‍13 Ways to Get Kids Excited About Healthy Eating ‍

It's no secret that getting kids to consistently eat plenty of fruits and vegetables can be extremely challenging. Yet as they are growing daily, it is vital that they receive the nutrition they need. 

The early years are a critical time to establish life-long healthy eating habits, but when those stubborn little munchkins downright refuse to eat the foods that their bodies need, what’s a parent to do?  

Though it may not be easy, I firmly believe that even the most picky of eaters can willingly get on board with eating a health-promoting diet.The older they are when you attempt to bring in healthy eating changes, the more challenging it will be, but with a little (or a lot) of patience, persistence, and determination, parents can see wonderful results and their kids can reap the benefits for a lifetime.

As the long-time health-conscious mom of a still growing kid, I’ve picked up a whole bunch of helpful tricks and tips over the years that have worked really well for my family and I’m super excited to share them today.  

1. Get the kids involved. Bring them with you to the grocery store or farmers market to help pick out ingredients. Teach them how to select the freshest produce and then let them do it. At home, have them help you prep and cook the meal, allowing them to do as much as is age-appropriate for them. Sometimes making them part of the “creation” is enough motivation to try things they otherwise would reject without even taking a bite. Even if they still balk at that roasted broccoli they’ve just helped make, you are at least planting a seed in them and empowering them by making them part of the process.

2. Find what healthy foods they like and always have those foods available. If your kid likes carrots and hummus, then make sure you always have carrots and hummus prepped and ready to grab in the fridge. If they prefer cooked veggies, then have two or more kinds included with the meal you serve every night. I learned a while back that my kiddo will eat more vegetables raw rather than cooked, so I always make sure I set out raw options at meals. 

3. Serve the veggies first. Consider starting meals with a salad or raw veggies and dip.  You can even make it sound fancy and more enticing by calling it “hors d'oeuvres” time!  This will ensure that they get some veggies in before filling up on non-veggie options. 

4. Make fun snacks that also happen to be super healthy. Offer up exciting homemade things that feel like special treats such as fruit smoothies, kale chips (kale, avocado oil, and salt, baked to crispy perfection), "ants on a log" (celery, peanut butter, and raisins), baked sweet potato fries, and guacamole. All of these can be so delicious and feel so much like “regular” food that they might not even realize that what they are eating is extremely nutritious.

5. Provide dips. Sometimes all you need is a tasty dip to get the veggies down. Your kids might enjoy a lot more raw, and even cooked veggies if they can dip them in something yummy (but still healthy). It’s easy to make a homemade ranch or balsamic dressing, for example. Other ideas include nut butters, cashew cheese sauce and bean dip.  My kid loves a good carrot and peanut butter combo!   

6. Buffet-style it up!  Part of the fun of getting meals from places like Chipotle, for example, is getting to choose from numerous options. My family loves “Buddha Bowl nights” where I prepare and lay out a variety of things on the counter like rice, beans, roasted chickpeas, several kinds of chopped veggies, chopped herbs, hummus, and dressing options.Then everybody selects what they want and makes their own bowls. I’m always amazed to see how many colors of the rainbow are ingested on these nights.   

7. Feed their minds. Really, this is important for humans of all ages—the more we stay connected to highly reputable media and resources that reinforce healthy lifestyle choices, the more likely we are to make those good choices in real life. Whether it be by listening to health related podcasts, watching healthy lifestyle documentaries or YouTube videos, reading nutrition books together, etc., doing these types of things with your kids can help get everyone on the same page. You really don’t need to agree 100% with what the documentary/article/podcast is saying either—the point is to use these tools to help  foster some great conversations between you and your kids that lead to positive growth as a family.  

8. Connect with nature. Speaking as an urban mom, this is not always so simple. I have to be really purposeful about getting my kid out into fresh air and wide open sky since for us it’s not just as easy as stepping into the backyard, which we don’t have. So I prioritize it and make it happen and it pays off every single time. When we step into nature, even if it’s just an hour or two, we come out of it reinvigorated, rejuvenated, and re-motivated to keep on taking care of ourselves.  

9. Go to the source. Take a family field trip to a farm! It’s wild how there are so many kids (and many adults too!) who really have no tangible understanding of where their food comes from. When kids can see a plant sprouting out of the ground and hold soil and seeds in their own little hands it brings a new respect and appreciation for food. We frequently visit a one acre urban farm near our home. Every time we are there my kiddo happily samples a variety of things plucked right from the earth—even things that would provoke hesitation if they just showed up on the dinner table without any prior introduction. One day we picked a bunch of fresh basil on the farm, walked home, and immediately made a pesto sauce with it—you can’t get anymore fresh than that, and as we ate it we both savored that pesto even more than usual out of appreciation of knowing exactly where it came from.

10. Don’t keep junk food in the house. Here is another tip that’s effective for kids as well as adults. If we don’t have any junk in the house then we can’t be tempted by it. Especially if our kids are getting junk when outside of the house, it’s all the more important for them to only have access to nourishing foods when at home. If your current kid snack options only include cookies and chips, it may require a transition process to healthier snacks (kids can get truly addicted to these things just like adults so expect great resistance to purging them). Once the junk is gone and their palates have time to adjust to being able to notice things like the natural sweetness of an apple, or the satisfying crunch of roasted nuts, they will be happier and healthier campers.

11. Try try again! Don’t give up. Just because your kid has refused to take a bite of the roasted broccoli you have set before them 29 times before doesn’t mean they won’t suddenly shock you by eating it on try #30. My favorite personal example of this is how, over the course of several years I made a super healthy, veggie-filled vegan lasagna recipe over and over again and my kid would consistently refuse it, then suddenly one night not only was it eaten but a second helping was had! I had to play it cool as if this was all perfectly normal but inside was jumping with joy! So don’t give up, just keep making those healthy recipes and someday it will pay off. 

12. Set an example. Like it or not, for good or for bad, kids look to parents for conscious and subconscious information on how to think and act, what to believe, and even what foods they eat. It is vital that we do the hard work to make the changes needed to be healthy and live a life full of demonstrated healthy choices. It’s ok to let them know that this type of life is not always easy, and can be downright hard sometimes, but stick with it so that you can show them that it is so worth it.  

13. Progress over perfection. Don't aim for a perfect diet 100% of the time—it's unrealistic and creates unnecessary stress. Instead, focus on building strong everyday habits. When you consistently keep healthy options at home and model good choices, occasional treats won't derail progress. For my kiddo, I aim for mindful choices even with treats whenever possible (organic, lower-sugar options), but I try not to stress over the occasional indulgences. What matters most is that kids gently learn to recognize that there’s a difference between everyday foods and special occasion foods, without developing guilt, an all-or-nothing mindset, or an unhealthy relationship with food.

It's important to note that while these strategies work well for typical picky eaters, children with eating disorders, sensory issues, or serious feeding difficulties may need professional support from healthcare providers who specialize in pediatric nutrition and feeding.

We all want our kids to be their healthiest, best selves. Every small step counts, and every healthy choice we model matters more than we might realize. Trust the process, celebrate the wins (even the tiny ones), and know that the foundation we're building now will serve them well for decades to come.

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‍Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. The author is a certified nutrition coach, not a medical doctor. If you have health concerns for yourself or your child, consult a qualified healthcare provider.