Meet-a-New-Food Planner

Pick a food and get a week of small, fun moves for the whole family, toddlers to grown-ups, the way NutraPlanet ran new foods in school cafeterias.

Orange and pale green pumpkins on the grass

Your week

Pumpkin week

    Why this order?

    Your plan stays on this page. Nothing is saved or sent (site analytics: privacy policy). This is how NutraPlanet ran new foods in school cafeterias, not feeding advice; for advice about your family, talk to your pediatrician or a registered dietitian.

    Pick up to 4 foods

    One food a week, in the order you pick them.

    Who's at the table

    Start on

    Each day speaks to every age you pick, in its own words.

    Good to know

    Where the order comes from, why the tasting waits until Day 6, and the questions families ask most.

    Why the week works this way

    The cafeteria order

    This is the order NutraPlanet ran in school cafeterias, reaching 160,000+ kids across 10 school districts in 6 states: meet the food, give it a story, a video, a song and a job, then a sample next to a complete meal. Only then did it go on the menu.

    Tremayne Saliim, NutraPlanet founder

    Many tries, one week

    "It can take 13 or more exposures to a new food before they will accept it," says the American Academy of Pediatrics. A week gives one food seven of them, and the week can run again.

    AAP, HealthyChildren.org

    Looking counts

    The AAP calls looking at, touching, smelling and helping prepare foods "learning," and suggests low-pressure ways to build familiarity. That is why the tasting waits for Day 6, and why nobody has to try it then either.

    AAP, HealthyChildren.org

    Questions

    How many times should you offer a new food?

    The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says it can take 13 or more exposures to a new food before a child accepts it, and that seeing it on the plate, touching it and smelling it all count. That is why this planner gives one food a whole week, and why the same week can run again.

    What if the food just sits on the plate?

    That still counts. The AAP suggests telling kids they don't have to "eat it," they can just "try it," and trying can mean having it on the plate. Dinner can happen around it. Run the week again, or keep the food on the menu as a small side next to meals everyone already likes.

    How do I introduce new foods to a picky eater?

    This planner is built on low pressure: one small move a day, with tasting saved for Day 6. The AAP says pressuring kids to eat can make them actively dislike foods they might otherwise like, and that low-pressure activities and repeated exposure help. For advice about your own child, talk to your pediatrician or a registered dietitian.

    Does it work for toddlers?

    Yes. Pick "Little ones" under "Who's at the table" and every day gets a short, playful line to read aloud to them. For babies and toddlers, the CDC lists pieces of hard raw vegetables and whole beans among choking risks, so serve their tastes soft and cut small. Your pediatrician can tell you what is right for your child.

    Are there other free trying-new-foods charts?

    Yes. Teach Your Monster has a free "Eat the Rainbow" trying chart and songs for more than 40 fruits and vegetables in its Adventurous Eating game, and it is great at getting young kids to use their senses. We make NutraPlanet, so we're biased. This planner gives one food a whole week, with its own story, video, song and job before the taste.

    Sources

    1. AAP, HealthyChildren.org: "Taste, Touch, Explore: Make Nutritious Food Fun for Young Eaters," Amy Christison, MD, FAAP (updated September 11, 2026)
    2. AAP, HealthyChildren.org: "10 Tips for Parents of Picky Eaters," AAP Committee on Nutrition (updated April 26, 2018)
    3. CDC: Choking Hazards (infants and toddlers)
    4. Teach Your Monster: "Encourage Healthier Eating using Senses and Songs!" (May 20, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
    5. The day ideas come from our own guides: broccoli, carrots, black beans, strawberries, washing strawberries, spinach and washing spinach, each with its own sources.

    NutraPlanet News and Adventures of Lil TJ are our shows on YouTube; NutraBeats is our music. Videos open on YouTube.

    Food photos from Wikimedia Commons, all public domain or CC0:pumpkins (George Chernilevsky), sweet potatoes (Daderot), broccoli (SarKaLay), carrots (Jeffery Martin), black beans (Ranjithkumar Murugesan), breakfast foods (U.S. Department of Agriculture), bananas (Pdpics.com), cucumber (Stephen Ausmus, USDA ARS), strawberries (George Chernilevsky), spinach (Jeffery Martin).

    Last updated: October 27, 2026.