Don’t yuck my yum. It’s mindful Monday, and teaching kids how to better describe their food is one way elevate their mindfulness around food. Plus, when kids use better adjectives compared to “yucky” or “icky” it’s less likely to negatively impact the opinions of their siblings.
In our family, I try to teach my boys to use different words outside of “yucky” or “gross” to describe what they don’t like. If my 4-year-old tells me something is yucky, I ask him why? Is it too sour, crunchy or tough? Encouraging children to describe their food helps them tune into their senses and be mindful. Plus, you might find out that they don’t like the “crunch” of apples, but they do like the flavor and offering dried apples is the perfect substitution!
Here are a few words so kids don’t yuck your yum + a fun food adjective quiz! Download our free PDF, to keep around the house. It gives your kids a lesson in both culinary arts AND language!
Read here for more ways to raise mindful eaters!

picture of words to describe food

Have some fun seeing if your kiddies can answer the following questions:

  • 1. My little brother likes to lick lemons! I don’t know how he does it, they’re so ___.


  • 2. I don’t like my mom’s ___ Thanksgiving turkey. I always have to add a lot of gravy.


  • 3. When we order BBQ, I often have to drink water because it is so  ___.


  • 4. I love chocolate cake, but that one had so many chocolate chips, it was so ___ I could barely finish it!


  • 5. NO thank you! This chicken noodle soup is way too ___!


  • 6. I love pizza, but if it has too much cheese, I think it tastes a bit ___.


  • 7. Smell this milk! I think it’s bad because it smells ___.


  • 8. I love ___ food, like chocolate, cookies and cakes.


  • 9. Not only was the service at the restaurant slow, when the food arrived it was ___.


  • 10. I like really ___ salads, that have carrots and peppers in them.