Healthy Food For Picky Eaters | 8 Tips and Easy Foods Kids Love

Do you have a kid who is a super picky eater?

Are you wracking your brain on what food to feed your child next, especially when it comes to healthier food options?

We are going to explore an array of healthy food choices for picky eaters and put a FUN twist on how to engage your child in eating these foods!

Let’s face it, kids are playful and the more we can encourage their playful side, the more we can get them to do what we would like them to do (positively), such as eating healthy foods or at least try them. 🙂

So without further ado, healthy food for picky eaters IS possible and I am going to show you how with these 8 EASY foods kids love along with some tips on how to ‘cope’ with a picky eater.

Watermelon and Assorted Berries

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Serving Suggestion

You can have fun with different food shape cut-outs and have your child enjoy the colorful shapely ‘watermelon’ pieces. Spice it up (well not literally 🙂 ) with different berries like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries.

The vibrant colorful presentation may be enticing enough to have your picky eater want to try out some of these tasty fruits.

Common Health Benefits

• Watermelon: Vitamins (A, B6, and C), Antioxidants, Fiber
• Blueberries: Vitamin C, Potassium, Antioxidants
• Blackberries: Vitamins (C and K), Fiber, Manganese
• Raspberries: Vitamins (A, B6, and C), Fiber, Calcium

Takeaway Tip

You can always drizzle a tad bit of honey over the fruit if your child likes ‘sweet’ treats. Honey is a healthier alternative than sugar as it surprisingly contains nutrients and antioxidants.

Hummus

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Serving Suggestion

Hummus is such a POWER food and super nutritious.

What I love about hummus is it is also great for dipping! You can get creative and have your kiddo dip different foods into their hummus like veggies, crackers, or sliced apples.

OR if there is a food they love (say veggies … ahh don’t we all as parents wish this to be the case? 🙂 ) that may also be a great way to get them to eat hummus because they will be able to ‘dip’ their favorite food into it.

Common Health Benefits

Hummus is packed with Plant-Based Protein, Fiber, Omega-3 Fats, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc.

Takeaway Tip

You can kick it up a notch by adding a drop of food dye to the hummus so it turns into your child’s favorite color or an assortment of colors they love.

Hard Boiled Eggs

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Serving Suggestion

Who says you have to decorate eggs only around Easter time? Your egg decorating extravaganza can happen year round.

Turn this into a fun activity to do together! Get your child involved in decorating the hard-boiled eggs with you and rest assured, they will want to try their artistic masterpiece.

Ways you can decorate the eggs could be with food decorating pens (if your kid is a fan of drawing), use an egg decorating kit, or use items you may already have in your home like food coloring, glitter, or kid-friendly paint.

My son is a VERY picky eater. We did this activity together and guess what? He actually ate the hard-boiled egg. My mind was BLOWN to say the least. So if it worked for me, I’m sure it can work for you. 🙂

Common Health Benefits

Eggs are wonderful inexpensive food that contain high-quality protein.

• Egg Yolk: Vitamins (A, D, E, and K), Omega-3 Fats, Amino Acids
• Egg White: Vitamins B12, Folate

Takeaway Tip

For the PERFECT hard boil egg, follow these instructions:

1. Put a dozen large eggs (1 carton) into a pot and pour cool water over the eggs and then add a dash (about 1 teaspoon) of baking soda or salt which helps the egg shells peel easier after cooking. Cover the pot with the lid.
2. Let the water come to a sizzling boil
3. Once the water is boiling hot, turn it off and let the eggs simmer for 12 minutes
4. Have a bowl already prepared of cold water and lots of ice
5. After 12 minutes, transfer the eggs immediately into the icy cold water
6. Let the eggs completely cool down before peeling

Peanut Butter Fruit Face Sandwich

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Serving Suggestion

Nut butters, like peanut, almond, or walnut, are loaded with heart-healthy mono-saturated fats.

Again, those ‘food cut-outs’ as I mentioned earlier are such a GREAT way to serve foods playfully to get your child to want to try it.

You could even try fun animal ‘fruit faces’ on top of the peanut butter such as a bear, owl, or cat (you can use chocolate shavings for the cat whiskers).

Common Health Benefits

• Peanut Butter: Vitamin E, Protein, Magnesium,
• Whole Wheat Bread: Vitamin B, Protein, Fiber, Antioxidants, Trace Minerals (Iron, Zinc, Copper, Magnesium)

Takeaway Tip

You can sweeten up the peanut butter by drizzling a little honey. My son LOVES when I do this or you can buy already made honey peanut butter.

Another option, you could also try different spreads on top of the bread such as cream cheese or almond butter.

Cheese Cubes and Grapes

Serving Suggestion

You can use red, green, or black grapes along with any cheese cube of your choice (I usually go for mozzarella or cheddar).

Use kid-friendly toothpicks to stick together one grape and one cheese cube. VOILA, it’s that easy.

You can really get creative here with the type of toothpicks you choose because there is such a variety out there (such as these adorable animals or unicorns).

Common Health Benefits

• Cheese: Vitamins (A and B12), Calcium, Fat, Protein
• Grapes: Vitamins (C and K), Antioxidants, Fiber

Takeaway Tip

If your child has mobility issues using their hands and arms you can double up (if the toothpick is thinner) and use two kid-friendly toothpicks back to make it thicker to hold onto. You could also use these cute panda bear toothpicks that make it easier for grasping.

Yogurt

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Serving Suggestion

I love yogurt as a healthy food option for my son because it is packed with a ton of protein and calcium. There are also many flavors choices that you are bound to find one your child will enjoy.

My son is a dreamsicle FANATIC. Chobani makes an ‘orange creme’ he really loves. I prefer Chobani because it’s gluten free, non GMO, and there are a whopping 12 grams of protein in one cup!

You can add different fruit toppings (such as strawberries, bananas, and blueberries) for a colorful presentation and even make the fruit into a smiley face on top of the yogurt (the eyes are bananas, strawberry for the nose, and blueberries shaped into a smile). 🙂

Common Health Benefits

As I mentioned earlier, yogurt is high in protein and calcium and GREAT for your digestive health.

Takeaway Tip

If your kiddo enjoys S’Mores, Chobani makes an out of this world S’More flavor (it is SO good) and no Chobani is not paying me to say this. 🙂 My son loves it and so do I. You could also recreate this yourself and just get plain vanilla yogurt, top it with crushed up graham crackers, tiny chocolate chips or hershey chocolate bar pieces.

Also, if your child eats pureed foods or is on a pureed food diet, yogurt is a healthy ‘liquid’ to add in the blender when you puree because of its rich creamy texture.

Cottage Cheese

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Serving Suggestion

Cottage cheese is a wonderful source of protein that has fewer calories.

It’s nutrient dense food that’s great for a child’s brain development because of the healthy fats that are in it. I would suggest buying an organic cottage cheese that is not low fat (especially if your baby is into solid foods or a toddler).

My son preferred the small curd over the large curd cottage cheese because it was a texture issue for him but either would work.

You can serve the cottage cheese by garnishing it with your child’s favorite fruit topping.

Common Health Benefits

Cottage Cheese is packed with Protein, Vitamin B, Calcium, Selenium, and Phosphorus.

Takeaway Tip

Here I go again suggesting a drizzle of honey but it works if your child is a sweet and salty fan. 🙂

Sweet Potatoe Fries

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Serving Suggestion

Anything fried is so good! Am I right?

We can put a healthy spin on fries by having our child eat ‘sweet potato’ fries rather than regular fries and bake them in the oven.

Once cooked, toss into a bowl with a dash of salt and a side of ketchup for dipping (if your kiddo is a ketchup lover).

Common Health Benefits

Sweet Potatoes have Vitamin A, Minerals, and contain a lot of Fiber and Antioxidants which helps with digestion.

Takeaway Tip

One of the best brands of fries I like to use is Alexia Organic because they turn out nice and crispy. I just follow the directions on the bag which are so simple (see image above for instructions). Any brand you fancy will do.

How to ‘COPE’ with a Picky Eater

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My nephew who has cerebral palsy and faces sensory issues with food, works with a feeding therapist monthly. She informed my sister that patience is KEY when introducing new foods to him.

Oh how I wish I were patient. That is one of my major downfalls because I have none. 🙂

Do you have the ‘no patience’ bug too? I want everything to happen ‘now’ which is so far from reality BUT it is a learning experience for me that I try to work on.

I have noticed when I am patient, the more relaxed my son is. When my son is relaxed and I want to introduce new foods, I have better luck.

There is a helpful tip I want to share with you and it is called the “No Thank You’ bite.

What I do is ask my son to take 1 ‘no thank you’ bite. If he likes it GREAT and if he doesn’t, then he does not have to eat it. By doing this, my son has been open to trying different foods because there is zero pressure!

Let’s summarize and introduce to you some tips to consider that can prevent frustration or impatience from creeping in with your picky eater:

1. Patience (oh that word again) 🙂 Your child’s pallet WILL mature overtime so just continue to be patient.
2. Try the ‘no thank you’ bite.
3. If your child isn’t hungry, let it be ‘ok’ ‘no biggie’, do not force new food, snacks, or meals.
4. Get your child involved in helping you shop at the grocery store or pick out foods with you online if you opt for delivery or to pick up your groceries.
5. Incorporate new food during your child’s best meal time.
6. Set a good example and eat the food you are trying to introduce to your child so they can see it’s ‘ok’ to eat it.
7. Offer choices.
8. Make it FUN!

Final Thoughts

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Sometimes healthy foods can be tricky to get our kids to eat.

I’m a firm believer that when we playfully encourage our child to enjoy their food, they are more open to trying it and hey, they may even like it.

I hope this post inspired your research efforts in finding healthy food options for your picky eater.

If there are other healthy foods you would recommend, questions you may have, or anything you’d like to add that I did not cover in this post, please feel free to comment below.

If you found this information helpful, please share the love to help another parent and their child. 🙂

I really do strive to make the content I create as helpful as possible for you…as a fellow parent looking out for their most precious gift.

Thanks for stopping by today!

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