1) Keep offering. It's biologically natural for kids to show a preference for salty and sweet foods. However, it can take many tries to get them to accept a new flavor if it's neither salty nor sweet. Ask children to try one new thing at meal times. Remind them that they don't have to like it, just try it. Ten or more tries is pretty standard. Don't give up.
2) Let them choose a new vegetable at the store or, better yet, the Farmer's Market. Let them use their senses to find something colorful, or beautifully textured. If you don't know how to cook it, ask the vendor for their recommendations. Kids often just want to feel in control. It's that simple.
3) Let them grow it. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, just letting kids have a hand in producing their food increases their chances of eating it! After all that love and care, planting the seeds, the excitement of watching it sprout up, watering it, and watching it sprout big and turn into something will make them want to at least taste it. Fresh food (right out of the ground) always tastes better and the nutrients will be more plentiful. That's right, the vitamin content of foods can decrease within the first hour after it has been harvested. Kids will associate this excitement with great flavor - and they wont even know they're tasting VITAMINS, which they can be trained to crave.
These are just a couple of ideas... More to come.
