We’re obsessed with the new children’s book This Is What I Eat from private chef and wellness enthusiast, Aliza J. Sokolow. Filled with beautiful illustrations and fun activities, we’ve rarely seen a resource with such promise to get kids connected to what they eat and are picking up copies for all our favorite families!
Inspired by Aliza’s mission to get kids thinking about real food — and where it comes from! — we put together this short list of ideas that parents can use to get their children more engaged in nutrition…
6 Fun Ways To Get Kids Excited About Healthy Eating
01 Start ‘Em Young | This Is What I Eat from author Aliza J. Sokolow and illustrator Lauren Lowen is one of the best children’s books we’ve found on the topic of kids and mindful eating. Aliza once worked with Jamie Oliver on his school nutrition initiatives and was inspired to help more kids connect with healthy eating on a deeper level. Put this book in rotation at bedtime or playtime and see which topics your children are drawn to from inside it’s pages!
02 Get them involved in the kitchen | Cooking together might be a slower process than going solo, but there’s no faster way to get kids engaged with where there food comes from. Material Kitchen’s Kids Set is a fun way to get kids excited about joining you in the kitchen with their very own (mini) Air Whisk, The (mini) Spatula, and The Cook Deck, a kids cooking card game. Put those mini sous chefs to work once a week and watch their interest in whole foods grow.
Allison Oswald and family reviewing Hiya
03 Introduce the right supplements | Ensure that kids’ basic nutritional and gut health needs are well met with a smart supplementation routine they can get excited about.
We love the pressed, whole food-based and low sugar multivitamins from Hiya that come with their own reusable container (and stickers!).
Just this year Seed leveled up the pediatric probiotic game with the launch of a ground-breaking new product for kids aged 3 to 17, PDS-08™ Pediatric Daily Synbiotic—a scientifically-validated 2-in-1 powder with 9 probiotic strains and a fiber-based prebiotic blend.
04 Engage the “Flavor Window” | According to nutritionist Kelly Leveque, kids have a flavor window in their first 18 months that helps to develop their palette for years to come.
Kelly told Levels that she encourages introducing new flavors and foods at this age — especially bitter and sour flavors with ingredients like Brussels sprouts and kale that help to develop a balanced sense of taste early in life. Focus on exposing kids to a diverse range of flavors.
05 Garden as a family | If you have room to add raised beds in your outdoor space at home or have a full garden, be sure to get a little dirt under those tiny fingernails!
No garden? No problem: a kit like this one from Gardenuity will let the whole family learn with everything you need and requires very little space. You can also plant a single herb in a windowsill pot – here’s a great story on that!
06 Visit the Farmer’s Market | Try to hit a local farmer’s market once a month, even if it means driving across town. Let kids see the variety of produce available and try one new piece of produce on each trip, whether it’s a basket of strawberries, a handful of green beans or a ripe peach.
Read Next: The 5 Most Beautiful Things We’ve Ever Seen At The Farmers Market
