Food is a great way for families to connect and spend time together, and if you have young children, it’s a perfect way to encourage picky eaters to sample new foods. 

Improve your knowledge of nutrition 

Modern lifestyles are having a huge impact on our health as a society. Obesity levels are rising and many people consume too many processed foods with little nutritional value. Learning about food and nutrition builds good habits in your everyday life. Your children will grow up with these healthy eating habits and keep them throughout their lives. 

New ingredients mean new meal ideas. If you’re struggling for inspiration buy a cookery book or head to a site like Planet Eat for ideas and masterclasses. 

Make time for meals together

You may not be able to sit down for a scheduled meal every day of the week, but it is worth arranging your time so that you can manage it as often as possible. It is an opportunity to talk and connect with each other. You’ll find this particularly meaningful as your children get older and develop their own lives away from the family unit. 

Set a few ground rules to really make use of the time. No TV or interruptions for cell phones. If there are any topics of conversation that are likely to set off an argument, ban these subjects while you’re eating. Use the time to talk to each other in a meaningful way. 

Involve everyone

Meals that are enjoyed by everyone should be made everyone. Even with younger children, this is possible. Let toddlers help pick out food at the store, or wash fruit. As they get older they can start helping to prepare the food and setting the table. 

Fussy eaters are more likely to eat meals they’ve been involved in preparing and if they’ll be picking up cooking skills that will help them when they are living independently. 

Try new things

It’s easy to fall into a routine of making the same few meals, week in week out. Even if they are amazing, there’s a world of other recipes out there that you should try. As a family, let each person pick a new type of food or ingredients. If you cook a lot of Italian and pasta dishes, why not try Indian or Mexican recipes. 

Be creative 

Find ways to make mealtimes more fun and give everyone something to look forward to. For example, you could have a picnic outside or even lay a blanket on the living room floor. Have your kids invite friends over from time to time. You can even create a theme for the meal complete with table decorations and music etc.