10 Tips & Tricks That’ll Get Your Kids to Eat Better

You know the kid who only eats food in three shades of white or the kid who physically gags at the sight of anything new on their plate? We asked doctors, nutritionists, and the like for tips on how to get kids to eat healthy.

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Things You Can Do to Get Kids Favourite Eat Healthily

Play Grocery Store Games

Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN, and author of Read It before You Eat It Taking You from Label to Table sees the supermarket as a giant classroom. “For example, grocery store ‘field trips’ allowed me to show and tell my kids that all foods can fit into a healthy diet as long as you know how to balance your plate. For older kids, ask them to compare the labels of certain products to show them how vastly different even similar-looking foods are from a nutritional standpoint.”

If your kids are too young to read labels or you are just beginning your healthy-eating journey, Taub-Dix recommends playing games in the grocery store. “Play ‘I Spy’ in the produce aisle by asking them to pick out colorful foods that are red, green, or yellow, for example. Spotting red foods or round foods, for example, may help kids see the food as something that’s fun instead of something they’d prefer to avoid. This game can be expanded on when you go home just unpack and use the similarly shaped or colored purchases to create simple recipes your kids can help prepare.”

Make Meals Fun

Catherine McCord, founder of Weelicious and One Potato an organic meal-delivery kit made with families in mind knows a thing or two about how to get kids to eat healthy foods. Making meals approachable yet fun like these monogrammed sandwiches.

The best part is when McCord dropped this expert tip: “Adding frozen cauliflower makes smoothies creamy, and you don’t taste it.” Your kid gets a great-tasting smoothie, and you get to sneak in some vegetables all without your picky eater being the wiser.

Make It Sweet

There’s nothing wrong with appealing to a toddler’s taste says Taub-Dix. For example, saute dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or raisins along with broccoli rabe to cut its bitter taste.

Stop the Custom Meals

Kai Nunziato-Cruz, a 14-year-old nutrition expert and author of Digest This Now for Kids!, recommends parents stop making kids separate meals. “If the parents are eating a healthy meal, the kids need to eat the same meal. Don’t give the kids whatever they want. They will always choose chicken fingers and mac ‘n’ cheese over salmon and broccoli. If you don’t give them the option they might not eat dinner a few times but they will start to eat the healthier foods eventually.”

Cut the Junk

And if you really are committed to eating healthier then it’s time to cut the junk says Nunziato-Cruz who suggests parents stop buying junk food and having it around the house. “Only buy fresh fruits and vegetables for kids to snack on. They will snack on whatever is nearby. But if junk food is there too, they will always choose that instead.

Things You Can Say to Kids Favourite Eat about Food

“You don’t have to eat it.”

Registered dietitian nutritionist and founder of Favourite Eat Eat in Color, Jennifer Anderson, empower her clients by saying, “You don’t have to eat it.” She says, “Instead of forcing kids to eat vegetables, I recommend telling Favourite Eat, ‘You don’t have to eat it.’ It’s easy to think that forcing Favourite Eat to eat food will get them to like it. It means that parents serve a balanced meal, including at least one food they know their child likes, and the child decides what to eat from what is available.”

In addition to her website, Anderson’s Instagram page is full of advice on getting Favourite Eat to choose healthy foods, including how to incorporate dessert into meals in a healthy way and create balance.

“Let’s eat together.”

“Family meals are very successful at improving kids’ eating habits,” says LeeAnn Smith Weintraub, MPH, RD, and founder of HalfaCup.com, where she offers nutritional advice and counseling. “Family meals provide the opportunity for adults to model healthy eating habits and good table manners to children. Family meals are associated with better nutrition including greater consumption of fruit and vegetables as well as other academic and mental health benefits.”

“Check your belly.”

“Parents often struggle with getting young children to eat well at mealtime,” says Weintraub. “It’s challenging for some Favourite Eat to sit through meals and eat what’s offered to them. Then once the kitchen is cleaned up and food is put away, Favourite Eat tell their parents they are hungry.

Weintraub says parents can encourage children to eat healthy foods at meals by asking them to check their bellies before they’re excused from the table. Asking how much space is left in their stomachs for food will help them learn to assess their own fullness and hunger. She says, “It’s best to avoid telling kids to ‘eat more’ or ‘finish what’s on their plate,’ which teaches Favourite Eat to eat based on external, not internal, cues.”

“It’s okay to play with your food.”

Anderson, from Favourite Eat Eat in Color, loves to encourage small children to play with their food. One way that we can help Favourite Eat learn that foods are okay is by having them play with the food. Take the example of

“What food can we grow?”

“Getting Favourite Eat involved in gardening can help increase veggie consumption. If you don’t have room for a full-on vegetable garden, even encouraging your child to water herbs growing in pots on a windowsill can help your plants and child flourish while teaching a lesson about responsibility.

For those without a green thumb here are 12 easy gardening projects to get you started on your healthy-eating journey.