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How to Help Your Child Learn to Eat Avocado
October 2021
Last reviewed: September 2022
Author:
Charlotte Scott
Coauthors:
Johane Filemon, MS, RDN, CLT
Alexandria Delozier, PHD
Laura Petix, M.S. OTR/L
Erinn Jacobi, M.S. OTR/L
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
About Kids Eat in Color
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
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Author:
Charlotte Scott
Coauthors:
Johane Filemon, MS, RDN, CLT
Alexandria Delozier, PHD
Laura Petix, M.S. OTR/L
Erinn Jacobi, M.S. OTR/L
Stefanie Kain, B.S. M.Ed
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Rebecca runs around the kitchen quickly preparing dinner to end her busy day. Rice, beans and, to top it off, a few slices of fresh avocado. A convenient and delicious meal for the entire family!
She goes through her checklist.
Everyone is at the table, check.
Little Benny’s avocados are chopped according to choking precaution, check.
Food is served to everyone, check.
Food is…on the floor?
The sound of avocados splatting on the floor jolts Rebecca out of her go-go-go mindset.
“Benny, what’s wrong?” she asks. “You usually love avocados!”
“I hate avocados, Auntie Beccy!” Benny whines. “They are too squishy!”
“Here, give this one a try,” Rebecca pleads. “They are just a little ripe, but they are still good!”
Benny refuses.
Oh no! Everything was running so smoothly! And Rebecca swore to herself that tonight would be easy. In a desperate attempt to keep things going as planned, she popped some frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave.
Picky eating is tricky. If you can relate to this story, then you have come to the right place. We are here to guide you through the everyday mealtime struggles caregivers face with picky eaters. In this guide, we’ll show you how to teach kids to eat avocados. You can expect to learn:
Many parents wonder if avocados are healthy for kids and toddlers. There’s good news! Avocados are a versatile fruit that offer nearly 20 nutrients. That is pretty cool!
Vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid, which are both B vitamins, are just two out of the 20 nutrients. B Vitamins are important because they help the body convert food into energy.
Did you know that avocados are a source of monounsaturated fat? Monounsaturated fat is fundamental because it acts as fuel for the body. It also helps the body absorb vitamins, keep warm and so much more!
Trying a new food can be intimidating for a selective eater! Here are some suggestions on how to create a safe space at the table to get your child to try avocados.
First of all, providing variety in how you serve foods can help your child understand that this new food can come in different shapes and flavors. Avocados can be served raw, on top of salads, or as dips. You can easily turn avocados into guacamole or chop them up into kid-friendly shapes.
Next, consider portion sizes. A new food can be pretty scary to picky eaters, especially if they’re served a large piece. Serving micro portions can help lower food anxiety. Micro portions are super tiny, pea-sized servings of food. A smaller piece of avocado won’t seem so green, so slimy or so mushy to picky eaters.
Finally, when creating a safe space for your child to try avocado, it’s good to also address pressure. When parents and caregivers put pressure on their kids to try new foods or clear their plates at mealtimes, it can lower the chances of that child developing a healthy relationship with food. Applying pressure can even make your child refuse the food even more.
Here are some examples of what pressure may sound like:
“You used to love avocados! Just give it a try.”
“You can’t play with your cousins until your plate is cleared.”
“Never waste your food. There are so many children who would love to eat the food on your plate.”
Avoiding pressure at mealtimes is an important way to get your kid to eat avocado.
A note about safety: A safe space for eating also means taking into account choking prevention. We have listed some trusty info to go by based on the age of your child:
Choking prevention information
1️⃣Cut in 1/8s (and grind seeds & nuts) for age 1. Think half a pinky finger size.⠀
2️⃣Quarter (and smash seeds & nuts) for age 2.⠀
3️⃣Half (or slivered nut pieces) for age 3.⠀
4️⃣Most kids are fine to eat unmodified food at or after age 4.⠀
How to Talk About Avocados to Help Your Child Try Them
Fussy eaters commonly use negative language to describe a new food. Negative language like, “This is icky,” “that looks like poop,” or “this tastes like dirt” reinforces selective eating habits. Teaching your child to use neutral language is a great way to combat picky eating. An effective way to accomplish this is through modeling. Modeling is the act of using your own actions to set an example for your children, whether at or away from the table.
Neutral language is the perfect medium because it helps create an objective and trusted perspective of this new food. Sometimes positive language can seem sneaky to kids–almost like you are trying to trick them to eat the food. Negative language will push your child away from trying a new food altogether.
Neutral language and modeling won’t instantly make your picky eater try avocado, but it will help.
Here are some neutral words you can use to describe avocados to your selective eater:
Green
Buttery
Smooth
Soft
Slippery
Soft, nutty flavor
How to Help Your Child Understand What Avocados Do in Their Body
Trying to convince a child like Benny that he needs to eat an avocado doesn’t usually end well. A great place to start would be to talk about what foods do in your child’s body when the topic naturally comes up. This understanding that food does something for their bodies will be powerful for the child’s long term relationship with food.
Of course, we want to give age-appropriate information that a child can easily understand.
Is this going to magically make them try something new? Probably not immediately. This is another step in your child learning to eat avocados.
Here are some phrases you can use to help your child understand what avocados do in the body:
Age 0-3: Did you know avocados have a special kind of fat? Fat helps keep you warm and cozy!
Age 3-5: Avocados have a special kind of fat. Fat helps your body move super fast!
Age 6-11: Did you know fat is one of the nutrients that gives your body energy and helps to keep you warm? You can get fat from avocados!
Age 12-18: Unsaturated fats are really important for the body. They help with keeping the body warm, providing energy, and even vitamin absorption. Plants like avocados are great sources of unsaturated fats.
In Benny’s situation, Rebecca could try saying sharing cool facts about avocados. “Yes, avocados can be soft. Also, they have unsaturated fat. This fat helps provide you energy!”
When kids experience new foods with all of their senses, such as touch, smell and taste, it can improve their chances of trying new foods. This is why food play is so important! Food activities can vary. For a simple suggestion, you can simply have your child help you cook a meal, or you could go one step further and create a dedicated game, like our suggestion below.
Food activities are a great way to increase exposure. Exposure can desensitize the body’s sensory system. When a sense is new to the brain, the brain may automatically see it as a danger and trigger the body’s fight or flight system. “Desensitize” is when your child’s body becomes more used to the food. Then, when your child is with the food, it doesn’t seem so mushy, so green or so soft.
A food activity probably wouldn’t convince a kid to eat avocados right away. But it could make them feel more comfortable with the food over time. It is good to remember that your picky eater may need to go through quite a few stages of being with avocados, such as looking at them, smelling them and touching them before they’re ready to try them. Start small with looking and smelling activities for more anxious or picky kids and work up to more intensive activities like touching and tasting.
Here is an example of an avocado activity for kids.
Avocado “Clay”
Age: 2-18
Materials
2-3 medium ripe avocados
Forks, spoons, knives
Extra clean hands (so you can repurpose the mashed avocado for a delicious guacamole or avocado toast!)
Steps
1. Safely slice avocados in half. Remove pit and flesh of avocado.
2. Have your child help you squish the avocado halves with either their hands or special tools (like spoons and forks).
3. Build your best avocado pottery piece.
Tip: Think outside the box and feel free to use other items (rice, seeds, etc.) to decorate the avocado pottery.
Avocado Recipes for Kids
Here are some great recipes with avocado that you can make with your child.
Baylin, Jonathan. “Behavioral Epigenetics and Attachment: The New Science of Trust and Mistrust.” The Neuropsychotherapist 1, no. 3 (2013): 68–79. https://doi.org/10.12744/tnpt(3)068-079.
Benson, Jeryl D., Carol S. Parke, Casey Gannon, and Diane Muñoz. “A Retrospective Analysis of the Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Approach in Children with Feeding Difficulties.” Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention 6, no. 4 (2013): 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2013.860758.
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2018.
Bodison, Stefanie C., and L. Diane Parham. “Specific Sensory Techniques and Sensory Environmental Modifications for Children and Youth with Sensory Integration Difficulties: A Systematic Review.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 72, no. 1 (December 2017). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.029413.
Case-Smith, Jane, and Jane Clifford O’Brien. Occupational Therapy for Children. Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby/Elsevier, 2010.
Cooke, L. “The Importance of Exposure for Healthy Eating in Childhood: A Review.” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 20, no. 4 (2007): 294–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-277x.2007.00804.x.
Copple, Carol, and Sue Bredekamp. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008.
Hagan, Joseph F., Judith S. Shaw, and Paula M. Duncan, eds. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (Pocket Guide). 4th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017. https://brightfutures.aap.org/Bright%20Futures%20Documents/BF4_POCKETGUIDE.pdf.
Min, Kyoung-Chul, and Yoo-Im Choi. “Review of Effectiveness Sensory Integration Therapy on Feeding and Oral Function of Children Focus on Single-Subject Research Design.” Journal of Korean Society of Occupational Therapy 29, no. 1 (2021): 101–13. https://doi.org/10.14519/kjot.2021.29.1.08.
Papalia, Diane E., Ruth Duskin Feldman, and Sally Wendkos Olds. Human Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009.
Parham, L. Diane, Gloria Frolek Clark, Renee Watling, and Roseann Schaaf. “Occupational Therapy Interventions for Children and Youth with Challenges in Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing: A Clinic-Based Practice Case Example.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 73, no. 1 (January 2019). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.731002.
Roley, Smith Susanne, Erna I. Blanche, and Roseann C. Schaaf. Understanding the Nature of Sensory Integration with Diverse Populations. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed, 2007.
Created by experts, Kids Eat in Color is the leading resource for families seeking evidence-based information and strategies on child nutrition and feeding.
Charlotte Scott is a Western Carolina University Alumni with a B.Sc in Nutrition and Dietetics and a Minor in Spanish. She is currently a Child Nutrition Fellow for Kids Eat In Color and a dietetic intern at Be Well Solutions Dietetic Internship. Charlotte is passionate about community service, nutrition counseling, and public health in the hope of opening her own center for families and children at financial risk. Volunteering is dear to her heart, and her curious nature intrigues a passion for expanding her knowledge in various fields.
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Rebecca runs around the kitchen quickly preparing dinner to end her busy day. Rice, beans and, to top it off, a few slices of fresh avocado. A convenient and delicious meal for the entire family!
She goes through her checklist.
Everyone is at the table, check.
Little Benny’s avocados are chopped according to choking precaution, check.
Food is served to everyone, check.
Food is…on the floor?
The sound of avocados splatting on the floor jolts Rebecca out of her go-go-go mindset.
“Benny, what’s wrong?” she asks. “You usually love avocados!”
“I hate avocados, Auntie Beccy!” Benny whines. “They are too squishy!”
“Here, give this one a try,” Rebecca pleads. “They are just a little ripe, but they are still good!”
Benny refuses.
Oh no! Everything was running so smoothly! And Rebecca swore to herself that tonight would be easy. In a desperate attempt to keep things going as planned, she popped some frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave.
Picky eating is tricky. If you can relate to this story, then you have come to the right place. We are here to guide you through the everyday mealtime struggles caregivers face with picky eaters. In this guide, we’ll show you how to teach kids to eat avocados. You can expect to learn:
Related: Learn even more about reversing picky eating
The Benefits of Avocados for Kids
Many parents wonder if avocados are healthy for kids and toddlers. There’s good news! Avocados are a versatile fruit that offer nearly 20 nutrients. That is pretty cool!
Vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid, which are both B vitamins, are just two out of the 20 nutrients. B Vitamins are important because they help the body convert food into energy.
Did you know that avocados are a source of monounsaturated fat? Monounsaturated fat is fundamental because it acts as fuel for the body. It also helps the body absorb vitamins, keep warm and so much more!
Related: Join the BetterBites Picky Eating Course – the most comprehensive course for the families of picky eaters
How to Serve Avocados to Picky Eaters
Trying a new food can be intimidating for a selective eater! Here are some suggestions on how to create a safe space at the table to get your child to try avocados.
First of all, providing variety in how you serve foods can help your child understand that this new food can come in different shapes and flavors. Avocados can be served raw, on top of salads, or as dips. You can easily turn avocados into guacamole or chop them up into kid-friendly shapes.
Next, consider portion sizes. A new food can be pretty scary to picky eaters, especially if they’re served a large piece. Serving micro portions can help lower food anxiety. Micro portions are super tiny, pea-sized servings of food. A smaller piece of avocado won’t seem so green, so slimy or so mushy to picky eaters.
Finally, when creating a safe space for your child to try avocado, it’s good to also address pressure. When parents and caregivers put pressure on their kids to try new foods or clear their plates at mealtimes, it can lower the chances of that child developing a healthy relationship with food. Applying pressure can even make your child refuse the food even more.
Here are some examples of what pressure may sound like:
“You used to love avocados! Just give it a try.”
“You can’t play with your cousins until your plate is cleared.”
“Never waste your food. There are so many children who would love to eat the food on your plate.”
Avoiding pressure at mealtimes is an important way to get your kid to eat avocado.
A note about safety: A safe space for eating also means taking into account choking prevention. We have listed some trusty info to go by based on the age of your child:
Choking prevention information
1️⃣Cut in 1/8s (and grind seeds & nuts) for age 1. Think half a pinky finger size.⠀
2️⃣Quarter (and smash seeds & nuts) for age 2.⠀
3️⃣Half (or slivered nut pieces) for age 3.⠀
4️⃣Most kids are fine to eat unmodified food at or after age 4.⠀
Related: Need recipes with avocados? Try Real Easy Weekdays: The Meal Plan for Busy Families
How to Talk About Avocados to Help Your Child Try Them
Fussy eaters commonly use negative language to describe a new food. Negative language like, “This is icky,” “that looks like poop,” or “this tastes like dirt” reinforces selective eating habits. Teaching your child to use neutral language is a great way to combat picky eating. An effective way to accomplish this is through modeling. Modeling is the act of using your own actions to set an example for your children, whether at or away from the table.
Neutral language is the perfect medium because it helps create an objective and trusted perspective of this new food. Sometimes positive language can seem sneaky to kids–almost like you are trying to trick them to eat the food. Negative language will push your child away from trying a new food altogether.
Neutral language and modeling won’t instantly make your picky eater try avocado, but it will help.
Here are some neutral words you can use to describe avocados to your selective eater:
How to Help Your Child Understand What Avocados Do in Their Body
Trying to convince a child like Benny that he needs to eat an avocado doesn’t usually end well. A great place to start would be to talk about what foods do in your child’s body when the topic naturally comes up. This understanding that food does something for their bodies will be powerful for the child’s long term relationship with food.
Of course, we want to give age-appropriate information that a child can easily understand.
Is this going to magically make them try something new? Probably not immediately. This is another step in your child learning to eat avocados.
Here are some phrases you can use to help your child understand what avocados do in the body:
Age 0-3: Did you know avocados have a special kind of fat? Fat helps keep you warm and cozy!
Age 3-5: Avocados have a special kind of fat. Fat helps your body move super fast!
Age 6-11: Did you know fat is one of the nutrients that gives your body energy and helps to keep you warm? You can get fat from avocados!
Age 12-18: Unsaturated fats are really important for the body. They help with keeping the body warm, providing energy, and even vitamin absorption. Plants like avocados are great sources of unsaturated fats.
In Benny’s situation, Rebecca could try saying sharing cool facts about avocados. “Yes, avocados can be soft. Also, they have unsaturated fat. This fat helps provide you energy!”
Related: Get our picky eater guide – From Stress to Success: 4 Ways to Help Your Child Eat Better without Losing Your Mind
Avocado Food Activity
When kids experience new foods with all of their senses, such as touch, smell and taste, it can improve their chances of trying new foods. This is why food play is so important! Food activities can vary. For a simple suggestion, you can simply have your child help you cook a meal, or you could go one step further and create a dedicated game, like our suggestion below.
Food activities are a great way to increase exposure. Exposure can desensitize the body’s sensory system. When a sense is new to the brain, the brain may automatically see it as a danger and trigger the body’s fight or flight system. “Desensitize” is when your child’s body becomes more used to the food. Then, when your child is with the food, it doesn’t seem so mushy, so green or so soft.
A food activity probably wouldn’t convince a kid to eat avocados right away. But it could make them feel more comfortable with the food over time. It is good to remember that your picky eater may need to go through quite a few stages of being with avocados, such as looking at them, smelling them and touching them before they’re ready to try them. Start small with looking and smelling activities for more anxious or picky kids and work up to more intensive activities like touching and tasting.
Here is an example of an avocado activity for kids.
Avocado “Clay”
Age: 2-18
Materials
Steps
1. Safely slice avocados in half. Remove pit and flesh of avocado.
2. Have your child help you squish the avocado halves with either their hands or special tools (like spoons and forks).
3. Build your best avocado pottery piece.
Tip: Think outside the box and feel free to use other items (rice, seeds, etc.) to decorate the avocado pottery.
Avocado Recipes for Kids
Here are some great recipes with avocado that you can make with your child.
Thanks for being a part of our community that’s teaching kids to eat more foods!
References
“Avocado Facts & Recipes for Kids.” Avocados From Mexico. November 24, 2016. https://avocadosfrommexico.com/avocado-nutrition/avocado-and-kids/.
Baylin, Jonathan. “Behavioral Epigenetics and Attachment: The New Science of Trust and Mistrust.” The Neuropsychotherapist 1, no. 3 (2013): 68–79. https://doi.org/10.12744/tnpt(3)068-079.
Benson, Jeryl D., Carol S. Parke, Casey Gannon, and Diane Muñoz. “A Retrospective Analysis of the Sequential Oral Sensory Feeding Approach in Children with Feeding Difficulties.” Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention 6, no. 4 (2013): 289–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2013.860758.
Benton, Jane M., ed. “Fats (for Parents) – Nemours Kidshealth.” KidsHealth. The Nemours Foundation, January 2017. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/fat.html.
Berk, Laura E. Development Through the Lifespan. 7th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2018.
Bodison, Stefanie C., and L. Diane Parham. “Specific Sensory Techniques and Sensory Environmental Modifications for Children and Youth with Sensory Integration Difficulties: A Systematic Review.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 72, no. 1 (December 2017). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.029413.
Case-Smith, Jane, and Jane Clifford O’Brien. Occupational Therapy for Children. Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby/Elsevier, 2010.
Cooke, L. “The Importance of Exposure for Healthy Eating in Childhood: A Review.” Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 20, no. 4 (2007): 294–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-277x.2007.00804.x.
Copple, Carol, and Sue Bredekamp. Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs: Serving Children from Birth Through Age 8. 3rd ed. Washington, D.C.: National Association for the Education of Young Children, 2008.
Hagan, Joseph F., Judith S. Shaw, and Paula M. Duncan, eds. Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents (Pocket Guide). 4th ed. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017. https://brightfutures.aap.org/Bright%20Futures%20Documents/BF4_POCKETGUIDE.pdf.
“How the Fight or Flight Response Works.” The American Institute of Stress, August 21, 2019. https://www.stress.org/how-the-fight-or-flight-response-works.
Kramer, Paula, Jim Hinojosa, and Tsu-Hsin Howe. Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, 2020.
Milestone Moments: Learn the Signs, Act Early. Atlanta, GA: Department of Health & Human Services USA, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/MilestoneMomentsEng508.pdf.
Min, Kyoung-Chul, and Yoo-Im Choi. “Review of Effectiveness Sensory Integration Therapy on Feeding and Oral Function of Children Focus on Single-Subject Research Design.” Journal of Korean Society of Occupational Therapy 29, no. 1 (2021): 101–13. https://doi.org/10.14519/kjot.2021.29.1.08.
Papalia, Diane E., Ruth Duskin Feldman, and Sally Wendkos Olds. Human Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009.
Parham, L. Diane, Gloria Frolek Clark, Renee Watling, and Roseann Schaaf. “Occupational Therapy Interventions for Children and Youth with Challenges in Sensory Integration and Sensory Processing: A Clinic-Based Practice Case Example.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 73, no. 1 (January 2019). https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.731002.
“Preschooler Development.” MedlinePlus. U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2, 2021. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002013.htm.
Roley, Smith Susanne, Erna I. Blanche, and Roseann C. Schaaf. Understanding the Nature of Sensory Integration with Diverse Populations. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed, 2007.
“The Skinny on Fat.” National Institutes of Health. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, May 9, 2019. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2019/03/skinny-fat.“Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid).” Mount Sinai Health System. Accessed September 9, 2021. https://www.mountsinai.org/health-library/supplement/vitamin-b5-pantothenic-acid.