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does it feel on their lips, or on their tongue? Have they tasted it before? 4. Nibble it (if they feel comfortable doing so)… What do they think about it? Does it remind them of something similar that they have tasted before? DON’T FORGET TO… Perservere and provide opportunities – it can take a child 20 times of trying a new food before they enjoy it. Be a good role model. Our attitude to trying and eating foods plays a major role in children developing their tastes and habits. If you are adventurous with food, they are more likely to be too. Experiment. Be creative with foods DARE DEVIL DIP! This is one of our favourite recipes – a great twist on regular hummus made with beetroot. It really spikes interest with children because of its name and vibrant colour. Get children involved with measuring the ingredients, chopping a variety of vegetable sticks, and using scissors to snip strips of pitta to dip in. Make it a fun taste test by evaluating together the best vegetable to dip with! INGREDIENTS (serves 4): 170g canned chickpeas in water (drained weight) 100g (2 small) cooked, peeled beetroot 2 small cloves of garlic, crushed 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon Freshly ground black pepper METHOD 1. Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and whizz together until you have a coarse paste. 2. Spoon into a dish and serve with raw vegetables (e.g. cherry tomatoes, cucumber and carrot sticks, pepper sticks) and bread of your choice – it’s especially nice with toasted wholemeal pitta bread cut into fingers. taste buds are evolving too. One day they may say they detest something, but a month later they may absolutely love it! Beth has experience across the food industry, as well as in public health and community nutrition and wellbeing, and is a consultant nutritionist to Purely Nutrition and the PhunkyFoods programme. Visit purelynutrition.com and the way that they are prepared. Try offering raw and cooked options (think spinach, for example), different cuts, shapes, and grating rather than chopping to vary it. Arrange the food on the plate attractively to make it more appealing – perhaps as a picture, a happy face, or spelling out their name. Stay positive. It’s best to steer clear of negative behaviours around food and mealtimes. If a child rejects a food, do not force it; move on and offer again later. Praise them for trying a new food, but do not reward them with other preferred foods, as it can devalue the new or non-preferred foods. Remember, don’t give up! Just as their bodies are growing, children’s Teachearlyyears.com 21