Like many of their peers, my kids are picky eaters. They love some foods that are generally well liked among kids including pizza and chicken fingers. However, when it comes to other foods, they often don’t want to eat a single bite!
The funny thing with them is that they often decide they don’t like a food even though they’ve never tried it. We had a yellow watermelon earlier this summer. It was the first time my kids had seen one of this color, yet my older two insisted that they didn’t like it! Likewise, I’ll prepare a new recipe and they’ll insist they don’t like it even though I’ve never prepared it before.
If they try a food and don’t like it, I can understand and respect that (after all, there are plenty of foods that I don’t like). However, they can’t truly dislike something if they’ve never tried it, so I’ve been trying various strategies to get them to taste new foods. One thing that has unexpectedly been a game changer for us is cookbooks.
I have a few dozen cookbooks, but they are all written for adults. A couple of months ago, I checked out an image-rich kids’ cookbook from the library. I grabbed a pad of sticky notes and sat down with my kids to look through it. I had them use the sticky notes to mark the pages of any recipes that looked good to them. We’ve slowly been trying the recipes that caught their eyes. When we try these recipes, my older two help me prepare them.
To be honest, I was doubtful this approach would work. Why would they suddenly be interested in trying something new? I don’t know if it is because they choose the recipes or if it is because they help prepare the foods, but they are actually trying these things! The first recipe they chose was for chicken drumsticks that were marinated a particular way. My eldest ate two of the drumsticks and my middle child ate one. The next recipe they chose was for pork ribs prepared with a sweet, sticky sauce. They loved these, and even wanted leftovers the next day!
We’ve worked our way through a few cookbooks now. Some have only one or two recipes that interest my kids, and that’s okay. There are plenty of cookbooks available at the library, so we’ll keep going through them and trying new things! I don’t know if this strategy will work with your kids, but it might be worth a try.
What to look for in a cookbook
There’s no right or wrong cookbook to use for this, but I have found that some work better than others. Here are some things to look for in a cookbook:
Images, images, and more images. Though my eldest can read quite a bit and my middle child can read a little, they have no interest in reading the text-rich pages of traditional cookbooks. Cookbooks that show pictures of every (or nearly every) recipe capture my kids’ attention best.
Kid-friendly recipes. There’s really no such thing as “kids’ foods,” so kids don’t need cookbooks that contain “recipes for kids.” However, I find that kids’ cookbooks tend to contain a lot of pictures (see the above point about images) and recipes for fun and creative dishes that appeal to kids, such as pancakes that look like faces or vegetables that are made to look like boats with sails. If these sorts of things make it more likely that my kids will try something, then I am all for it!
Healthy recipes. My kids are always eager to try new flavors of ice cream or new types of candy, so they don’t really need encouragement when it comes to trying junk food. However, they do need encouragement when it comes to trying veggies, meats, casseroles, etc. We looked through one cookbook that had lots of recipes that utilize sugary cereals and boxed cake mixes. Though it is okay to use a recipe like this on occasion, I really want my kids to see healthy recipes that interest them. Therefore, I’ve found it best to choose cookbooks that contain many healthy recipes.
Final thoughts
Like I said, I don’t know if this strategy will work in your household, but it is simple enough that it might be worth a try! Even if it doesn’t work for you, I hope the fact that it was successful for us will inspire you to continue trying to get your kids to taste new things.
I’d love to hear your tips and ideas! What strategies have been successful in encouraging your kids to try new foods?
This is genius!! What a great plan of attack. My daughters both have children who just are not interested in eating. Probably have never said, “Mom, I’m hungry” in their lives. I remember making eggs with one of them for her breakfast and that seemed stir some interest in her in eating them afterward but had forgotten all about that til now. Going to pass your article along to both of my girls. Even skimming through recipes on Pinterest with my granddaughters could work. Giving them some choice and voice in what they are eating. High five!!
I think looking at recipes on Pinterest would work just fine! My girls would probably like that because it involves the computer.
I hope this helps generate some interest in new foods!