I Just Want Them to Eat Better”: What Parents Say About Feeding Their Kids — And What They Might Be Missing

You’re not alone if you feel like mealtimes are a mix of hope, negotiation, and quiet compromise.

We asked 392 parents what really matters most when choosing food and drinks for their kids. Here’s what you told us:

What Matters Most	% of Parents Who Said This
Taste — They have to like it	57.9%
Sneaky nutrition — Getting in the good stuff without battles	50.5%
Building good food habits early	46.4%
Giving them the best foundation for life	16.1%
Avoiding sugar, additives, or UPFs	14.5%
Gut health and immune support	7.1%

Let’s talk about what this really means.

You care. That’s obvious.
You want your kids to be healthy. You want them to build good habits.
But you’re also exhausted. You’re tired of food battles, tired of trying to please picky taste buds, and honestly, sometimes you just want a quiet mealtime.

That’s why “sneaky nutrition” ranked so high.
You’re doing your best sneaking veggies into sauces, choosing fortified snacks, grabbing what you can in the supermarket that doesn’t feel like a total nutritional fail.

And here’s the thing: you’re not wrong.

But what this data also tells us is something deeper:
Most of us are trying to build healthy kids… without being able to model those habits ourselves.
And that’s not your fault.

We’re all just trying to keep up juggling tiredness, time pressure, decision fatigue, and the sheer emotional load of raising children.

Here’s what’s being missed:

• Only 1 in 10 parents say setting a good example for their kids guides their own food choices (Q14)
  
• Yet nearly half of parents say they want to build strong food habits for their children (Q15)
  
• And less than 8% say gut health or immune support even crosses their mind when feeding their family
  

That’s a disconnect and it’s a big one.

Because how you eat… is how they learn to eat.
Not just what goes on the plate, but what food represents.
Stress? Speed? Survival? Or nourishment, calm, and connection?

We all want to give our kids the best foundation for life but we’ve been taught to look at food as fuel, not as part of that foundation.

And let’s be honest: if you’re too depleted to eat well yourself, how can you lead your family into healthy habits that actually last?

So what’s the solution?

It’s not guilt.
It’s not 3 hours in the kitchen.
And it’s definitely not another parenting trend with 20 ingredients you don’t have.

It’s practical nutrition that’s:

• Fast
  
• Enjoyable
  
• Gut-supportive
  
• And helps you and your kids thrive not just survive
  

It’s time to stop winging it and start building health from the inside out, without battles, without burnout, and without shame.

5 Takeaways for Parents (Based on Real Data)

1. Taste still rules the table but sneaky nutrition is how most parents try to balance it
   
2. You want to build good habits for your kids but you’re not always leading by example (because you’re running on empty)
   
3. Very few parents connect food with long-term health foundations
   
4. Gut health and immune support are barely in the picture even though they should be
   
5. You don’t need to do it all. You just need better support and real-life tools that make health easy
   

Want to give your kids better food without the battles?

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Because when food works for your body and your lifestyle, you don’t have to sneak anything.