Taste for Life Tips

Taste for Life is a new fun and interactive way of introducing and presenting fruit and vegetables to children, in a completely different context to that of mealtimes, helping them to explore and enjoy good food from a young age and develop healthier eating habits for life.

Close2Nature campaign is a proud partner of the programme.

Top tips for parents and nursery practitioners from Taste for Life

1. Never ask a child to eat, try or taste anything. Get them to explore the food by asking them to kiss, lick or crunch it instead. You are not tricking your child, merely asking them to engage with food in a more interesting way. If you ask your children who can do the loudest crunch in their celery they are more likely to bite it and see, than if you say “here try some celery it’s really good for you!”

2. Don’t force a child to eat a meal that they don’t like. This will make them like it even less! Instead, take the time to talk about and explore the components of the meal away from the table.

3. Prepare a child for what’s to come on their plate. Children are suspicious if they don’t know what they’re eating; even if they are told how good it is for them.

4. Get a little messy. Let them squash a tomato or squeeze an orange while you are cooking.

5. A good way to explore vegetables that are disliked is to explore them raw and cooked. Many children do not enjoy the pungent smell of cauliflower, especially if overcooked, but small crunchy raw florets with hoummous or a dip are delicious and very palatable.

6. Offer lots of variety. A baby’s taste buds develop and change at an alarming rate and are most receptive between the ages of 7 and 12 months. Keeping a baby’s food bland for too long can result in shocked reactions to stronger flavours.

7. Involve a child in the whole eating process. Take them shopping and touch the produce and explain where it comes from.

8. Let them help you cook and be really involved.

9. Introduce reward charts for eating five a day. You can download one of these from the Taste for Life website, www.tasteforlifenursery.com

10. Children are great imitators, so, as a teacher or carer, set a good example.