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Best way to get kids to try food is to have them help you prepare the meals. Many of us don't have gardens, much less farms, but simply describing snow peas as they clean them, or corn as they chuck the ears, or parts of the chicken--all that informs kids about what they consume. What they help prepare, they'll eat. Because it came from their own effort.
Show them how this ingredient changes flavor with that herb and what actually is happening when a piece of steak releases from the pan instead of sticking, and they'll want to learn more.
Importantly, show them how to hold a chef's knife properly, safely. Hey, the quicker they learn to cook properly for themselves the better! And they won't be those cloying, annoying kids who are afraid to try anything at all. Those are kids who aren't being "picky" as they self-describe, but who are thoroughly clueless (therefore afraid) about cooking (therefore food) in the first place.
Feed your kids all kinds of different food, flavours and textures from an early age ( from the time they are weaned) and never let the kids decide what they eat. Picky eaters seem to come mostly from experience from Anglo Saxon Nations ( not "cultures" but Anglo-Saxon countries like England, USA, Australia etc...). The child is not the boss, the parent is. If they come to see certain foods as "treats" rather than the norm ( burgers, pizza, candy etc...) then they will appreciate it more and will not become addicted to them.
If the parents open their children's eyes to many tastes , the schools also provide such variety then I genuinely think the battle is won.
I have met virtually no picky eaters in most countries. Including kids. I think it is all down to culture and discipline and never adapting your food to fit the kids.
To me a parent is someone who teaches their child to be open minded about the world and this includes food. Someone who opens new worlds to their progeniture from pretty much day one. As soon as you start breast-feeding start the child on all kinds of different foods.
A couple of friends of ours started to feed their little baby girl on anything from mussels , to cheese ( starting with mild to stronger), all different flavours and tastes and textures ( spicy, sour, sweet, etc...) and she got used to eating absolutely anything. Had this been started at 3 or 4 when she was already influenced by her peers and learning how to manipulate her parents she probably would have been a lot pickier.
Being French I must admit I don't get picky kids. I don't think I have ever met a picky child in France (or Italy, Spain, Portugal etc...) until a more Anglo-Saxon culture came to the fore ( and it is still really rare, you watch Kids around the world in restaurants and they eat what adults eat, the idea of a child menu is bizarre to say the least , apart from portion size there is no reason kids cannot eat what adults eat).
We ate what was put in front of us and were introduced to all kinds of tastes from babyhood. Even now parents dictate what kids eat in most countries.
I do think countries which have a strong culture based around food and a genuine love of food have much less picky eater. Having a child is guiding them to learn how to appreciate good food and foster a love of eating just as it is to teach them to be good citizens, to appreciate knowledge, culture and to arouse intellectual curiosity. Food is a part of this package IMO.
Parents who love food can pass this love on if they do it early enough.
Feed your kids all kinds of different food, flavours and textures from an early age ( from the time they are weaned) and never let the kids decide what they eat. Picky eaters seem to come mostly from experience from Anglo Saxon Nations ( not "cultures" but Anglo-Saxon countries like England, USA, Australia etc...). The child is not the boss, the parent is. If they come to see certain foods as "treats" rather than the norm ( burgers, pizza, candy etc...) then they will appreciate it more and will not become addicted to them.
If the parents open their children's eyes to many tastes , the schools also provide such variety then I genuinely think the battle is won.
I have met virtually no picky eaters in most countries. Including kids. I think it is all down to culture and discipline and never adapting your food to fit the kids.
To me a parent is someone who teaches their child to be open minded about the world and this includes food. Someone who opens new worlds to their progeniture from pretty much day one. As soon as you start breast-feeding start the child on all kinds of different foods.
A couple of friends of ours started to feed their little baby girl on anything from mussels , to cheese ( starting with mild to stronger), all different flavours and tastes and textures ( spicy, sour, sweet, etc...) and she got used to eating absolutely anything. Had this been started at 3 or 4 when she was already influenced by her peers and learning how to manipulate her parents she probably would have been a lot pickier.
Being French I must admit I don't get picky kids. I don't think I have ever met a picky child in France (or Italy, Spain, Portugal etc...) until a more Anglo-Saxon culture came to the fore ( and it is still really rare, you watch Kids around the world in restaurants and they eat what adults eat, the idea of a child menu is bizarre to say the least , apart from portion size there is no reason kids cannot eat what adults eat).
We ate what was put in front of us and were introduced to all kinds of tastes from babyhood. Even now parents dictate what kids eat in most countries.
I do think countries which have a strong culture based around food and a genuine love of food have much less picky eater. Having a child is guiding them to learn how to appreciate good food and foster a love of eating just as it is to teach them to be good citizens, to appreciate knowledge, culture and to arouse intellectual curiosity. Food is a part of this package IMO.
Parents who love food can pass this love on if they do it early enough.
Choice or tantrums not an option.
outstanding advise. We made most of our kids baby food even and I am talking about the days when many of us did not even have decent blenders or food prossessors. We started them on veggies before fruits. I am not going to claim we never used processed baby food, of course we did, but we used fresh, homemade more often.
I think my grandmother sat there and sat there until I eat whatever was being offered. Hmmm maybe she had here ruler with her!!!!!!!!!!!???
Not too many things that I don't like or have not tired.
HW
I wonder if the fault might be jarred baby foods? If you give your kid nothing but pureed foods out of a jar, when in the old days they would have had to eat a version of what everyone else is eating, they aren't experiencing different textures.
My SI makes her own baby food. They have the Baby bullet. She does not like anything processed. My nephew has had sweet potatoes, peas, apples, carrots. There will not be any Jar babyfood in the house. once he gets older and more teeth then he can try foods with texture and not as pureed.
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