Tips for Encouraging Kids to Eat Fermented Foods

Kids are notorious for being picky eaters. In most cases, kids only eat a few foods and getting them to try anything new can lead to meltdowns and tantrums. If you are trying to get your kids to eat more fermented foods, especially for the benefits they offer to children with SPD or autism, then you may be wondering how you are going to pull this off. Here are some tips for encouraging kids to eat fermented foods, even if they don't know they are.

Add to Sandwiches

One of the easiest ways to add fermented foods to your kids diet, or encourage them to eat fermented foods, is to add them to sandwiches. Pickles are the best and quickest step to achieving this. Pickles are on most sandwiches and kids tend to eat them without much question. You can move from having them added to just sandwiches by allowing your kids to eat them whenever they want. In fact, some parents have found that getting dill pickles and letting their kids eat them as a snack, works fairly well.

Give them Drinks

Kids love to try new drinks, especially if they see a parent drinking them or if they think the drink is a soda of some sort. So, reach for kombucha drinks and try them out first. These do come in different flavors, so try to find a flavor your kids already like. For example, if they love blueberries then reach for a blueberry flavored kombucha. 

Have them Make It

One of the easiest fermented foods you can make is yogurt. There are machines for this, but you can also make yogurt in the crockpot. You can have your children help as a project, learning experience, and to get them excited about the final product. They can add their own flavors and make the yogurt their own personal brand. This helps kids want to eat more fermented foods in the form of yogurt, and gets them excited about trying new flavors. 

Add to Lunches

Try adding one or two fermented foods to lunches. You can start off small with things like pickles as a side snack and yogurt as a dessert. This may seem fairly simple, and it is. It also allows you to see what your kids like and what they ask for. You can go with the flavors they are attracted to and then bring in more of those same flavors from different fermented foods. 

By using these tips, you can help your kids get the fermented foods they need in their diet. You can also introduce the tastes and flavors they may start requesting, which means you can get even more fermented foods into their diets. 


