types of food to them in fun and interactive ways.

Such methods could include gardening, field trips or any other form of practical interactions that you can think of. Planting a garden with your children could result in newfound affection for the vegetables as their own hard labor. Likewise a field trip to learn about crops could result in children being inquisitive about the taste of these health foods and be receptive towards tasting them.