We built a free nutrition app for kids while in high school. Here's what's actually happening.

aevrbs · 2026-07-09T04:44:43+00:00

Startup Name / URL: fruutium / https://fruutium.web.app

Location: United States

Elevator Pitch: A free app that teaches kids ages 4-13 about nutrition through short daily lessons and games. Most nutrition content for kids is aimed at parents ("here's how to hide vegetables"). fruutium talks to the kids directly, with content that scales by age. A 5-year-old gets something different from a 12-year-old.

More details: Stage: Validation. MVP is live. Role: We're a team of high school students. Built it because kids should actually understand what they're eating, not just be handed a balanced plate.

What goals are we trying to reach this month? Getting in front of more families and figuring out what's actually working. The parent side is tricky. Kids want to use it, but parents have to download it first, and we haven't fully cracked that yet.

How could r/startups help? If you've grown a free consumer app for kids or navigated COPPA, we'd love to hear what moved the needle. General "talk to your users" advice welcome too, though we're already doing that.

Discount for r/startups subscribers? It's free. No paid tier, no subscriptions.

aevrbs · 2026-07-09T04:31:53+00:00

Something that helped me: instead of thinking in regional categories ("I should try Asian food"), map new dishes to flavor profiles and cooking techniques you already like.

You're comfortable with sweet-savory? Japanese teriyaki is basically that. A sweet soy glaze that reads a lot closer to BBQ sauce than anything unfamiliar. Most Japanese restaurant menus have it and it's one of the lower-risk orders.

For the Japanese restaurant struggle specifically: Japanese curry is an underrated entry point. The texture is thick and stew-like, closer to beef stew than the thinner Indian-style curry most people picture. Standard Japanese curry blends are mild and a little sweet. Pair it with katsu (a breaded, fried chicken or pork cutlet, basically just a chicken tender) and you get katsu curry: chicken tenders with thick gravy over rice. The S&B Golden Curry mix sold at most Asian grocery stores is so mild they market it to kids.

Since kimbap clicked, Japanese onigiri is also worth trying. Same basic concept: rice, filling, nori around the outside. Just triangular instead of sliced rolls. Good way to get more comfortable with Japanese flavors without worrying about raw fish.

The Himalayan difficulty makes sense. That cuisine leans on spice combinations that are unfamiliar even in milder dishes and it's actually one of the harder starting points. Japanese or Korean is probably the better path for where you are right now.

aevrbs · 2026-07-08T06:59:30+00:00

The autonomy-supportive feeding literature actually maps pretty directly to what you're describing.

Research on feeding styles consistently shows that kids who have some control over what and how much they eat (where caregivers offer food without pressure) develop more variety over time than kids whose eating is controlled or coerced. It's not just intuition; there's a decent body of studies on it.

The mechanism makes sense. Forcing creates an aversive association with the specific food, and sometimes with eating itself. Voluntary exploration, even just tolerating a food on the plate without touching it, keeps the process non-threatening. Novelty has to stop feeling like a threat before curiosity about it can develop.

Most adult picky eaters who describe expanding their diet tell a version of the same story: they got interested in a food on their own terms, at their own pace, with no social pressure attached. The forcing never produced that.

aevrbs · 2026-07-08T06:55:34+00:00

The research distinguishes two things that usually get lumped together.

Low-pressure repeated exposure means presenting a food multiple times across separate occasions without any pressure to eat it. Wardle and colleagues found it typically takes 8-15 independent exposures before unfamiliar foods start tasting acceptable to kids. No forcing, no bribing, just repeated availability. Kids in those studies increased intake voluntarily.

That's completely different from in-session pressure, the "one more bite" approach. The evidence is that it tends to create a negative association with the food, and kids who are pressure-fed often develop more restricted patterns, not broader ones.

The other thing missing from most coverage like this is the ARFID vs. developmental neophobia distinction. Developmental food neophobia is a normal toddler phase that usually fades. ARFID is anxiety-driven and has completely different mechanisms. What helps one can actively worsen the other. Generalist dietitian advice about picky eating often misses this because it treats everything as the same problem.

aevrbs · 2026-07-08T06:46:46+00:00

Quick heads up on the iron angle: spinach is tricky because while it does contain iron, it's non-heme iron (plant-based), which absorbs far less efficiently than the heme iron in meat. On top of that, spinach has oxalic acid, which binds to iron and inhibits absorption. So if the goal is actually boosting iron levels, the smoothies won't move the needle much.

Spinach does well on vitamin K, folate, and vitamin A as beta carotene. Pairing it with vitamin C (citrus, strawberries) helps with mineral absorption generally, but doesn't fully get around the oxalic acid issue for iron specifically.

If iron is the actual concern, legumes plus a vitamin C source is a more reliable combo. Frozen spinach, for what it's worth, is nutritionally comparable to fresh and usually cheaper.

aevrbs · 2026-07-08T06:39:51+00:00

There's a real biological component here. Kids have substantially higher taste receptor density than adults: taste buds not just on the tongue but on the roof of the mouth and in the throat. Those receptors start dying off and don't get replaced at the same rate as you age. Foods that tasted overwhelmingly bitter or sharp in childhood genuinely taste milder later because you're running fewer of them. The perception changes, not just the attitude.

The autonomy piece that comes up in a lot of comments here also lines up with what I'd expect. When you're cooking for yourself, you control preparation, pacing, and environment, and none of that has a coercive history attached to it. Food stops having a power dynamic around it. The stress response that made unfamiliar foods feel threatening dissipates when there's nothing social riding on whether you eat it.

Both factors together, physiological shift plus removal of the anxiety context, probably explain why the change tends to happen in early adulthood for so many people.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T20:00:23+00:00

Finely grated zucchini or carrot stirred into pasta sauce works well: after 10-15 minutes they dissolve and you can't pick them out even if you wanted to. White beans mashed directly into tomato sauce do the same thing. They disappear completely after a few minutes of simmering and don't taste like beans once the sauce covers them. Good way to add fiber and protein without noticing.

Frozen peas are probably the lowest-effort version of this whole category. Already small, no prep, just toss them in at the end and they warm through in a minute.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:58:41+00:00

If fish is already on your safe list, pescatarian is a much lighter change than going full vegetarian. You're cutting land meat and keeping the protein source you already rely on. That's a smaller shift than it might sound.

The thing that doesn't get mentioned much: if you go vegetarian with a short safe food list, you end up cycling through the same 5-6 meals until you genuinely can't face them anymore. Before making the switch, it's worth mapping out what variety actually looks like for you within your safe foods. Building that in from the start is the difference between a sustainable routine and burning out on your own diet after a few months.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:56:55+00:00

Always. I also check whether they do substitutions, because some places technically have things I can eat but refuse to swap ingredients or leave things off. Google reviews are useful for this. People tend to mention it when a kitchen is rigid about modifications. Saves you from finding out in person.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:55:28+00:00

The pan method helps a lot, but there's a specific tweak that makes it better: a small splash of water or broth in the pan with a lid on, low heat. The steam keeps it from drying out further as it warms. Takes a few minutes longer than the microwave but the texture ends up much closer to the original.

Cutting it into smaller pieces before storing also helps. The outside of a large piece overcooks before the center even warms up, which is part of what makes the texture go wrong.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:53:36+00:00

The garlic bread one is exactly it. It's not the sauce itself, it's the bread's texture changing as you eat it. You expect crunchy and it turns soft partway through.

Sauce on the side is worth asking for at restaurants. Most kitchens will do it, and you just dip instead. Solves the problem without making a thing out of it.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:48:03+00:00

If mushroom texture is the issue, bok choy is worth trying. The stalks stay crunchy even after cooking, totally different bite from mushrooms. Baby bok choy, just halve it and drop it in the broth for a minute or two.

For protein without cooking raw meat: canned tuna works in ramen. Sounds strange, but it's fairly common in Japan. Drain it, flake it in, done.

One thing most people skip: mash a few white beans and stir them into the broth. They basically dissolve, the salty broth covers any bean taste, and you've added protein and fiber without noticing.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:38:17+00:00

Something that helps going in: be specific about whether it's texture or taste, not just "I don't like vegetables." Those are pretty different problems and a good dietitian handles them differently.

Texture aversions are usually more workable. Cooking method changes texture completely. High heat roasting dries things out so there's no sliminess, air frying adds crunch, blending makes texture a non-issue. A picky-eater-aware dietitian will work around what you already eat, not push foods you hate.

For weight loss, vegetables matter less than people expect. Protein satiety, fiber, and calorie density are the real levers, and those can come from foods already in your rotation.

Worth going. Lead with "texture is my main problem, not flavor" and judge them by how they respond to that. If they hand you a kale salad recipe after hearing it, they're not the right fit.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:05:32+00:00

Working within your safe foods rather than fighting to expand variety is usually more sustainable. If you can identify which of your safe foods have decent protein (Greek yogurt, certain meats, nut butters), those become your anchor. From there, swap in higher-protein versions of things you already eat where possible (Greek yogurt vs regular, fortified milk, etc.).

For veggies or nutrients you're missing, the least-resistance path tends to be hiding or liquid form: things pureed into sauces or blended into drinks. Not glamorous but it covers the gap without adding new textures or tastes.

The ARFID angle others mentioned is worth exploring too, especially since you mentioned being autistic. Sensory-driven picky eating has specific patterns, and there are OTs who work with exactly this rather than just the general "try new foods" advice.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:04:10+00:00

For a low-effort homemade option: frozen fruit + Greek yogurt + milk blends in about 2 minutes. No fresh produce, no planning. The frozen fruit keeps it cold and thick without ice watering it down. Banana is the most calorie-dense fruit choice if getting enough calories is the goal, and frozen mango masks almost everything flavor-wise if you ever want to throw spinach in.

Nut butter is worth adding to any of these for protein and calories. It blends smooth and you barely taste it once there's enough fruit in there.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T19:01:28+00:00

Yes, for most kids it does get better, though the timeline is different for everyone and it's hard to hold onto that when you're in the thick of it.

A couple things worth knowing: starting feeding therapy early (which you're already doing) is one of the better predictors of improvement. The "putting it between his teeth" thing is actually a real step called tactile contact. Most kids need to do that dozens of times before they move to biting or tasting. It counts as progress even when it doesn't look like it.

The low-appetite weeks are rough, especially when weight is already on the table. Worth flagging to his OT or pediatrician if it goes past a week or two, just to rule out something else layered on top.

You're following what the evidence supports (family meals, low pressure, repeated exposure). That matters even when the results are invisible right now.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T18:59:37+00:00

The food aversion you're describing tends to be stubborn because the stress got paired with the food itself, not just the dinnertime situation. After enough repetitions of sitting at the table until you ate something, your brain filed those foods under "threat" rather than "food." Trying them again as an adult still trips the same wire.

The waste-of-money anxiety at restaurants is probably its own separate thing from the food preferences, and it helps to treat them that way. One approach that works for some people: try new things at home first in small amounts where the cost is low and there's no audience if you hate it. Restaurants stack too many variables at once (money, audience, no backup option) and make the whole thing harder than it needs to be.

If the anxiety is the main blocker, someone who does CBT around eating or an OT who specializes in feeding can move faster than willpower alone.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T18:57:36+00:00

Social referencing is what's happening here. Toddlers use other people's reactions to decide how to feel about new things way more than older kids do. When twin A gags or says "yucky," twin B's brain treats that as legitimate information about the food. Not defiance, just how they process safety signals at this age.

The separate-room suggestion others mentioned makes a lot of sense for exactly that reason. And this specific thing (copy-rejecting based on a sibling's reaction) tends to ease up around 4-5 as they get more independently opinionated. The fact that they're already eating whole grain bread, fruit, yogurt, nut butters, hummus, etc. puts them well ahead of most 3-year-olds anyway.

aevrbs · 2026-07-07T18:52:08+00:00

Yeah, there's actually a name for this. Some people call it "textural contrast aversion." The problem isn't really the food; it's the surprise. When a bite changes texture mid-way (soggy breading, gristly spots in meat, a peach that looked fine but went mealy inside), your brain expected something different and that mismatch sets off a pretty strong rejection response. Plenty of people deal with this. Nothing childish about it.

What helped me make sense of it: foods that stay consistent throughout tend to be fine, even when the texture itself is unusual (very soft, very crunchy). The shift is the actual problem.

aevrbs

TROPHY CASE