At every stage of life, it is never too early or too late to eat healthy.
Use the following links to visit MyPlate.gov for activity ideas, tips, recipes, resources and more for every stage of life!
Picky eaters
Many kids are picky when it comes to food. It can be hard on parents but it is natural for kids to not eat foods that are new to them. There are ways you can help your child:
Things to do that can help
- Teach your child to eat just until full
- Enjoy food together!
- Get excited about finding new types of food to try
- Eat foods that are healthy but also taste good to you
Things to avoid
- Eating everything on your plate whether or not you are hungry
- Guilt or negative feelings about eating certain foods
- Eating because you are upset, angry or stressed out
- Restricting certain foods or dieting
- Fear of trying new things
It is the parent’s job to make sure there are healthy foods to eat. It is the child’s job to decide which foods to eat and how much.
Parent’s job at mealtime:
- Select and buy food
- Make meals
- Set time for meals and snacks
- Give your child food in a form they can handle
- Create a low pressure, stress free time for family meals
- Help children take part in family meals
- Be consistent
Child’s job at mealtime:
- Decide how much they eat
- Decide whether or not they eat
Mealtimes and snacks should be a low stress time for both parents and children. If you take the time to create a low-pressure place where you can enjoy your child’s company and worry less about how much they eat, they will end up being healthier, less picky, and have a better relationship with food and with you!
Resources and kid friendly recipes
Here are some resources and kid friendly recipes:
- Live Well recipes (English and Spanish).
- Kids Cook Cookbook-English (pdf).
- Kids Cook Cookbook-Spanish (pdf).
- Food Hero Recipes and Resources (English and Spanish).
- Feeding Children Ages 0-12 Months-English (pdf).
- Feeding Children Ages 0-12 Months-Spanish (pdf).
- Healthy Eating for Preschoolers Ages 2-5 Years-English (pdf).
- Healthy Eating for Preschoolers Ages 2-5 Years-Spanish (pdf).
- Feeding your Toddler-English (pdf).
- Feeding your Toddler-Spanish (pdf).
- Creating a MyPlate Plan for Pre-Adolescents and Adolescents.
- Healthy Tips for Picky Eaters-English (pdf).
- Healthy Tips for Picky Eaters-Spanish (pdf).