If we could somehow channel all of the collective thought, time and energy parents devote to getting kids to try new fruits and vegetables, I think we could solve most of the world’s problems in short order. Few feeding issues cause as much angst, and the advice we receive from the experts couldn’t be more contradictory. Here’s just a sampling:
- Parental modeling of fruit and vegetable eating will eventually lead to little fruit and vegetable eaters. (Action for Healthy Kids; Ellyn Satter, child feeding expert)
- Parental modeling is “an overly simplistic solution to an incredibly complex problem.” (Dr. Dina Rose, It’s Not About Nutrition)
- Kids should be required to take a “no thank you” bite. (Meal Makeover Moms)
- Requiring a “no thank you” bite is intrusive, crosses the line of parental responsibility and actually slows down kids’ acceptance of new foods. (Ellyn Satter, child feeding expert.)
- Serve your kids lots of different, interesting foods, never short-order cook for them, and all will be well. (Mark Bittman)
- Do all of the above — and watch your child still refuse to eat vegetables. (Your own humble TLT blogger)
As I wrote here a few weeks ago (“Getting Kids to Try New Foods: My Advice“), an approach which works well with one child can completely backfire with another. You have no choice but to trust your instincts and look for techniques that fit with your own parenting philosophy.
I wanted to provide that bit of perspective before introducing today’s book, The 52 New Foods Challenge, from mom, author and game creator Jennifer Tyler Lee. Some of you may already be familiar with Tyler Lee from her popular Crunch-a-Color game, which grew out of a system she created to get her own two children to try new fruits and vegetables. The game was named one of Dr. Toy’s “10 Best” in 2011 and 2012 and has been endorsed by food notables such as celebrity chefs Rachel Ray and Jamie Oliver.
As with Crunch-a-Color, the essence of the 52 New Foods Challenge is encouraging children to try new fruits and vegetables in exchange for points. The book takes a year-long approach, asking kids to try one new produce item each week for 52 weeks. Points are awarded in varying amounts depending on the challenge and can later be redeemed for various treats. Tyler Lee cautions that these incentives should not be things like ice cream or screen time, instead suggesting positive, non-food rewards like a family trip to the beach or extra play or story time. The book is replete with related recipes, fun family activities, colorful photography and useful charts listing what’s in season at different times of the year. It also includes a glowing foreword by Chef Ann Cooper, aka “the Renegade Lunch Lady.”
For some parents, though, the notion of using any kind of extrinsic reward is troubling. There’s always the worry that kids will engage in a desired behavior only so long as rewards are handed out, and that they’ll fail to internalize the desired lesson. Tyler Lee anticipates and addresses this criticism head-on in the opening of her book:
The issue of points and rewards is a thorny one. . . . What happens when the points go away? Will [your child] cease to eat healthy when there is no tangible reward? I firmly believe that making healthy eating a game allows you to leverage extrinsic motivation to tap into intrinsic motivation. Gamification, or the idea that game techniques can be applied to real-life situations, is spreading rapidly and can be skillfully applied at your family table to make healthy eating fun for everyone involved. . . . It’s a positive, reinforcing cycle.
Once again, I think this is a question each parent must decide for him or herself. But it’s worth noting that many adults certainly respond well to competition, games and prizes to encourage health-promoting behavior, like using a fitness tracker to compete with others or giving themselves non-food rewards to celebrate and encourage weight loss. And in Tyler Lee’s experience, her kids may have started out being motivated by the points and rewards but eventually came to enjoy fruits and vegetables in their own right.
If The 52 New Foods Challenge sounds like the solution to your kids’ fruit and veggie resistance, here’s a chance to win a free copy of the book! Just leave a comment below by Wednesday, November 19th at 6pm CST to enter the drawing. You can tell me why you’d like to win or you can just say hi. I’ll use a random number generator after the comment period closes to select one lucky winner, and if you comment twice (e.g., to respond to another reader’s comment), I’ll use the number of your first comment to enter you in the drawing. I’ll email you directly if you win and announce the winner on TLT’s Facebook page, too. This offer is open to U.S. residents only.
Good luck!
[Blogger disclosure: As with most of my book reviews, I received a free copy of this book for my perusal. However, I never accept any other form of compensation for the book reviews you see on The Lunch Tray.]
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Linn L says
Families need all the help we can get when it comes to training our kiddos for a lifetime of healthful food choices. I would love to try this!
Tracy Singleton says
I know a grown up or two (or twenty!) who could benefit from this book and the Crunch-a-Color game. If I don’t win, I’ll certainly get a copy of this book. I look forward to checking it out. We’re been looking for a way to create some kind of “good real food” kids club to encourage kids eating more vegetables and also making the connection to the farmers we source from and this may give us some ideas. We recently revamped our kids’ menu and removed the automatic dessert option and have been thinking on alternative “reward”. One idea is seed packets. We will keep you posted as it develops. Thank you for sharing!
Tracy Singleton
Reshma says
I’m not a huge fan of “rewards” for eating. Recognizing that every child is different, I don’t discount that this may work in the short term for some families. I recently read Alfie Kohn’s The Myth of the Spoiled Child and he very nicely explains it by stating that rewards only work to get temporary compliance and that giving kids rewards to do something (try a new food) sends the message that the thing in and of itself is not worth doing.
Martha says
I would love a copy of this book, I can use all the ideas I can get to get my school children to try/eat their fruit and vegetables!
Casey says
The different viewpoints on parental modeling to teach kids to eat fruits and vegetables reminds me of the different viewpoints on how to develop readers. For some kids, parental role modeling will be enough but for others, it will take much more effort. Good to have resources to support these important lessons.
Kavita says
I would love a copy of the book since I am working on becoming a School Food Director. I would to see the ideas the author has.
Beth says
I used to put a purple tutu on my head and dance around the kitchen singing “hip hip for Amelia, hip hip for Eli” when they would try new foods. They still ask for the tutu when I offer them new foods. Luckily, it went “missing” and luckily, most new foods are not fruits and vegetables because they developed a large produce repertoire when they were younger. They are teens now 🙂 Thanks for the chance to win the book!
Amanda B says
It’s worth a shot–and maybe it’ll convince me to try some new produce too!
Liz C says
I have a very picky eater and am always looking for ideas to get him to try new foods!
katie says
Every time I try a new way to serve/encourage veggie consumption, I worry that I ruined my child for life. If I praise him, will he refuse more often to get attention? If I ignore him, will he associate healthy eating with being abandoned? If I force him to take a bite before (fill in the blank) we get stuck in a battle of wills that no mom will win against a toddler.
For the most part, the kid eats well, but there are days where I wonder what happened to his favorite veggie that makes it REPULSIVE.
Its a battle for all parents, not just those with picky eaters. I’d love to gather some new tips/tricks in my pocket for dinner time.
Kendell says
I would like a copy of this book, trying to get kids to eat new produce is a good thing.
Sara says
I already have placed the book on hold from the library, but I would love to have my own copy for after I can’t renew it any longer. 🙂