Taste Test

Most children are “choosy eaters”, so it’s important to give them many chances to try foods. It can take more than 10 tries of a food before children can learn to like it. (And sometimes, children go through “choosy” stages… one day they’ll like something, the next day they won’t!) Encourage open-mindedness and a sense of “healthy adventure” by using this page to keep track of all their tries.  

Encouraging children to use their senses when trying new foods (and enjoying ones they already like) is a great way to help them be aware of what they’re eating, to slow down and enjoy the food, and develop healthy relationships with food.  

Because your modeling as a parent is so powerful, consider letting children see you try the taste test yourself, too. Perhaps there’s a food that’s new to you, or one you haven’t had in years. Put it on the list! (For instance, maybe as you decided as a child that you didn’t like beets. But have you tried them roasted, or as tiny bits in a salad or soup?) Talk about each of your “tries” to show children that making healthy choices is something we do over a lifetime, and that even grown-ups can keep finding new ways to be healthy.