I believe children should have different rules than adults for things like bedtime and responsibilities, but when it comes to food, they should not be treated as if their taste buds need to be sheltered. Kids do not need a separate culinary universe of bland, highly processed dishes; they benefit when families serve the same wholesome, flavorful meals as adults, in appropriate portions.
Baby Taste Buds Are Overrated
Kids’ menus at many restaurants frustrate me. They often set such low expectations that children naturally conform to them. If menus consistently offer only fried, overly sweet, or heavily processed options, why would kids ask for salads, hummus, or vegetable casseroles?
When my family eats out at our favorite Mexican restaurant, my daughter sometimes chooses a hamburger and fries. It’s tempting to roll my eyes, but the broader issue is that children are repeatedly offered foods designed to appeal to the narrowest palates. A true kids’ menu should simply offer smaller portions of the adult dishes rather than stripping away variety and flavor.
The way we infantilize children’s eating contributes to a culinarily limited generation. School lunches in many places mirror this pattern: burgers, breaded chicken, pizza, and hot dogs dominate both daily and weekly options. That landscape makes it harder for children to develop a broad palate.
My Guilty Short Order Cook Confession
In our home, everyone eats the same food. Occasionally I’ll add a small side—frozen peas, for example—when a vegetable like asparagus or zucchini is served and two of my three children aren’t ready for it. Even then, I try to minimize special treatment. I do require one bite of every vegetable served, and I use blending techniques for new flavors when helpful.
I once made a blended green soup with zucchini (a tactic inspired by Karen Le Billon’s observation that French parents introduce new vegetables in blended form so kids get used to flavors without visual or textural barriers). The first time I made a blended asparagus soup, the boys who usually refuse asparagus spears ate multiple bowls. That was a clear win.
The core question is: how do we help little mouths build adult-like taste buds? The simple answer is persistence and a positive attitude about food. Keep serving a variety of real foods, require a taste each time, and invite children into food preparation.
Push Them to Grow Up Too Fast
Many adults discover foods they disliked as children simply by continuing to try them over time. My husband and I both expanded our palates dramatically over the years. Foods we avoided a decade ago that we now enjoy or tolerate include sweet peppers, legumes, salmon, cilantro, red onion, plain yogurt, coconut, leafy greens, fresh green beans, cooked mushrooms, black coffee, zucchini, asparagus, sauerkraut, ginger, curry, and fresh tomatoes.
I don’t expect my children to love every item on that list, but I do push them—within reason—to adopt more mature, adventurous palates. I want them to appreciate wholesome food now rather than rely on unhealthy habits that could contribute to preventable health problems later in life.
What’s the Secret?
There’s no magic trick. Getting kids to eat real food is straightforward: serve real food and involve them in the process. When children help plan, prepare, and cook meals, they become invested and more willing to taste what they made.
For example, my older son practiced skills from a cooking course and scrambled eggs for the family on his own. Other days, the kids help make a stir-fry for lunch. I expect them to taste the vegetables they helped prepare—sometimes it works immediately, sometimes it takes repeated exposure—but the experience itself is valuable.
Grown-Up Food Strategies – It’s Not Magic, but It’s Close
Adults often learn to value real food through experience. With children, the strategy is simpler: keep serving variety and require a taste each time. Here are practical approaches that work for our family:
- Accept that it can take many exposures—sometimes 15 or more—before a child accepts a new food. We frame it as: “You don’t have to like it, but you do have to taste it.”
- Serve vegetables first whenever possible so children are not filling up on less nutritious options before a meal begins.
- Limit condiments like ketchup by keeping them off the table unless the dish clearly needs them; offer small dollops on plates instead of a bottle to dip from constantly.
- Invite children into the kitchen regularly to build confidence and curiosity about food.
- Keep separate “kid meals” out of my routine; everyone eats the same meal, just in child-sized portions when needed.
- Minimize junk food so treats remain special rather than expected.
- Control snacking near mealtimes and keep snacks mostly healthy unless it’s a special occasion.
I also use a few gentle phrases to shape expectations—saying things like “That’s okay, you’ll like that more when you’re a grown-up” when a child rejects something, and “You won’t like that as much when you’re older” when they favor overly sweet or unhealthy items. It helps frame foods as part of growing up rather than a reward system.
My persistence has paid off. My son became known for his lunches at a summer camp where 350 kids attended; the camp director even showcased his food choices on family night. That felt like validation: my child was choosing real, familiar foods others found noteworthy.
More importantly than praise is the skill set my children are gaining. By learning to cook and tasting a wide range of foods, they develop lifelong habits that support health, independence, and confidence.
How do you intentionally teach your children to stay open to new foods and enjoy a variety of flavors? What prevents you from getting your kids more involved in the kitchen?
Note: This piece was originally published on Attune Foods and has been revised for this re-post with permission.