Tips for Helping Picky Eaters Try New Foods

 

Being a picky eater is not always a conscious decision. Sometimes, certain aromas and textures make perfectly edible food seemingly inedible. Sometimes, the only way to move through these mental blocks is to push outside the foods we know and trust in new flavors.

If you’re stuck in picky eating behaviors or want to curtail picky eating habits in your children, we’ll show you how and where to start. Follow our blog below for a few tips for helping picky eaters try new foods.

Start With Simple Foods

Teaching yourself or your children to try new foods can be a long process. It can take time to transition from the foods we know to new flavors. A common mistake when trying to stop picky eating habits is to force too many different and unique flavors too fast. Trying the most outrageous and strange foods too quickly can be overwhelming and cause a person to retreat immediately back to old standbys that feel more comfortable.

Instead, try making a list of all the foods you or your children refuse to eat. Once you’ve finished this list, review each food item, and ask why this food doesn’t appeal to you. If you come across foods that you don’t hold strong objections to, put a star next to their name.

These foods are the perfect appetizers to start your journey of adventurous eating. Start with simple sauces, spices, or snacks. You can even combine favorite comfort foods with new foods to help you adjust to new flavors.

Make It a Social Event

Trying new foods and flavors can be a powerful bonding experience among friends and family. Try asking your friends to order your meal at a restaurant or work together to cook a recipe you would never usually try. Involving your kids in cooking can also help expose them to new flavors and foods. Friends and family members also have the advantage of knowing your taste preferences and can make recommendations or suggestions with your preferences in mind. Food should be fun. Find new ways to make eating an exciting social event to take away the stress of trying new foods.

Try Strange Combinations

If you or your children have trouble trying new flavors, try combining your favorite and strangest comfort foods. Whether it be a favorite sauce with a favorite burger or a special fruit with a spice you love, trying strange flavor combinations can help you naturally expand your palate. Although combining foods may seem difficult for picky eaters, there are plenty of strange yet delicious food combinations. Since the foods you’re combining are comfort foods, mixing these flavors will also be less stressful.

Helping picky eaters try new foods can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. With these simple tips, you can teach yourself or your family how to move past the mental blocks of food tastes and textures and adventure into new menus.