10 Tips to Get: Picky Kids to Eat Healthy

Do you struggle to get your child to eat healthy, try new things, or even eat at all? Keep reading for 10 tips to get picky kids to eat healthy and to make your mealtimes easier.

In fact, most of the time, we feel very inadequate. After being a mom for 6 years, there is one thing we figured out for sure: BEING A MOM IS HARD! They throw me for a curve almost daily; as soon as we think we figured something out, it changes. We am by no means an expert at parenting.

If you know our kids, you know this is one area we do NOT struggle with. We used to be a nanny and had an in-home daycare before we had kids of our own, so we have been around a lot of kids. Mealtimes seem to be a major struggle for so many parents and kids.

When our oldest son was two, he requested steak and peas for his birthday dinner. One time we took our daughter to a drive-thru (it was her first time), and when we asked her what she wanted, she said, “Pot roast!” They ask for sauerkraut for breakfast, and they eat vegetables at every meal. Maybe we just got lucky?! Or maybe it is something we did? Our kids will eat anything we put in front of them and a lot of it.

Today, we want to share our 10 tips to get picky kids to eat healthy!

10 TIPS TO GET PICKY KIDS TO EAT HEALTHY

#1 DON’T MAKE THEM A SEPARATE MEAL

If you give them the option of having a “kid-friendly” meal that they enjoy more than the healthy meal you prepared, they are not going to eat it. This is our number one tip! At mealtimes, our kids get whatever we make. We don’t cater to our kids, this may sound mean, but it is really important.

Let them get hungrier, and when they ask for something, offer them the same plate that they didn’t eat earlier. Life is too busy to make two meals anyway! Make a healthy meal and serve it. If they don’t eat it, then save it for later. Don’t offer anything else at this point.

#2 BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL

We have heard so many moms complain that the reason they can’t cook healthy meals is that their husband is so picky, and in return, the child is picky. If mommy and daddy aren’t eating the vegetables, neither will they. Everyone needs to sit down together and eat the same thing.

#3 DON’T MAKE A HUGE DEAL ABOUT THE MEAL

Sometimes overthinking it can make it harder for the child. It can make it worse if you talk the meal up and tell them how good it is going to be. The more you talk about the meal, the worse it can be for the child. Just serve the meal and talk about the child’s day.

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#4 SERVE MEALS WITH HEALTHY DIPS

You can make homemade dips or buy healthy ones from the store. Offering a dip can help your picky eater to eat things they have never eaten before. All kids love sauces and dips, well, at least all the ones we have fed do!

Try serving BBQ sauce or ketchup with meat and a healthy ranch with veggies. We will list (and link) some of our favorite healthy dressings below.

Homemade Honey Mustard (This dip is our kid’s favorite! They love it with everything, especially chicken.)

Homemade Ranch or Tessemae’s Ranch

BBQ Sauce

Honey Sweeten Ketchup

#5 LET THE KIDS GET IN ON THE COOKING

We have noticed that kids are more likely to eat something if they helped prepare it. Let them stir and pour the ingredients into the bowl. Let them help set the table; our daughter loves to do this! Bring the kids into the kitchen and let them help.

#6 OFFER AN INCENTIVE

Yes, we am talking about a bribe! Of course, this isn’t the best solution, but the goal is to do this in a way that they don’t notice they are being bribed.

As we sit down to dinner, we tell them that if they finish their bowl of soup, they can have a piece of fruit. If we have a meal planned that we know our kids don’t love, this is usually soup; we offer a dessert if they finish. Dessert usually consists of applesauce, a piece of fruit, or healthy brownies.

#7 SERVE SMALLER PORTIONS

If you serve your child a huge plate of something they don’t love, they may feel overwhelmed. Instead, offer small portions so it looks more manageable to the child.

If you are serving something, you know your child loves, then give them more of that and less of the thing you want them to try. They can always get more if they end up liking it.

#8 DON’T DO SNACKS

Unless they are actually hungry, they won’t be as willing to try. So often, kids will try to fill up on snacks and not eat much of anything at mealtimes. If they know a snack is coming, they may not eat, knowing they can get full later. If you know you are making something for dinner that your child isn’t going to love, then they need to be extra hungry.

If you have young children or active kids that need snacks, offer healthy ones. Here are a few of our favorite snacks:

• Avocado with salt- we just cut the avocado in half, sprinkle with salt, and let them eat it right out of the peel.
• Almonds and raisins
• Apple and peanut butter
• Fruit
• Applesauce

#9 MAKE FOOD FUN

Cut the veggies and fruit into cute shapes.

Give your child several different pieces of fruit and vegetables that are different colors. Let them make a design with them.

One of our kid’s favorite snacks is ants on the log. They love to help make these, and they really love to eat them—spread peanut butter or almond butter on a piece of celery and top with raisins.

#10 DISGUISE VEGETABLES

We put this one last because it is the last resort. We rather not have to disguise vegetables and just want our kids to eat them. If your child refuses, then you can try some of these tricks.

• Add a handful of spinach to a fruit smoothie. See some of our favorite smoothies HERE.
• You can add shredded zucchini to almost anything! During the summer months, when we have lots of zucchini, our family eats zucchini everything! You can even add it to meatloaf, and it makes it moist and delicious. No one even noticed we added it.
• We love to buy cauliflower rice to add to soups, stews, and stir-fries. You can easily add it to mashed potatoes too!

IN CONCLUSION

Let the kids get involved and help to make the meal. Offer fun shapes, colors, and dips to make the plate look more exciting. Don’t overdo it; offer small amounts of new foods, and talk about other things than foods when you sit down for dinner. Try to make mealtime fun!

We hope these tips will make your mealtime less stressful! Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!