Adventurous Eater Strategy #1: Get Them Involved

People–kids included–tend to be more receptive to things when they have some say in what’s happening. At our home, that can mean things like:

Serving themselves
Choosing what to add to their entree
Selecting our entree or side dish
Helping prepare what your family eats.

Self-Serve Dinners

Most of our meals are served “family-style,” with a pot or skillet in the middle of the table, along with a very simple side dish or two (and when I say “simple,” I mean it–a bowl of baby carrots or a sliced apple totally count as a side dish around here). I may serve my kids a small amount of the main dish to encourage them to try everything in it, then if they finish all of what’s on their plate and they want seconds, they can serve themselves (sometimes going heavy on the chicken and light on the veggies).

I also serve some dishes accompanied by little bowls of toppings. That might mean cheese for chili, crackers for soup, peanuts for a stir fry, etc. My kids tend to be more receptive to new dishes if they can customize them, especially if they get to add something they like.

Granted, there are some times when my youngest child heaps crackers onto his soup and then just eats the crackers. While that isn’t ideal, I figure he at least tried a little soup on the bottom of the crackers, and learned that dinner can be a positive experience even if the main dish contains things he isn’t keen on yet. Tasting something new and having a good time doing it are two steps in the right direction, and those steps add up over time.

Cooking and Shopping

If you want to be really proactive, consider getting your kids involved in the kitchen. When I was a child, peanut butter sandwiches became my favorite lunch when I learned how to make them myself, and though I was a rather picky eater growing up, I became much more willing to try new things once I started cooking for myself in college. It’s hard for a child to resist trying something they’ve helped create, and even if they only try one bite, that’s progress. The more we try something, the more familiar it becomes and the more we tend to like it (see Strategy #6: Take the Long View).

You could also invite your kids choose a new vegetable or fruit at the store to cook at home. One summer, after reading Jennifer Tyler Lee’s book The 52 New Foods Challenge, I challenged my kids to pick something new to try at our farmer’s market. They surprised me by choosing okra, beets, and pattypan squash–three things I had zero experience cooking. I looked up recipes (thank you, Google), and my kids actually tasted things they didn’t even know the names of before. I won’t lie and tell you that ALL of my kids ate ALL of their beets and squash, but the fact that they selected and tried them at all was really impressive to me.

Bottom line: People like feeling involved. We like to feel that we have some control over our situation. We like customizing things to make them our own, and we like being part of a creative adventure. If you involve your kids in choosing, preparing, serving, and/or customizing their food, they’re more likely to try a bite. Or two. Or maybe even ten.