If you are like most parents, you are probably trying to find a way to get your kids to eat healthier. Your kids may only like to eat a few foods, but it’s important that you expand their palates to include a wider variety of different things. Fortunately, you can introduce even your pickiest of eaters to foreign foods by following the tips listed below.
Add It to Something They Already Like
It’s easier to get picky eaters to try new foods if you disguise it just a bit. You can easily hide new vegetables in things like meatloaf or spaghetti sauce. If you are wanting to introduce your child to a food without hiding it, consider adding something to it that they already eat, like cheese.
You can also start them out with things that look familiar already. Kaiser buns are an Austrian bread, but they look similar to other breads that your kids are already familiar with. If you start out with foods that look familiar, it will ease the uncertainty of trying foreign foods.
Combining the new foods with dishes and flavors they’re familiar with makes it easier for them to branch out just a bit. In the future, the fact that they’ve already eaten the new food and liked it encourages them to try it again.
Have Them Help You Make It
Kids tend to be more willing to try new things if they help make them. If you are looking for an easy dish to make with your kids that may encourage them to try some new foods, make subs together. They can put whatever they want on sandwiches without a lot of assistance. Encourage them to add new foods that they haven’t tried before. You may be surprised at all of the interesting combinations that they come up with.
With older or more adventurous kids, you can get a little more complicated. With you child, research new recipes from different countries and let them help you prepare the dish. This both gets them more motivated to try the new dish and gets them more used to cooking themselves.
Let Them See You Eat It
A lot of kids love to try whatever their mom or dad is eating. You can use this to your advantage. Let them see you eat something that you want them to try. There’s a good chance that they will ask for a bite of it as well. Just make sure that you don’t make a big deal out of it. Your kids will notice you eating and will naturally show curiosity without you having to say anything about it. If you make a big deal out of it, they might read it as insincerity and avoid the new food.
Give Them Reasonable Portions
Don’t expect your picky eaters to eat large portions of foreign foods when you first introduce them. Give them reasonable portions of it. A spoonful or two of a new food is all that you should be putting on their plate. Encourage them to take just a bite. If they like it, you can always give them more if they want it.
There are numerous ways that you can get your picky eaters to try foreign foods. The key is to not try to force them to eat something that they just aren’t sure of. You can introduce even your pickiest of eaters to try new foods without it becoming a battle at the dinner table.
