Episode 86: How to Get Kids to Try New Foods

Episode 86: How to Get Kids to Try New Foods

If you’ve got a picky eater or a fussy eater at home who lives on pasta, bread, crackers or beige foods, then this episode is for you. I’m diving into the reality of the “white diet”, why so many children get stuck there, and why the usual advice around repeated exposure or “just try one bite” often doesn’t work.

Links:
https://nourishwithkarina.com/feedingbabies
https://nourishwithkarina.com/membership

Highlights:

How to Break the White Diet (00:00.244)
Why the White Diet is So Common (02:21.358)
Deconstructed Meals and Sensory Preferences (04:36.246)
Matching the Right Fix to Your Child’s Sensory Needs (06:40.14)
The Vicious Cycle Breaking the Link Between Constipation and Picky Eating (09:01.91)
The Stress Free Way to Break the White Food Cycle and End Mealtime Power Struggles (11:15.808)
Breaking the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Finding Peace at the Dinner Table (13:38.56)
Escape the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Rediscover Peace at the Dinner Table (15:58.186)
Stop the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Build a System for Stress Free Mealtimes (18:10.008)
Beyond the One Bite Rule and the New System for Stress Free Mealtimes (20:25.026)
Beyond the One Bite Rule and the New System for Stress Free Mealtimes (22:41.642)
The Feeding Reset and Three Simple Shifts to End Mealtime Battles (25:01.368)
The Feeding Kids Reset and Three Simple Shifts to End Mealtime Battles (27:07.542)

Show notes

READ TRANSCRIPT

Show Notes

In this episode, I walk you through where to start and how to shift things in a way that actually works for your family.

What we cover:

Why kids get stuck on “white foods”
Why common feeding strategies fail
What’s really driving picky eating.
Three practical shifts that work

How to Break the White Diet (00:00.244)
You're listening to the Easy Feed Podcast, episode number 86, how to get kids to try new foods. Hi there, I'm Karina Savage and with over 20 years experience feeding children, including my own, I've learnt all the secrets that busy mums need to get their children eating better and actually enjoying healthy foods. So a huge welcome to the Easy Feed Podcast.

Well, hello and welcome back. Today is a great topic if you have a little one who you are struggling to get to try new foods. I often talk about the term the white diet and look, it's a real struggle for so many families out there. Look, I've experienced it. I've had, you know, my own challenges with kids loving the white diet and look, my kids still love some white foods, of course, but

You know, I'm very happy that over the years I've been able to get more colour and variety into their day, which is why I'm popping in to say things will absolutely change for you once you have a clear plan, but it's not necessarily an overnight thing. Okay. This is a long game, but absolutely things can change with the right plan of attack, which is what I love helping parents with. So yeah, I wanted to pop in and chat about this whole white diet and how we break through the white diet today because.

It is a common source of stress for parents. It's a constant source of stress for many parents, let's be honest, because kids do love their safe, familiar foods. And, when your child lives on pasta and bread and crackers and milk all the time, you do start to worry. And when you do have a pasta-holic or a child who loves rice or crackers or heaps of milk, it is natural for parents to worry about whether their child...

is getting the nutrients that they need, such as iron and zinc. So today we're going to talk about why kids get stuck on white foods, why the usual tricks often don't work and what they are, what may be driving your child's resistance to try new foods and the first three steps to start shifting things towards a greater variety of foods. And I will take this moment to let you know that I've got a brilliant freebie.

Why the White Diet is So Common (02:21.358)
for you, it's sitting there waiting for you. All you need to do is head to nourishwithkarina.com forward slash white. And it's there waiting for you and you can get your fingertips on that. And it's exactly on this topic is exactly on how you can get your child to try new foods when everything else seems to have failed you. And it's not that you're failing. It's just that sometimes the things that we see online.

They don't always work just putting veggies on the plate, you know, that repeated exposure. So many of us have done it, but it doesn't necessarily work. okay. Well, what do we do then? And that's what I've got for you waiting in that freebie. Okay. So I just want to make sure that I'm talking about the right child here. So if this sounds like your child, then yes, this podcast episode is for you. So your child loves pasta, bread, crackers, rice, milk, beige foods.

And that can also extend to all the processed packaged foods, like the messy monkeys, even though they're colored, they're not colored from being natural and coming out of the ground that color. And the puffed potatoes, sticks and all of those puffed things that are marketed as healthy, but 99 % of them not. And that's not your fault. That's just marketing deception really. All of those foods still...

I believe fit into that sort of category of the white diet, because they're not really nourishing our kids, right? It's nourishing the pockets of the food companies that make them sound healthy. Anyway, that's a whole nother issue. And you can, guess, gleam in my tone of voice there and I'm not happy about it, but that's a whole nother issue. Anyway, back onto our children who love the white diet. They often refuse or avoid.

Vegetables, vegetables is a big one that's a real concern for parents. Sometimes meat and sometimes the texture of meat can be a real challenge for some children. Maybe they've even eaten it when they were little, really young. So when they've started solids, they've maybe eaten the lamb chop, but then they go off meat. And often parents say to me, it's the texture. Kids struggle with the texture of meat. And I got that. And look, you don't have to eat meat. There's plenty of vegetarians out there that eat.

Deconstructed Meals and Sensory Preferences (04:36.246)
enough iron and nutrients to meet their needs. And often they're actually healthier because they have more fibre. So, and of course, if you've been following me for a while, you know that I prefer a plant-based way of eating rather than meat anyway. But meat is one that kids can be fussy with because of the texture. Sometimes it's the taste, but it does make parents worry because I guess we've been taught that our children that we all need to eat meat to meet our iron requirements.

And so when our children are refusing it or spitting it out saying, yuck, it makes us think, well, they're missing out. So vegetables is a common one. Meat is a common one. They do refuse often mixed meals. So it's very common for children who are fussy or picky or love all the white foods.

to like meals deconstructed, so they don't like them all mixed together. And that can actually be the case until, you know, almost the teenage years. And this has been backed up in research. So it's very common for children to like deconstructed meals. It's very common for children to refuse or say that's yuck, that's disgusting.

foods that are unfamiliar or have not been introduced regularly enough or perhaps early enough. They're not necessarily one of the familiar family foods. And some children will refuse foods that have texture or bits or might be mushy. So certain textures and tastes can be really off-putting to some children and they sort of fall into almost that sensory...

feeding category. And look, this is not to say your child's neurodivergent because my own daughter has told me that she has sensory preferences with food and it's just normal. Like, I mean, I'm sure if we dig deep enough, we've all got sensory preferences with food, but sometimes they are very heightened and they can absolutely impact a child's preference for food. And then that can very much steer them towards enjoying more of those white foods.

Matching the Right Fix to Your Child’s Sensory Needs (06:40.14)
So how does this play out at meal times? Well, it's exhausting, right? You offer the good food, you offer the broccoli, you offer the piece of healthy meat and they go, no, that's disgusting. They push off the plate, they drop it on the floor, depending on their age. They might feed it to the dog. You try not to pressure them because you've heard not to pressure them, but you've been told that you've got to, you know, give them the repeated exposure because kids need up to 15 or 20 exposures to accept the food. So you try your hardest, but...

deep down, you're just fuming and you're frustrated and you might be feeling completely defeated because they're just not eating the damn food that you want them to eat. They're just steering towards their white pasta, their white rice, or they just want dessert. So, and then you're trying not to bribe with dessert because you've been told that you probably shouldn't bribe with dessert, but then you do bribe with dessert because you don't know anything else to do because nothing else is working in bribing with dessert. It only works half of the time anyway, but...

At least it's something you've got up your sleeve, right? So it's just a mess and trying to get kids to try new foods can be one of the hardest things that you do as a parent. And it's just a real challenge. And so if you're saying, yep, Karina, this is me. This is my child. You are speaking to me. Well, I'm glad I am because I'm here to help. Right. And as I said, head to nourishwithkarina.com forward slash white. That's your freebie. can get started with that today.

because I just know how hard it is. I've been there myself and I know a better way and I know a way that works. And that's why I want to share it with you. And I like sharing my framework, the Feeding Kids Ecosystem Framework, because it works. And that system is the backbone of my Feeding Kids Reset Program, which is my flagship Fussy Eater program. And that's all available in the Nourish with karina platform. You can find out more information on my website about that.

Okay. So who here has made a smiley face on the plate, hoping that their child will eat the vegetables because they've turned into a smiley face. Well, look at work some of the time, but not necessarily if you've got a child with say sensory preferences, because it's the wrong fix for the wrong underlying cause. So we need to make sure that there is a, good match for fixing why they may not try new food or why they may be steering towards the white diet. And again, I do go into all of that inside my feeding kids reset, but

The Vicious Cycle Breaking the Link Between Constipation and Picky Eating (09:01.91)
At the end of the day, you need to feel confident that your child is getting everything that they need because it is very common to worry about iron or protein. Sometimes our kids are constipated because they're not eating enough fiber. They're not drinking enough fluid and that can also mess with appetite regulation. I mean, I think we've probably all had a day or two where we've needed to a poo, you know, some stage in our life. And when you need to do a poo and you're constipated,

It just messes with your whole appetite fullness. feel yuck, you can feel more bloated. So kids that are chronically constipated, that does impact their appetite, their hunger, their fullness. It messes with that whole, rhythm. And so it's really important to address bowel issues as well. If you've got a child who's not eating as well as, as you want them to. And really it's like, well, is it the chicken or the egg? Because if they ate better, they would poo better.

But then they're not pooing well. So then that could influence how they're eating. It's like, this is a vicious cycle. So we've got to start somewhere and hopefully some of these tips today will help. But obviously if you're needing more one-on-one help, then please reach out. I also do one-on-one consultations. And you can find out that information too, actually on my website, just click the consults tab. Before we move on to discussing why kids get stuck on white foods, I do also want to make a point around your partner, your husband, your wife.

Whoever is raising this child with you, if there is a partner, if not, then you're probably not arguing about anybody. But sometimes arguments happen between husband and wife or whoever, you know, is at home. The majority of the time it will be husband and wife and that parent sometimes applies a lot more pressure. And I think it also very much relates to their own personal experiences growing up. Maybe they were in a bit of a pressure cooker.

situation, every dinner where they were made to finish their dinner and made to finish the plate and you're not leaving the table until you've eaten every last pea. Whereas another parent might've had a very different upbringing with parents who had a very different feeding approach. And so sometimes parents will differ, A, with how worried they are about the child. One parent will be like, it's just normal. Another parent will be like, my gosh, there's division in everything. And then

The Stress Free Way to Break the White Food Cycle and End Mealtime Power Struggles (11:15.808)
Their approach might be different too, because one parent might be like, well, just make them eat it. Just sit there, you're gonna sit there, you're not going to get any dessert. You're gonna sit there for two hours until you finish it. And the other one's like, we're not supposed to pressure them. We're not supposed to talk about food. So it can be very challenging. And then the parent's butt heads because they're very different in terms of their understanding and the approach that they want to take. And so that can bring a lot of stress at meal times. Then the child's just sitting there going, my gosh.

What's going on here? So a lot of stress, a lot of frustration, a lot of worry can arise from a child who is refusing to try new feeds and parents who love their child and want the best for their child and want them to eat the healthy food and they just won't put it to their mouth or they might. And then they spit it out or they drop it on the floor. And then, you know, there's the yuck, the disgusting, I'm not eating that. So it's hard.

And look, I just want you to know that if you are sick of cooking three different meals, if you're sick of arguing about food, if you're sick of feeling frustrated about what they're not eating or what they are eating, then please know that you're not alone and you're not failing. This is just hard work. And maybe you do need a different system. Maybe you do need a better system to support your family, but feeding kids can be really challenging. And I think it's really important to understand what's going on. What's driving this.

white food cycle, because once you understand what's really going on, things start to make far more sense and you can start to get traction and get motion and start moving in the right direction without the stressful meal times, without the bribing. You know, had a parent the other day that told me that they paid or they were offering. didn't act, the transaction didn't happen because the child didn't do it. The parent was offering a hundred dollars for the child to eat the carrot and just wouldn't do it.

And I'm no, I'm not doing that. I've had $50 before, but the $100, that was, that was, you know, stepping it up. Oh my goodness. know, it just goes to show the links that some parents will go to. We are so desperate for our children to try new foods. We will try anything and it comes back to a place of love. We just want our kids to eat well and be healthy because we love them. The kids aren't doing it to be malice. They're not doing it to be.

Breaking the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Finding Peace at the Dinner Table (13:38.56)
argumentative, they usually get stuck on these foods because they are predictable. They are familiar. They are often lower in sensory challenge and they're comforting to the child. And so for many reasons, they resort back to their comfort zone. And we as human beings, I think naturally gravitate back to our comfort zone. And with the kids, these foods are their comfort zone. As they're safe foods, you would, you know, potentially call them.

So for a child who does feel a little cautious around food or a child who is a bit more anxious, these foods can feel safe. And that's why they gravitate back to the pasta, the rice, the yogurt, the milk, the cereals, the bland snack foods that sometimes are full of rubbish. Okay. But that's why they do it. They're not doing it to be argumentative or malicious or they don't deliberately want to, you know, give you a nervous breakdown, even though behind the scenes you feel like you're to have one sometimes.

because it's just hard work. anyway, what we're actually needing to do is create a new system behind the scenes. And probably a new approach and mindset often helps from a parental perspective, because if we just keep going around in that same cycle, that feeding cycle of despair, it can really drag us down. then our vibe and our energy at the table, it's pretty much rock bottom. And parents pick up on that.

I had a chat with a mom yesterday in a Fussie to Consult and she, you know, she said to me, you know, I'm so anxious about feeding. I'm so anxious about her choking. Cause this one was a toddler and you know, she was very aware that her level of parental anxiety was directly influencing her daughter's ability to eat. and it was in a way, well, not in a way, it was directly therefore impacting her variety of foods.

And mom was aware of that. Mom was working really hard on that. And so it's, it's important to understand where the work needs to be done, whether it's a parent thing, whether it's a child thing, as I said, the sensory challenges there, or whether it's an environment thing. as I said, and those three components are the backbone of my kids feeding the ecosystem, which is the backbone of my bus eating program. So it's, it's really important to unpack and understand what's going on.

Escape the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Rediscover Peace at the Dinner Table (15:58.186)
Is it pressure at the table? Is it too much grazing through the day? Is it stress around meal times? Is it cooking three different meals or offering them plan B when plan A gets refused? You know, it creates a cycle and it's easy to go around and around and in this cycle. Unless you step back and sort of take that 30,000 foot view and say, okay, what's going on here? What do we need to do differently? Because.

If you don't do anything different, nothing is going to change and nothing changes if nothing changes. And what do they say? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again, even if it's not working for you. So I think, we've all been guilty of that. Well, I know I have of just trying your best, but just doing the same old thing because that's what you know, and that's what you hope will help, but it doesn't necessarily help. Right. So.

We need to understand how we can change things and how we can move our child to start to try new foods. But it's not always what you see on social media and online. And in fact, it can make it 10 times worse. Again, this chat I was having with mum yesterday, who was in a Fasier to Consort online with me, she said that, you know, she'll see things online and it just makes her feel a hundred times worse because her child is not at that level.

She sees, you know, these healthy platters and she said, I'll watch one and then the algorithm pushes more at it. So it makes it even worse. And it just makes her feel more and more incompetent and makes her feel worse and worse about how her child is eating. And it's just not fair. so social media often will work against us. mean, look, we know that in most respects, right? It works against us. So it's just important to be mindful of.

What's going on right now and what's actually making things worse for you without you even realising subconsciously social media can actually be making it harder rather than helping. Because most parents I speak to are trying incredibly hard. They're not doing nothing. They're doing everything. So they're buying the healthy foods. They're finding the healthy recipes online. They're trying to offer variety. They're trying to do the repeated exposure. They're trying to stay calm. Sometimes they're trying to reward chance.

Stop the Feeding Cycle of Despair and Build a System for Stress Free Mealtimes (18:10.008)
They're trying to hide vegetables. They're trying to make smoothies. They're trying to say, just take one bite. They're trying to use dessert as a bit of a leverage. Sometimes they're trying to cook multiple meals each night just to try and get the child to eat something. They might be Googling late at night. They're worrying, you know, when they're sitting on the toilet or they're lying in bed, they're worrying about their, their child. And it's just, it's constant, right? So it's not like parents aren't trying. Of course they're trying.

It's, it's not a lack of effort. The problem is a lack of system and an effective system that's actually going to set your child up to eventually try these new foods. But we've got to plant seeds and the seeds need to be planted plentifully and you need a system to do that. And it doesn't involve pressure, yelling, forcing, just try it one bite, eat this, you can have dessert.

He doesn't involve any of that because when food starts to become emotionally loaded, kids become less invested. As soon as you start applying pressure and ask them to take one bite, look, it's human nature, right? If someone really forcefully asks you to do something, are you going to be more inclined to do it or less inclined to do it? I can tell you I'd be less inclined to do it. And kids are no different and food is no different.

If we are putting the pressure on, then they are going to be running in the different direction or the other directions, like a dog that gets off the lead, right? If you start chasing after it, it's not going to come to you. It's going to run away from you. So same thing here. So as soon as we're putting more pressure on the kids, their walls are going up. They're like, especially if they also have other underlying challenges, sensory challenges. And if they're, being loaded up with all of these sort of.

Layers that are increasing anxiety meal times, they're going to be less and less and less likely to engage, especially in trying a new food. You know, the number of parents that say things to me like this, I give him the foods I don't want to give him, but I'm giving them to him because I know that he will eat them. Another one will be, I'm so sick of cooking different meals for the family. Another one's my partner, don't agree on what to do. And another one is I feel so guilty. It's my fault. I've made this worse.

Beyond the One Bite Rule and the New System for Stress Free Mealtimes (20:25.026)
And that is such a common one. So many parents feel so guilty and it's so unfair. You are just doing the best you can. Okay. So let's now move into three shifts that will help move the wheels in the right direction. Okay. So we need to start somewhere. And I know that it's really important to try and simplify things because sometimes it can feel real hard, too hard. So the first thing that I want you to think about.

is to stop making the whole goal to eat the new food. Because when the whole goal is to eat the new food, it becomes too much of a big deal. The new food will be eaten when the time's right and it will be at a time when you least expect it. It's just trying to find a husband or wife actually, isn't it? When, you you hear those stories about people hunting and hunting and hunting for a partner for a lot, for the rest of their life and...

You know, they struggle for years and years and years. And when they're least expecting it, they pop and then they find their partner for life. same thing here with the new foods. Less is more. Stop making the whole goal for dinner to be to eat that new food. What we need to do is focus on a different form of success. Success for some children might be coming to the table. It might be picking up a food, sniffing it, licking it, crunching it, spitting it out. Yes, can be progress for some children.

We didn't necessarily view it as progress. We view it as they have refused our food that we've put a lot of time and effort into it. We take it personally, we get mad, we get angry, we get frustrated. But for them, it's actually possibly success and moving towards liking that food. So it's how you view it, it's how you frame it. And we need to start considering broadening what success looks like and stop focusing on the fact that they've got to take that bite of broccoli today. Because the more pressure you put on yourself or on them,

the worst it's going to be. So we really need to stop making the whole goal to eat the food. And I think we really need to reframe what success looks like for your child, because absolutely for some children, success will be picking up and licking an apple, for example. I saw a child today, three years old, predominantly getting their nutrition from formula.

Beyond the One Bite Rule and the New System for Stress Free Mealtimes (22:41.642)
Not able to, at this point, eat much in the way of food. And so for that child, 100 % success is going to be picking up and licking that apple. Now you might be listening and saying, yeah, Karina, but my child's not that severe. And I would say, sure, but success will be different for your child. But you also need to consider perhaps lowering your expectations or reframing what success might be for your child. I know that you want them to eat, you know, all of the healthy stuff, but it might be that you need to reframe what success looks like.

And focusing on the success that they do experience and not making it and not only focusing on success as being eating the food. Because you have to remember they have plenty of opportunities to eat food each day. Dinner is only one fifth or one sixth of their day. So we can't place all the emphasis on eating healthy foods at dinner. It might be a time when they're super tired. They might actually front end the day, not back end the day. So we need to be really mindful of that. Okay. Number two is.

Don't just serve up all new foods because that's not fair on them. We need to have some familiarity around their table. We need to have that safe food on the plate as well. You can't just serve up, you know, the whole brand new meal that you might be eating and go, that's dinner tonight. You have to eat it or you're going hungry. That's it. And then they don't eat it. And then you lose the pot inside. And that's not fair on you or them. Okay. So we need to make sure that you do keep a safe food.

and build around that, but don't give them a whole new meal that is all new foods. Some people think that they only have two choices. Serve only what the child likes or serve, you know, the hard ball. This is the new healthy meal that we're all eating. It needs to be a compromise between the two. So for example, if the family is having roast potatoes, salmon and broccoli, and your child loves roast potatoes, but won't eat the salmon or the broccoli.

Then you serve them the roast potatoes as their safe food. And then yes, the rest of the family is eating the salmon and the broccoli. Maybe you put a little bit of salmon and broccoli on their plate. Maybe you don't. You build around that. And again, inside my feeding kids reset, we talk about strategies for subbing in and subbing out the salmon or the broccoli for various things. And I give you plenty of tips on what you could sub it in and out for.

The Feeding Reset and Three Simple Shifts to End Mealtime Battles (25:01.368)
But it's important to have some of that safe food on their plate to start with. It's not the plan B, it's part of the plan A and there should only be one meal anyway. There should only be plan A. Okay. The third tip I've got for you is to protect their appetite. And we need to protect their appetite multiple ways.

So number one, need to make sure that there is a system and structure around meals and snacks. So they're not all melding in together and being like one constant grazing buffet throughout the day. We need to make sure that there's structure around that to protect their appetite. We need to look at their milk intake because that can impact appetite. We need to look at nutrient deficiency because that can impact appetite.

So appetite is a huge piece of the puzzle. If they're drinking milk all day long, they're not going to be hungry to eat. Structure is real key here and children do much better with structure and clear boundaries. So we need to protect their appetite. So let's just recap those three things. Number one is don't focus solely on them eating that new food. Let's focus on planting seeds. Let's celebrate the small wins and perhaps reframe what success looks like at dinnertime for your child.

Number two, make sure that you do keep a safe food, familiar food in there as part of plan A, the only meal option. And then you build around that with the foods that you're also eating. And number three, make sure that you're protecting their appetite and setting up a structure that supports their appetite. And if that means that you do have to explore, you know, gut issues, constipation or nutrient deficiencies, then

So be it because that's also going to support their appetite and therefore support their overall nutrient intake. So the goal here is not perfection. The goal here is to start somewhere. And if you've been with me a while, you'll always hear me talk about focusing on one small win and getting that win undeveloped and gaining momentum helps you really achieve where you want to get to with your child's eating. But it is a journey, granted, a hundred percent it's a journey.

The Feeding Kids Reset and Three Simple Shifts to End Mealtime Battles (27:07.542)
And as I said, I've got plenty of information for you depending on where you're at, but if you want everything and you want to start now, then just head to nourishwithkarina.com and you will find all the information there. can join my platform. You can start my feeding kids reset and you've got all of that information there ready to go. But if you want to check out my freebie first, then that's a brilliant place to start. So head to nourishwithkarina.com forward slash what, download my freebie, which will help you.

stretch your child's intake and get them trying new foods. There is every chance that your child can move beyond white foods and start trying new foods. So if they're stuck on pasta, if they're stuck on rice, it doesn't mean that they're going to eat this way forever. And you don't have to second guess and doubt yourself or your approach. As I said, all the supporters, they're waiting for you. Start with a freebie if that's the way you want to go. Absolutely fine. Or as I said, head to my website for a deeper dive.

So that website again was nourrishwithkarina.com forward slash white to grab your freebie today on how to get your child trying new foods. You are never alone on this. Please send me a message on Instagram or email me hello at nourrishwithkarina.com. I hope you've loved this episode and I can't wait to chat with you again soon. Bye for now.