We all know a child (or an adult for that matter) who says “Yuck” when they see a food they don’t like.  In my book, Don’t Yuck My Yum, “Pew, that just stinks!” is said by Annie when she sees her sister Nora eating fish.  How do we get our kids to open their minds to trying those healthy foods they don’t like?  In this series of blogs I am discussing ways to help get kids to try new healthy foods. Today’s tip: offer a new food one at a time and with other foods that you know your child enjoys.

If you want your child to like spinach (a hard one I know), don’t put it into a soup that has beans and other veggies that your child has never had or liked before. This may overwhelm him or her and they will definitely refuse. Instead, talk about the fact that you will be trying spinach at dinner. Talk about not “yucking someone’s yum” or read my book ahead of time. Then prepare that spinach it in a way you know your child has liked his other veggies. Serve it with other foods that are familiar to your child and then talk about the food. For example, if your child has been open to iceberg lettuce on her salad before, cut up raw spinach in the same way and mix a bit in with the lettuce on taco night. Talk about what it looks like, feels like, tastes like and whether you liked it or not. Use my DYMY rating scale to help from my website – http://www.dontyuckmyyumbook.com. Remember as frustrating as it can be when your child doesn’t like something you know is healthy for them, you can’t make them like it if they don’t. Stay positive, if they don’t like it once, that is okay – praise them for trying and don’t stop offering them that food.