Ever noticed that some food tastes better when eaten in a different location? The apple that I enjoy ‘on-the-go’ for some mysterious reason seems to taste fresher and sweeter than the one I eat at my breakfast table. This made me think. And why should the same phenomenon not apply to my children?

Sometimes they refused to eat fruit or healthy snacks at the table. Keeping my apple theory in mind, I decided to look at marketing principles for further help: Just sell the same product in another packaging at a different location and it might be much more appealing to the target consumer.

Instead of forcing my children to sit at the table, I started serving them in their territory, for example in their little secret corner behind the sofa, while playing under the table or in the park. I presented healthy snacks such as fruits and nuts in a fun and creative way. That’s what we started calling ‘picnic-time’. Suddenly eating became an exciting adventure. Let your creativity go wild and get inspired by the craze of the moment to trick them into eating healthier snacks. For example, when my kids passed through their ‘Shrek-phase’, they loved eating their special Puss-in-Boots swords (olive-cucumber-tomato sticks).

‘The apple theory’ works. I got my kids to eat healthier snacks by displaying them creatively and serving them in unusual places. Long live the picnic!