Kid Food Critic Journals

A mom recently asked about what others do when kids don't want to eat specific foods.  Years ago, I created these Food Critic Journals to help my kids track, express likes and dislikes, and have more control over foods they eat.  I'm not a nutritionist or a child psychologist - just a mom who wanted to find a way that helped my kids try new foods and have some say in meal times.  I know there's a new "Choose My Plate" diagram that shows that vegetables should be the "staple" of a plate, but this old school food pyramid still helped my kids understand the food groups.

There are a significant number of tips and tricks on the ChooseMyPlate.gov site, too.

Ask your kids what they want for dinner!  Have them help in the kitchen.  Even little ones can help wash vegetables, measure ingredients, stir, etc.  When they are part of the planning and preparation, they are much more willing to try the foods.

In our home, we had our kids try 3 bites (some people call them "Polite Bites" or "No thank you bites") of a food to be able to critique it in the journal.  It helped me better understand and literally see which foods (or groups or types of foods) each kid liked and disliked.  One had a very clear issue with some food textures, and we didn't make him eat any of the foods that had similar textures since it would make him sick.  He could try those on his own as he got older.

I've found that putting together meals that had at least one item on the plate that everyone liked made meal times easier.  Only introducing one new food at a time during regular family dinners was also more willingly accepted.

Keep things positive!  We don't allow anyone to talk negatively about foods during meals.  You can talk about color, texture, flavors, etc.  Have older kids try to guess what ingredients or spices were used in dishes.  If someone dislikes something, we say, "I don't care for ____," or "_____ isn't my favorite," or "I really prefer ____ over ____."  We get the picture, but we don't diminish the food choices that others may really enjoy.  If the older brother makes gagging noises at the table while eating XYZ, the younger brother is now suddenly less interested in eating his favorite XYZ.  So keep it positive.

 A Little Food Critic's Journal download

Little Food Critic Journal Pages

Little Food Critic Journal Summary Page

Similarly, my oldest only wanted to eat at the same "restaurant" every time.  This became a fun game for us!  He was willing to try all sorts of new places, and he always made me laugh as we waited for our food.  He would take the time to examine and assess the cleanliness, amenities, decor, etc.   

A Little Restaurant Critic's Journal download

I hope these help you and your family!