7 Surprising Strategies to Help Picky Eaters Try New Foods
Aired October 20, 2025
Podcast: How to Unpicky Your Picky Eater
Host: Christine Miroddi Yoder
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Intro
Hi, and welcome to another episode of How to Unpicky Your Picky Eater. I’m your host, Christine, and I’m really excited to talk to you today about different ways we can help kids learn, explore, and eventually eat new foods.
You’ve probably already tried a lot of the basics — sticker charts, hiding veggies in food, begging, bribing, maybe even praying that your child would just take a bite. And still, it’s not working.
A lot of the advice out there is very surface-level. You’ve probably heard things like “Make food fun!” — using cookie cutters, blending spinach into smoothies — but none of these tactics get to the root of what’s really going on.
Today, I’m sharing seven surprising strategies that actually help kids expand the foods they eat. These aren’t Pinterest hacks — they’re based on what truly works inside our program. When you understand how kids think, how their bodies respond, and how to remove the pressure, you can finally start seeing progress.
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Why Common Advice Falls Short
Cutting food into fun shapes might make your child giggle or look at the food, but novelty alone doesn’t move a child who’s in a fear-based or stuck mindset. The food underneath that shape hasn’t changed.
If your child already rejects cucumbers, making them star-shaped won’t magically make them appealing. At best, you’ll get a brief moment of curiosity. But for fearful or stuck eaters, the shape change isn’t enough.
That’s why it’s so important to figure out what level your child is at. If you haven’t already, take our quiz at thepickyeaterstest.com to find out your child’s level.
Another common approach is bribing with dessert: “Eat three bites of broccoli, then you can have ice cream.” On the surface, it feels like it works — your child takes the bites, and you feel like you’ve won. But what are we really teaching?
That broccoli is the work and ice cream is the reward. Over time, that deepens the divide between healthy and treat foods, reinforcing that veggies are punishment and sweets are the prize.
The same goes for sneaking veggies into foods. Hiding spinach in brownies or cauliflower in mac and cheese might seem smart, but for fearful eaters, it can break trust. The moment they realize something was hidden, their brain says, “I can’t trust what I’m being given.”
For curious eaters who already have a safe food range, though, adding nutrition isn’t sneaky — it’s an upgrade. Blending veggies into tomato sauce or adding chia seeds to pancakes is fine because it’s simply a recipe variation, not a trick.
That’s why knowing your child’s level matters so much. Using the wrong strategy for the wrong stage can completely stall progress.
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Strategy #1: Micro Steps
Instead of aiming for broccoli today and Brussels sprouts tomorrow, think tiny baby steps.
If your child only eats plain pasta, add a single shred of cheese or a sprinkle of garlic powder. Celebrate that success. The nervous system adapts best in small, safe increments.
Progress might look like moving from plain pasta to a different shape, or from plain pasta to the same pasta with one added texture or flavor. These “micro wins” build tolerance and confidence over time.
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Strategy #2: Sensory Play Before Bites
Sometimes, the hands are the gateway to the mouth.
Let your child play with yogurt, make silly faces with fruit slices, or squish peas between their fingers — outside of mealtime. This reduces fear by engaging their senses without pressure to eat.
Each child’s sensory profile is unique. Some are oversensitive to touch or smell; others are under-responsive and need more sensory input. If they can touch it, they’re one step closer to tasting it.
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Strategy #3: Use Safe Food Pairings
Always offer a new food next to something safe.
For example, carrot sticks next to their favorite crackers, or a new dip alongside chicken nuggets. There’s no pressure to mix — the safe food acts as an anchor. It lowers anxiety and helps them trust the plate.
You might have heard of “food chaining,” where you take one food your child eats and slowly bridge to another, like homemade nuggets → grilled chicken. It’s a great concept, but every child’s path is unique.
Some kids are sensitive to texture, others to smell or temperature. That’s why in our Mealtime Roadmap, we create customized steps based on the child’s sensory profile — not a one-size-fits-all chain.
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Strategy #4: Change the Environment
If meals feel stressful, change the setting.
Try dimming the lights, playing soft music, or taking dinner outside on a blanket. Sometimes kids associate the dining area with stress. A fresh environment can reset their brain and make trying foods less intimidating.
In my book Mealtime Mindset, I talk about “mealtime cues” — lighting, sound, pace, and people — and how these cues can support or hinder regulation.
If you’ve been focusing only on the plate, zoom out. Sometimes the issue isn’t the food — it’s the environment.
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Strategy #5: Build Their Food Identity
Instead of calling your child “picky,” call them a learner.
Say, “You’re someone who’s learning about new foods.” Kids live up to the labels we give them. When they hear “picky,” they believe it and act accordingly. But when they’re called a “learner,” it opens up possibility.
In our program, we focus on rewiring both the child’s and the parent’s mindset — helping everyone see the child as capable and growing, not stuck or resistant.
The label picky traps kids.
The label learner frees them.
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Strategy #6: Involve Them in Food Prep
Let your child sprinkle cheese, stir the sauce, or set food on the plate. It doesn’t need to be perfect — messy is still progress.
Kids are naturally curious, and helping with food preparation builds ownership and lowers resistance. They don’t need to be involved the entire time; even a small task can make a big difference.
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Strategy #7: Teach the “Why”
Kids love to know how things work.
Instead of saying, “Eat your chicken, it’s good for you,” say, “Protein helps your muscles recover after soccer.” Or, “Carbs give your brain energy to focus in class or play your favorite game.”
When kids understand what food does for their body, eating feels empowering — not pressured.
We use tools like our Food Explorer Log Book and Food Coloring Log, which describe the “superpowers” of each fruit and vegetable. For example, carrots give you “night vision power” because they help you see in the dark, and blueberries help your brain focus.
Teaching the “why” doesn’t have to be a nutrition lecture — it can be playful and confidence-building.
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Closing Thoughts
These seven strategies work because they’re rooted in trust, curiosity, and connection, not pressure.
If you want a plan that shows you exactly which strategies to use for your child’s current level, take the quiz at thepickyeaterstest.com. You’ll get tailored guidance and tools you can start using right away.
