1. Talk about the importance of flavour

It happened. I somehow thought I was exempt from the ‘Does this have onions in mum?’ table talk followed by a torn-apart dinner with onions left in a pile on the side, but I wasn’t. However, I wasn’t going to accept it or start cooking meals without them. Onions are vital and I let them know they are. We speak lots about textures and flavours and we try to make it fun and light eg. Daring them to eat one and see if the brain explodes. Generally helping them debunk the fear of onions! I was exactly the same! Were you?

This leads me on to….

2. Have them prepare it with you

Kids are more likely to eat a meal they’ve prepared. Isn’t that wild? Have your kids get stuck in. Get them comfortable with the smell of garlic on their fingers from crushing and grating. Get them tasting, mixing herbs and just getting used to flavours, building recipes and adding flair! Allow them to get messy, fail some recipes but build in them a love for creating nourishing meals!

3. Don’t reward good eating with dessert

I try as much as possible (although I reaaaallly find it hard) to not use anything we may be eating after our main meal as a bribe for them to eat their dinner. I want my kids to have their own signs/knowledge when they feel full and to trust that. But, if it has been prepared and they’re choosing not to eat I have learnt to be okay with that. I don’t want dessert to become the reward or the hero, I want them to eat and fill their tummies because they know how foods work and what will nourish them.

4. try not to use any food terminology- good or bad.

This again proves tricky but I try not to offer any of my own opinions of food ie. “I don’t like this” or “That’s slimy’. I want them to make their own assumptions and opinions and they will be different to mine! I also try to avoid using the word ‘treat’ and putting foods in certain camps.

5. Grow your own food

This is just another touch point on adding to this whole picture of food and its importance. Again, kids are more willing to try something they have grown. There are a few books I’ve added below on growing that we love and have found helpful. Just so you know, in case you think we’re getting our own veggie box from our homegrown produce we are not. But it’s something we’re growing in and one day would love to work towards! I have definitely noticed the kids are more willing and excited to eat something we have grown!

6. eat together and try to eat the same thing

This is SO important to me and has been a non-negotiable since we have had kids. While I know this isn’t possible for everyone, we try to eat every meal together. I avoid doing a kid’s dinner and then an adult dinner separately which has meant eating at 5pm in those early weaning days (and then needing a second dinner at 9.30 pm haha) and now it means pushing dinner right back for when Joseph walks in the door! The kids are more likely to eat if you are also eating and are modelling to them what good eating looks like. Also, don’t the BEST conversations happen around the dinner table?

7. Don’t force anything

We never force anything on them. If they are hungry they will eat it, if not they can choose not to eat but they will have the same meal presented to them later if they are hungry. Again, allow them to trust their own body and also allow them to voice/explain. It want them to know it’s okay to not to like something as much as something else and we’re allowed to, but it’s not okay to be ungrateful or rude about it. We help them use phrases like ‘this isn’t my favourite’. We don’t feed them (food on fork. offering it to them) unless they ask us to.

8. start young

Lazarus started weaning a few weeks ago and I realise just how important these early stages are as they develop and grow! Try to avoid food pouches if you can that are heat treated, lack nutrients and are often over-sweetened with fruits. Instead, start on nutrient-dense foods. More on this another time but we follow Nourishing Traditions (linked below) and Milk to Meals which both emphasise nutrient-dense foods such as eggs, broths, bone marrow and liver from early on. How they are offered food and which particular foods they are offered early on will all shape how they go on to view/experience food.

9. Cultivate thankfulness

I mentioned earlier that we like to eat together, for me it feels like a sacred event. Light a candle, put on a table cloth and give thanks! We intend to give thanks every time before a meal but it is often skipped in the hurry (something we’re working on). We have different songs, words, mumbles we say to God to thank Him for the food and I love that this sets a precedent: the food is a gift, it’s not a given. While I don’t emphasise that other children are without food on their plate while have it in surplus, I want them to have hearts that have a positive and thankful attitude towards eating! If you’re feeling thankful, we’re less likely to complain!

10. Drop the snacks

My kids don’t pick out the onions if they’re hungry enough, they just don’t have time. Let them come to the table hungry which often means figuring out a snacktime to drop or pushing dinner earlier.

And just a few thoughts and things to try. Could you offer more meals that are self-assembling? Moses loves fish taco night…he’l go less on the fish but heavy on the avocado on cheese. While the quantities are different to what I’d put in if I was serving in advance he still gets a good meal and loves being able to serve himself. Notice patterns in your kids too, are they more likely to eat peppers raw on a snack plate or cooked in a dinner? When is the best time of day for your kids? If its breakfast could you do a bigger more nutrient-dense meal then?

Below are some of our favourite cookbooks and books that talk about food/growing! Click on the image to be taken to the link!