dr. yum's food adventure
An interactive, multi-sensory, 2- to 3-year nutrition curriculum with unparalleled teacher training and support, strong family involvement, and research to prove it helps kids to enjoy more fruits and vegetables!
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picky eater prevention and intervention
Did you know learning how to eat a wide variety of new foods is a DEVELOPMENTAL process, just like talking, reading, and riding a bike? Not many do. At the same, time “kid food” marketing makes it even harder to help young children overcome picky eating. The Dr. Yum Project team is here to help.
created by a team of experts
This monthly cooking curriculum was created by a pediatrician, a pediatric feeding specialist, a registered dietitian, and an early education specialist to improve feeding behaviors in children since 2013.
data proves behavior change after 9 lessons
Dr. Nancy Zucker, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Duke University showed that after nine monthly lesson there was a significant improvement in attitudes and feeding behaviors in all 9 key areas studied 2023 AAP research Poster »
research poster »
easy implementation with flexibility and adaptability
Our flexible curriculum allows teachers to incorporate lessons within their program as a whole group or center-based experience, building a culture of wellness at school.
ongoing instructor training and support
Dr. Yum’s Teacher Success team is available to support you and ensure your school’s Adventure is meeting its goals. On-demand training for all instructors is included, and our team will check in regularly to answer questions and strategize solutions at no additional cost.
expert guidance for parents & carry-over into the home
To support student families, they will receive a Parent Manual, monthly e-letters, Feedback Sheets and recipes from each lesson, as well as access to the vast free resources available on our website.
inclusive of all learners
We understand kids with special needs may have additional challenges when learning to eat new foods. The Adventure is designed to help children with a range of abilities, including those with special needs or feeding issues to make friends with food using a fun, sensory-based approach in school or feeding therapy.
alignment with educational standards & includes suggested extension activities
Reinforces cognitive and developmental skills like language, math, fine motor skills, and more, all while making friends with healthy foods. Each lesson provides ideas for teachers to use in a variety of classroom areas.
kids have fun learning about the power of food
Helps children to build a base of healthy eating habits and shows them how the superpowers in fruits and vegetables help strengthen their bodies and minds.

Purchase once, use for a lifetime

learn about our special packages for feeding therapists » shop all packages for classrooms and feeding therapists »

Bring Dr. Yum to Your Community

Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure works with a wide range of schools and partner organizations to help children, teachers, feeding therapists, and families learn to make friends with new fruits and veggies , changing attitudes and behaviors around new foods!. We’ve had great results with all types of early childcare settings, school districts, Head Start organizations, YMCA programs, speech-language pathology and occupational therapy offices, hospitals, Food Banks, and more.

To become one of our partners and bring Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure to your community, just follow the four steps below. Our team is ready to assist you, so please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Join an info Session » or Send us an email »

frequently asked questions

Why Education on Healthy Eating is Important

Childhood Obesity is an epidemic affecting children of all ages. But poor nutrition doesn’t only appear as excess body weight. A poor diet can contribute to problems like chronic constipation, gastrointestinal reflux, urinary tract infections, bedwetting, difficulty paying attention, anxiety and fatigue.

Feeding disorders are also increasingly more prevalent in young children. Feeding disorders can range from picky eating to more severe issues requiring specialized therapy. Often parents are not sure how to overcome picky eating in toddlers and preschoolers. Children can easily fall into eating the usual “kid-friendly foods” which are low in nutrients, but high in fat, salt, and sugar.

But what if there is a better way? What if we can introduce preschoolers to the delicious flavors and health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables and get them excited about preparing foods themselves in the classroom? What if that excited preschooler takes their new knowledge and skills home, encouraging his or her family to try new foods and cook together?

How It Works

Dr. Yum’s Food Adventure is an evidence based interactive curriculum designed to introduce children to the joy of eating fruits and vegetables. This curriculum was written by Nimali Fernando, MD, MPH, (“Dr. Yum”) a pediatrician and founder of the nonprofit The Dr. Yum Project, and Melanie Potock, MA, CCC-SLP (“Coach Mel”), a certified speech language pathologist specialized in pediatric feeding, and owner of My Munch Bug. Dr. Yum and Coach Mel are also co-authors of the award-winning book, Raising a Healthy, Happy Eater: A Parent’s Handbook.

This 8th edition of our proven interactive curriculum features 24 lessons (which can be used over two years) presented by preschool teachers once a month. Using the fun characters, Dr. Yum, Coach Mel and Munch Bug, each lesson introduces a seasonal fruit or vegetable, explains their nutritional benefits to preschoolers, and guides them through a mindful appreciation of the new food using all of the senses. Many extension activities, which meet NAEYC standards, can be used to deepen the experience and familiarity with the new food through art, literacy, movement, music, science and community connections. Lastly, children work together with a few basic kitchen tools to prepare a simple snack using the featured fruit or vegetable. Kids practice motor skills like pouring and cutting while continuing to practice cognitive skills like mathematics and language. Instructors are provided materials with helpful tips and ideas on how to use encouraging language and engage kids in enjoying healthy foods. Coach Mel also includes valuable information on overcoming some of the challenges presented by selective eaters, with fun ideas that can be applied to all types of children. Parents are also given a variety of materials and information about the program so they can continue the joyful approach to healthy eating in the home.

Why it works

This one-of-a-kind curriculum works because it was written by a pediatrician and a pediatric feeding therapist who understand how preschoolers become picky eaters and how to prevent picky eating with a joyful approach. Rounding out the creative team are seasoned preschool teachers and registered dietitian, making sure kids learn nutrition in the most fun and engaging ways. Parent involvement is a key to success so a parent handbook, monthly feedback sheets with recipes and a monthly newsletter give parents the language and approach to continue the education at home. The curriculum is designed for kids of all abilities, and in particular, has shown impressive results in classrooms which include children with special needs.

Research & Impact

Dr. Nancy Zucker, director of the Center for Eating Disorders at Duke University, teamed up with the Dr. Yum Project to study the effect of this program on attitudes and behaviors around healthy eating at home and at school. Parents and teachers were surveyed about individual students’ eating behaviors before and after the curriculum. The parents showed an increase in understanding the importance of cooking with children, as well as a significantly higher appreciation of introducing plain water as a preferred drink. But that’s just the results of the parent surveys.

In the United States, 64 percent of preschoolers are cared for weekly by someone other than their parents or primary caregivers, so it was important to determine if teachers noticed changes in their students’ eating behaviors as a result of the curriculum. Our teachers evaluated roughly 400 students and were asked the following nine questions, in pre and post surveys, about the feeding behaviors of each child:

  • My student loves food.
  • My student is interested in food.
  • My student refuses to eat food at first.
  • My student enjoys tasting new foods.
  • My student enjoys a wide variety of foods.
  • My student looks forward to mealtimes.
  • My student enjoys eating.
  • My student enjoys tasting new foods that he/she hasn’t eaten before.
  • My student decides that she/he doesn’t like a food, even without tasting it.

Results showed that after nine Dr. Yum Food Adventure lessons, students showed significant improvement in ALL nine areas. These findings were presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Meeting in Orlando and at the American Speech Language Hearing National Convention in Boston.

In 2021-22 we studied 614 children in North Alabama to see if they had similar changes in feeding behaviors and if there were any changes in BMI between the beginning of the school year and after one academic year which included teacher training and monthly Dr. Yum Food Adventures. We stratified the children into healthy weight, high weight and low weight.

BMI change in these three groups after an average of 7 lessons was as follows:

  • Compared to children with a healthy weight (n= 437), those with high weight (BMI percentile above the 85th; n=130) lost 16.9 percentile points over the year (p < .001)
  • Conversely, children with low weight (below the 5th percentile; n=47) gained 24.7 percentile points over the course of the school year (p < .001).

Among the 130 with high weight at baseline, 44 had healthy weight at the end of the year (33.8%)

Among the 47 with low weight at baseline, 27 had healthy weight at the end of the year (57.4%)

These results highlight the possibility that a school-based cooking intervention could be an effective prevention strategy for the development of both high and low-weight. Exposure to novel fruits and vegetables may promote positive attitudes toward food and improvement in weight status. However, additional data are required to more fully understand the mechanisms that cause beneficial weight changes in preschool-age children. Our results will be published in the Health Nutrition Journal in 2025.

Testimonials

One year one of our students was a very picky eater and was suffering from constipation. After using the Dr. Yum Food Adventure, he found healthy snacks that he loved and his mom started making them at home, too. His digestive issues quickly improved and he was even able to stop medication. We learned from Dr. Fernando that constipation can lead to urinary issues, and our teachers noticed that as this student began eating better and his constipation improved he stopped needing a pull-up at naptime. This curriculum really helped him in so many ways! Debbie, Daycare Director
It’s been amazing to finally have a snack program that works in the special needs population. It encompasses all of our philosophies and techniques when working with children who have Feeding difficulties And at the same time is easily modified to meet the needs of any child. When your students request, ‘more’ of their Kale Smoothie, that is something to be celebrated! Jessica Fioretti, MA, CCC-SLP
Proper nutrition has always been a focus of our Head Start program. Dr. Yum offers our students the opportunity to explore and taste fresh produce. It is designed to engage all of the senses while allowing the child to participate at their comfort level. Our students have treasured the opportunity to take part in creating a recipe they can enjoy from start to finish even the cutting! I genuinely believe that if our students are exposed to fresh food early in life at Head Start through this program, it can have a ripple effect that can benefit them and their families well into their future. Laura Dove, Curriculum Manager, Fredericksburg Regional Head Start
As Cafeteria Manager at Holy Cross Academy I have noticed a difference in the eating habits of our students, in particular the new Kindergarten students who have gone through the Dr. Yum program at our preschool. Their knowledge of food and willingness at such a young age to try new things has truly been an eye opener for all of us. Keep up the good work! Mary Beall, Cafeteria Manager, Holy Cross Academy
Maggie was always more willing to try new foods because her friends were doing it as well and because she helped to prepare it. Our family realized the true magic of the Dr. Yum Project [when] Maggie was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. This was an overwhelming change for us and it was made infinitely easier because of our experience with the Dr. Yum Project. Maggie’s favorite recipes (such as Pineapple Power Salad and ABC Dip) were naturally gluten free. Thanks to the monthly lessons, she understood (at four years old!) that different foods contain different nutrients needed for a healthy body. When we explained that she was deficient in certain nutrients, she was more willing to try new foods. She knows that her new diet means that she needs to be more willing to try new things and the Dr. Yum Project has helped reinforce this. —Emily Kaye, Preschooler mom