I have a very distinct memory as a child of my younger brother sitting at the kitchen table long after dinner had been cleared away. In front of him sat a plate of pushed around spinach and untouched peas. He was glued to his chair, just like my parents told him to be until he ate at least three bites. It was a silent battle of wills. 

I don’t remember if he actually ate his greens or not, but I do remember the silhouette of him sitting there for what felt like hours as the sun went down. 

When it comes to picky eaters, I’ve been there, done that. With four children, it is a struggle getting them to eat a well-rounded diet. My 8-year-old daughter prefers the all-carb diet (noodles, bread, and plain rice), while my 6-year-old son looks at anything red with a skeptical eye. I think I’ve always kept in mind that image of my little brother cemented to his chair–to this day he still hates spinach and peas–and wanted to try something different with my own kids. 

Encouraging a healthy relationship with food starts at a young age and continues with us for the rest of our lives. With a little patience, affinity for certain foods can develop over time. Kids might not like tomatoes now, but they may learn to love them later in life. And let’s face it, there are still certain foods that we as adults don’t like. You don’t need to force the issue. It’s okay if kids don’t like blueberries right away, and we shouldn’t ruin possibility of them liking blueberries later.

Here are some ways I’ve found to show my kids it’s cool to try new foods, but it’s also okay if they don’t like them yet.

How I Encourage My Kids To Have a Healthy Relationship with Food

Let them plan the menu.

 If I tell my kids we’re having beef bolognese for dinner, they’re going to shake their heads. But if I show them recipes on Pinterest, chances are they’re going to pick it out of a lineup because it looks just like spaghetti with meat sauce. When I let me kids help plan the menu, they are three times as likely to eat it. That is huge!

I’ve started letting each of my four kids choose one meal a week. And because I don’t want the same foods all the time, I search “Italian recipes” and let them pick from the search results. Or if we’re doing Blue Apron that week, I have my kids help choose the recipes. They have so many amazing recipes that always look delicious in photos so it’s helped all of us try new things. Blue apron now offers customization so you can substitute proteins, starches, and veggies so that you can find something you KNOW your kid will enjoy.

Help prepare the meal

Kids are more apt to try something that they’ve had a hand in cooking. I’m all about letting kids help in the kitchen. When my oldest daughter was a toddler, she didn’t want to eat anything that wasn’t pizza and macaroni and cheese. Then I gave her a blunt knife and let her cut carrots for a stir fry. She ate carrots that night for the first time in her life.

When kids are part of the cooking process, it becomes fun; not something they have to do, but something they want to. And when they’ve handled broccoli and helped chop it and put it in the bowl, they actually want to try it. They’re okay trying something new when it’s on their terms and if they don’t like it yet, no big deal. Let them know that it’s okay and that they might enjoy it later.

One thing that has helped my kids immensely to be more adventurous eaters are the Blue Apron boxes we get. Every time a new box hits our doorsteps, my kids are first on the scene to bring it in and open it up, trying to guess each vegetable and ingredient inside. They’ve discovered things like watermelon radishes and Bok Choy. We pick out recipes together that look yummy and fun to try.

And now you can customize your Blue Apron recipes to better fit your liking! Blue Apron Customized allows you to swap, add, or upgrade to ensure that everyone in the family can enjoy Blue Apron, even your hungry hubbies/partners/growing kiddos, and picky eaters. It’s an easy way to have a home-cooked meal when you’re sick of cooking. Plus, my kids love to help pick out the recipes and swap out what they want!

Don’t force it.

I personally don’t believe in forcing children to eat certain things; making them choke down a Brussels sprout or ground them for not finishing their plate. Doing that makes you the enemy and food the enemy. But I’m also not a short-order cook. What we’re having for dinner is the only thing we’re having for dinner that night. If my daughter doesn’t want pork chops that night, she is welcome to make something for herself as long as it contains at least four food groups. 

Encouraging tricks

Rather than focus on the negative like staying at the table until the plate is clean, here are some encouraging tricks that work in our family:

How old are you? I bet you could eat that many more bites!

Ooh, I just saw your muscles grow when you ate that! I bet you could make them grow bigger.

Sure, you can be done but you won’t get any dessert because you didn’t finish.

Did you know that carrots make your eyes strong? You’ll be able to have superhero vision!

Turn it into a teaching moment

What kids eat doesn’t have to be a mystery. The more they know, the cooler that food becomes. When we pulled a head of Radicchio out of a recent Blue Apron box, my kids had all kinds of questions. What is that? Where does it come from? What does it taste like?

We turned it into a teaching experience. I had my oldest daughter research Radicchio on the web and report to us. My kids all took turns holding it and even sniffing it. We prepared it together and then everyone was anxious to try it when we set the plates out. Every single person ate Radicchio that night and while there were mixed reviews, we all tried something new and many of us liked it!

Take the time to teach kids about food, like what it’s called and the nutritional benefits. When kids know how Brussels sprouts can help them fight off sicknesses, they will be more open to trying them rather than simply being told they have to.

Peer influence

I wasn’t even there to witness the first cheeseburger my daughter ever ate and she was 10 years old. After swimming with her cousins, they all went to Sonic and my sister-in-law ordered a bag of burgers. No choices, just burgers. And when my daughter saw her cousins diving in, she decided to try one. And guess what…she liked it! She now orders cheeseburgers all the time (rather than asking for just the bun). Sometimes as parents it’s best to just back off and let our children’s food exploration happen naturally.