Summer to do list- Retrain your kids' taste buds

Do what? Yep. That's right, retrain your kids' taste buds. I know it may sound a bit odd to some of you..especially if your family is already eating plenty of whole foods and overall healthy eaters. But for the rest of you, looking for a ways to get your kids eating healthier, this is where it starts.

Eating diets of soda, chips, candy, and highly processed food over the years becomes a way of life for some people. Your body starts to crave those things instead of what it should actually be craving. It's never too late to change though, and Summer is a great time to get started when many fresh fruits and vegetables are in season.

Quick Facts-

• We develop our sweet tooth before we're born. What a mother eats while pregnant could determine what sort of foods her child will crave in life.

• Kids learn their eating habits very young. It's harder to make lifestyle changes as adults and for these two reasons it is best to start your kids eating healthy from the start.

• Kids may need to try a new food anywhere from 8-20 times before accepting it.

• The average person has 10,000 taste buds. Our bodies replace these taste buds every two weeks or so and as we grow older we lose some of them.

• After years of eating things like nacho cheese tortilla chips and sugary cereals our tastebuds tend to not find the more subtle natural flavors such as the sweetness of a banana quite as appealing.

The dish on how to retrain those taste buds

1. Change takes time

• Replace unhealthy foods with healthier options gradually.
• If your kids typically eat a highly processed sugary cereal, start by mixing a healthier cereal in with the sugary one and eventually adding more healthy less sugary until completely converted.

2. Be a rolemodel

• Your kids are likely to follow in your footsteps.
• Practice the same guidelines your trying to set for your kids, and chat with them about the numerous benefits of nutritious foods and being healthy.
• One idea especially aimed towards younger children is to have a fruit and/or veggie of the week. Clip a picture from a magazine or have them draw it and hang it on the fridge. Then talk about what that food does for the body.

3. Educate yourself

• If your new to healthy eating there's no need to feel ashamed! I love my mom so very much but it's no secret we didn't have the best eating habits growing up. Not everyone comes from roots that teach about such things and it doesn't make you a bad parent, just uninformed.
• Surf the web, get books from the library, ask your doctor, read articles on my website or feel free to email me for advice.

4. Spice it up

• Try adding various herbs and spices to healthier foods to give them some added flavor. For example cinnamon tastes great on apples and peaches.

5. Dip into nutritious foods

• I never met a kid that didn't like dip. Dip is like the ultimate snack food..Dip and chips, dip and pretzels and so on. Try out dips for fruits and veggies as well as whole grain or wheat crackers on your kids. I even give my son a little yogurt dip with his chicken when he's in that picky eater mood. Dip just seems to add fun to eating for kids. You can find dip recipes here on the blog, or my website and other places on the web.

6. Make it fun

• Use cookie cutters to make shaped sandwiches
• Make fruit and veggie kabobs
• Make healthy snack mixes
• Use whole grain wraps, tortilla shells, bagels, muffins, etc instead of the usual sliced bread

A few points to remember-

• Never force a child to eat a food

• Never use food as a reward

• Never make treats completely off limits.
It's okay to have the occasional piece of candy or bowl of chips, your kids need to learn the difference between everyday healthy options and treats. Many kids today think treats are something you can eat whenever you wish. Keep in mind that if you ban it completely they will probably just want it even more or sneak it.
One idea is to have a basket out of sight (out of mind) somewhere that has those occasional treats in it.


Overall, what your looking to do is take a step back and slowly change from over processed fake flavored foods and add healthier whole foods to your diet. Any change at all is better than none. Eventually your kids will start to favor more natural foods and flavors. Eventually your kids will come to appreciate and favor healthier foods, and even think some things are too salty or too sweet. It will take time and patience but someday your kids will thank you for it!

Resources for further reading-
Taste Better/Live Better- Today's Dietitian
Handout- Childrens Memorial Research Center