Practicing mindfulness is quickly gaining popularity in America. Based on Buddhist principles, being mindful is living in the moment and fully experiencing external sensations as well as your emotions and internal thoughts.  While practicing mindfulness can be challenging for a child, an aspect of it, opening up your senses, is a tool that parents can use to introduce their child to new things.

Kids can be very picky eaters. Every parent knows the difficulty of trying to get their child to try new foods. A lot of children won’t stray too far from chicken tenders and french fries. This can make ensuring that they are receiving the proper nutrients difficult. As a parent you want your child’s diet to be made up of a nice variety of natural and whole foods. The body needs a lot of different nutrients, and the best way to get them is from a well balanced diet. 

So, how do you get your picky eater to try new things? This is where one of the principles of mindfulness comes in. When practicing mindfulness, you focus on the senses and fully experience everything you see, hear, touch, smell and taste. Observe these things without judgement. So, it’s simply “This is sour,” not “I don’t like this.” You can use this idea to your advantage a few different ways.

1 - Next time you are in the produce section of the grocery store, invite your child to join you in selecting different kinds of produce. Grab a fruit or vegetable that they have never had before or that they won’t try. Together, make observations about the food. Feel the texture of its skin or its leaves. Listen for the sound it makes when you rub it, shake it, or thump it. Look at its bright colors or odd shape. And don't be afraid to give it a good smell.  Take turns describing what you are experiencing. After exciting these four senses, your child is more likely to have an interest in discovering that fifth sense of taste.

2 - While preparing a meal, invite your child to join you. As the two of you prepare the meal, take time to observe and enjoy the way your senses are involved. Listen to the sound of a sauce simmering or carrots being chopped. Look at how beautiful a salad is or how artistic a plate presentation can be. Notice how wonderful the kitchen begins to smell. Feel the sensation of cutting through a bell pepper (under close adult supervision, if you feel like your child can handle it) or of grabbing a handful of rice before it’s cooked. Taste the ingredients you use, and see how the flavors change as you add different things. Getting children’s senses involved like this and making them a part of the cooking process will make them much more excited to try new things.

3 - Make mindfulness a game. Have your child taste and smell a spice or herb you are going to use in one of the parts of the meal. Then, see if he can tell which part of the meal you used it in.  Or have your child taste the different ingredients you are using, and see if they can determine whether the ingredient is sweet, sour, bitter, or salty (or umami, if you’re up for the challenge).  Play a guessing game by blindfolding your child and letting them touch, smell, hear, and taste a fruit or vegetable. Then, see if they can guess what it is.

Whether mindfulness is something you practice in all aspects of your life or not, the principle of opening up the senses is a useful tool when it comes to exploring new and unusual foods. When you introduce your child to the way different foods affect the senses, you spark their curiosity.  This curiosity can lead to a desire to try new things, and will make eating a more enjoyable experience. The more a child enjoys eating a variety of foods, the healthier that child will be.


Justin NobleJustin Noble is a certified nutrition coach, children's book author, and long time lover of children's stories. Raised in the Texas Hill Country, Justin relocated to New York City where he was inspired with the idea behind the My Body Village series, co-created with wife Le-Anne. Le-Anne Noble has a BA in creative writing and a BA in theatre performance from Western Michigan University, and received her MFA in acting from the University of Florida. For more information about the Nobles and Arties’ Party Featuring The Vita-Men! please visit www.MyBodyVillage.com

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