Blog written by Judith Lynn - Paediatric Nutritionist Founder and Owner Little Monkey Nutrition

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Are you at you're at your wits' end trying to persuade your little one to try new foods?

Rest assured, you're not alone. The journey of parenthood is peppered with challenges, and dealing with fussy eaters is a common hurdle. But fear not, for there's a promising strategy that could transform meal times from a battlefield into a more peaceful experience: food chaining.

What is Food Chaining?

Food chaining is a compassionate and understanding approach to broadening the diet of selective eaters. Developed by paediatric feeding specialists, this method is rooted in the principle of familiarity, easing children into trying new foods by making subtle changes to the ones they already like. The beauty of food chaining lies in its simplicity and customisation to each child's preferences, making it a versatile tool in the parental arsenal against picky eating.

Food chaining was developed by Cheri Fraker, Mark Fishbein, and Sibyl Cox, who are occupational therapists specializing in paediatric feeding disorders. They introduced the concept of food chaining as a practical and effective way to help children expand their limited diets by gradually introducing new foods that are similar to the ones they already enjoy.

While there may not be specific research studies on food chaining itself, there is scientific evidence supporting the principles behind it. Research in the field of paediatric feeding disorders and picky eating has shown that exposure to a variety of foods, repeated tasting, and positive reinforcement can help increase food acceptance and reduce food neophobia (fear of new foods) in children.

For example, a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that repeated exposure to a variety of vegetables increased children's acceptance and liking of those vegetables over time. Another study published in Appetite showed that positive mealtime interactions and modelling by parents can influence children's food preferences and eating behaviours.

By using food chaining techniques based on these principles, parents can help their children become more comfortable trying new foods and expanding their diets in a positive and supportive way.

How Does It Work?

The essence of food chaining is to create a series of links or 'chains' between foods that are already accepted and those that are new or previously refused. By focusing on similarities in taste, texture, colour, or shape, you can gently guide your child towards broader food horizons. The process is gradual, respecting the child's pace and readiness to explore new culinary territories.

Implementing Food Chaining at Home

1. Start with a Favourite: Begin with a food that your child loves. Let's say, for example, they have a penchant for cheese pizza. This familiar favourite becomes the starting point of your food chain.

2. Introduce Small Variations: Next, make a slight modification to the chosen food. Perhaps you could try adding a new topping that's similar in colour or texture to the ones they already enjoy, such as adding slices of tomato to the cheese pizza. The aim is to keep the change subtle enough not to alarm them but noticeable enough to introduce something new.

3. Expand the Chain: Once your child accepts the modified version, you can gradually make further changes. Following our pizza example, you might then move on to a vegetable pizza with peppers and onions, highlighting that it's still pizza, just with different toppings they might like.

4. Link to a New Food: After several successful modifications, try connecting to a completely new food that shares some characteristics with the modified favourites. If they've grown accustomed to vegetable pizza, perhaps a vegetable pasta might not seem too daunting a leap.

5. Celebrate Small Wins: Remember, every new food acceptance is a victory. Praise your child for their bravery and curiosity in trying new things, reinforcing positive associations with the experience of expanding their palate.

Practical Tips for Success

• Patience is Key: Food chaining is not an overnight solution. Be prepared for a gradual process, and celebrate the small victories along the way.
• Stay Positive: Keep meal times stress-free and positive. Avoid pressuring your child, as this can lead to negative associations with eating.
• Involve Your Child: Whenever possible, involve your child in the cooking process. This can increase their interest and willingness to try new foods.
• Keep a Food Diary: Documenting your child's progress can be incredibly helpful for identifying patterns and planning future steps in the food chaining process.
• Pace According to Your Child: Move through these steps at a pace that’s comfortable for your child. Some steps may take longer than others.
• Celebrate Small Wins: Acknowledge and celebrate when your child tries something new. Positive reinforcement can motivate them to keep exploring new foods.
• Consistency in Seasoning: Use similar seasonings throughout the transition to maintain a flavour link between each step.                       
• Positive Reinforcement: Praise any small progress. Positive reinforcement can make a significant difference in their willingness to try new foods.

Food Chaining Examples

From Chicken Nuggets to Roast Chicken

1. Start with Chicken Nuggets: Begin with the familiar favourite. Choose a brand or style your child already enjoys.

2. Homemade Chicken Nuggets: Transition to homemade chicken nuggets using minced chicken. You can control the ingredients and gradually alter the texture to be more like real chicken.

3. Breaded Chicken Strips: Move on to breaded chicken strips made from whole chicken breast pieces. This introduces a more 'real' chicken texture while maintaining a familiar crispy coating.

4. Grilled Chicken Strips: Next, offer grilled chicken strips, seasoned lightly. Removing the breading introduces the child to the natural texture and flavour of chicken.

5. Roasted Chicken Pieces: Introduce small pieces of roasted chicken, starting with the more tender parts like thigh or drumstick, which are juicier and might be more appealing.

6. Whole Roast Chicken: Finally, serve a piece of roast chicken as part of a family meal, encouraging the child to see the connection between the chicken pieces they’ve been eating and the whole roast chicken.

McDonald's Fries to Roast Potatoes Food Chain

1. Start with McDonald's Fries: Begin with what your child loves. The familiar taste, texture, and appearance of McDonald's fries are your starting point.

2. Homemade Fries: Transition to homemade fries. Try to mimic the size and crunch of McDonald's fries using a healthier cooking method like baking or air frying. Season them similarly to make this transition smoother.

3. Seasoned Homemade Fries: Once your child is comfortable with homemade fries, start experimenting with seasonings. Add herbs like rosemary or thyme, which you'll later use in your roast potatoes. This introduces new flavours in a familiar context.

4. Change the Shape: Start altering the shape of the homemade fries to more of a wedge. This step moves away from the thin, stick-like shape of McDonald's fries to a form that's closer to roast potatoes. For other variations, textures and shapes you could try potato croquettes  or potato rosti's which are other examples of potato dishes to implement on the route to roast potatoes.. Continue using the same seasonings to maintain a flavour connection.

5. Introduce New Potatoes: Switch to new potatoes or baby potatoes, cut into halves or quarters, still roasted with olive oil and the same herbs. The smaller size maintains a sense of familiarity while introducing the concept of roast potatoes.

6. Roast Potatoes with Skins: Finally, transition to making traditional roast potatoes with the skins on. Use the same seasoning as before, and roast them until they're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. You might also introduce a dipping sauce similar to ketchup but homemade, to draw a parallel with how they enjoyed McDonald's fries.

Frozen plain cheese pizza to homemade pizza with a variety of toppings.

 1. Start with a Favourite: Plain Cheese Pizza:
Begin with a simple, familiar favourite for your child: a plain cheese pizza. This is your baseline food, something you know they enjoy and are comfortable eating.

2. Introduce a Minimal New Element: Add a New Cheese
Once your child is consistently comfortable with the plain cheese pizza, introduce a small change. Add a new type of cheese along with the usual cheese. For instance, if your baseline pizza uses mozzarella, add a bit of cheddar. The idea is to introduce a new flavour in a very familiar context.

3. Add a Familiar Vegetable: Introduce Bell Peppers
After your child has accepted the new cheese, you can start to introduce a vegetable topping. Choose something they might already like in another context, such as bell peppers or tomatoes, chopped very finely or placed in small quantities.

4. Introduce More Vegetables: Mixed Toppings
Gradually add more types of vegetables, such as onions or mushrooms, increasing the variety of toppings. You can start with vegetables that are less distinct in flavour and move towards those with stronger tastes as your child becomes more adventurous.

5. Change the Base: Homemade Base, Tortilla Wraps, Pitta Bread etc
Once they’re open to different toppings, you can begin to modify the pizza's base. If you’ve been using a regular white pizza dough, try switching to homemade version, tortilla wraps or pitta bread and from there you could swap over to wholemeal or seeded varieties This change introduces them to different grains and textures.

6. Experiment with Sauces: Tomato to Pesto
With your child now used to different toppings and bases, change the sauce. If the standard has been tomato sauce, you might try introducing a homemade tomato sauce or a pesto sauce. This step can open up a whole new set of flavours.

7. Introduce a New Protein: Try Ham, Pepperoni, Chicken etc.
If your child is accustomed to cheese-only pizzas, you can start adding proteins. Begin with something mild like chicken. This not only diversifies their protein intake but also gets them used to the idea of meat on pizza, which can be a bridge to trying meat in other dishes.

8. Link to a New Dish: From Pizza to Pasta
Use the elements of the pizza that your child has come to enjoy (e.g., chicken and pesto) and introduce a new dish, such as pasta with chicken and pesto. This final step moves away from pizza into a new category of food, using the familiar flavours and ingredients as the connecting thread.

Click here for a homemade pizza wrap recipe

Additional Food Chaining Ideas

• From Apple Sauce to Whole Apples: Start with smooth apple sauce, move to chunkier apple sauce, then to peeled apple slices, and finally to whole apples with the skin on.
• From French Fries to Roasted Vegetables: Begin with the familiar shape and texture of french fries, transition to sweet potato fries, then to other roasted root vegetables like carrots or parsnips cut into fry-like shapes, and finally to a variety of roasted vegetables.
• From Plain Pasta to Vegetable-Infused Pasta: Start with plain pasta, then introduce coloured pasta (like spinach or tomato pasta), next mix in finely chopped vegetables with plain pasta, and finally serve pasta with a chunky vegetable sauce.
• From Cheese Pizza to Vegetable Pizza: Begin with cheese pizza, add a single vegetable topping such as tomatoes or bell peppers, increase the variety of vegetable toppings gradually, and then introduce other bases like vegetable-loaded pizza or flatbreads.
• From Flavoured Yogurt to Plain Yogurt with Fresh Fruits: Start with their favourite flavoured yogurt, mix flavoured and plain yogurt, transition to plain yogurt with a spoonful of jam or honey, and finally serve plain yogurt with fresh fruit chunks

Conclusion

Navigating the tumultuous waters of fussy eating requires patience, creativity, and a dash of strategy. Food chaining offers a roadmap to expanding your child's diet in a gentle, gradual way. By building on the familiar and celebrating each step forward, you can help your child develop a more adventurous and less stressful relationship with food. Here's to happier, healthier meal times ahead!