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How to Get Your Picky Eater to Consume More Fruits and Vegetables


We all know how difficult it can be to get our kids to eat their fruits and vegetables. Knowing how vital they are to your child’s growth and development makes it all the more frustrating. But don’t give up! With a bit of patience, you can teach your child to learn to love and appreciate these healthy foods.

Start While Their Young

Not only is a proper diet necessary for creating a healthy child, but according to Healthy Living, the earlier you start teaching them proper eating habit the higher chances they will maintain those good habits later in life. Studies have proven that those who eat lots of veggies as a child will continue to eat them into adulthood. This is why you cannot give into your picky eaters. Start exposing your child to veggies as early as baby food to start acclimating them to the taste.

Do Not Give Up

If your kid rejects a new food after trying it for the first time, do not cross it off as a lost cause. Children are often resistant to new tastes and textures. Keep the new food in play. It typically takes 8-10 exposures before they warm up to a new food. Try enforcing a one-bite policy where they have to at least take one bite before they are allowed to reject a food.

Limit Their Snacks

Children need to snack to replenish their energy, but it can be difficult to get them to try new things if they are already filled up on something else. As dinnertime approaches, limit their snack access so that they approach the table hungry and open to trying new foods. Do not let savvy children get away with skipping dinner so they can go straight for the snacks either.

Snack time is also a great opportunity for them to eat healthily. Keep fruits and vegetables easily accessible so that it is the first thing they reach for.

Let Them Do The Shopping

Children are more likely to eat something they picked out. Make a fun activity of going grocery shopping together or better yet, take them to the local farmers market. Let them interact with farmers and help them learn about where their food came from. Teach them to appreciate the bright colors and interesting textures of the variety of produce. You can even make a game out of selecting new and unusual fruits and vegetables you can try together. Creating a positive experience around buying new fruits and vegetables will encourage them to eat them.

Put Them to Work

Much like adults, kids take pride in the work they do. Let them be your sous chef in the kitchen and have them assist in meal prep. If you have a garden, encourage them to help you out in whatever way they can. Getting their hands dirty in the dirt or helping create that night’s dinner are not only a good way to teach them new skills and appreciate where their food comes from, but a sneaky way to get them to eat something healthy they might otherwise be resistant to.

Do Not Hide Veggies

One of the worst things you can do is practice “stealth cooking” and sneak their veggies into unsuspecting foods. They will never learn to recognize the value and flavors of all the delicious fruits and veggies this way. Even if your faux-junk foods are packed with all sorts of healthy options, this method will only teach them how yummy mac and cheese and brownies are.

Instead, lead by example. Kids tend to have a monkey-see, monkey-do attitude. If they see you eating and enjoying some tasty broccoli, they will be tempted to try it.

Healthy Kid, Happy Kid

Though it may be difficult, do not give into your picky eaters. Eating a balanced diet is necessary for any person and even more so in children. New fruits and vegetables do not have to be intimidating. Take your time and teach your child to learn to love all the wonderful produce that exists. Learning these good habits young will carry through their entire lives.

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