Try as you might, it can be difficult to encourage picky eaters to eat something other than their preferred chips and cookies. They might be young, they might be a little older, but no matter what, their aversion to healthy food can dramatically impact brain health, which could lead to more significant problems later in life. Although everyone has foods that they like or don’t like, this is often down to outdated opinions, and trying something new can help them try new things and enjoy them.
Prepare Them Differently
Not everyone is blessed with an expert chef at home while they are growing up, and busy parents often look for the simplest way to prepare dinner for the kids. However, this often means that people have not had the best experience with healthy food, especially vegetables. The debate between roasted and boiled vegetables is a common one, with roasting providing plenty of flavors, and boiling risking turning the food into mush, which is never enjoyable. If you know someone with an aversion to veg, try preparing them differently.
Add Some Flavor
Similarly, bland foods are not something anyone enjoys, and this could be why you’re battling your picky eater to try something new. There are more flavors than they ever thought possible, from simple salt and pepper seasonings to peri peri, Middle Eastern, or even more exotic. You can buy these at the supermarket and sprinkle over foods, or you can learn how to make berbere seasoning if you want to completely change their opinion on flavor and healthy eating for the better.
Involve Them In the Process
Picky eaters will often look at a dish and decide immediately that it isn’t for them. For whatever reason, they will not trust what’s in front of them and not even give the food a chance. This is their loss, of course, but it also highlights why it’s so important to teach your kids to cook by involving them in the preparation process. If they are with you every step of the way (and are actually allowed to do something), they will become more comfortable with different ingredients and they’ll see that there is nothing to be afraid of with new meals, as they’ll understand how the meal was prepared.
Make It Fun
Perhaps the best way to encourage healthy eating in your picky children or friends is to make the experience fun. Meal prep needn’t be a strict regimen. Instead, it can be a little messy, a little silly, a little all over the place. The more fun kids have in the kitchen, the more they will enjoy the meal. This creates a positive association with mealtime and will encourage them to try new things more often. After a while, you’ll not need to force them to eat something healthy.
Pick and Choose
It can be a battle to encourage healthy eating, especially with stubborn children. But, healthy eating is a must to encourage a healthy lifestyle. If your child, or even your friend, is resistant to healthy foods, consider these ideas to make the food more appealing.
