Getting kids to eat their vegetables is an eternal struggle for parents. But it’t not impossible to win. There are plenty of ways to get your child to enjoy veggies, and there are even more ways to sneak them into their diet so they won’t even know it. The trouble is that many parents go about it the wrong way. They assume kids won’t like something because of some preconceived notions about taste or a negative experience years earlier—but that’s not the case with every child. Some will hate broccoli while others may love beets, so you never know what your child will respond positively to. That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but with the right techniques, you can get your child eating those carrots in no time! Here are some helpful tips on getting kids (and grown-ups) to eat their veggies and maybe even enjoy them:
Plan The Menu Carefully
As with any meal, if you don’t plan the menu carefully, you may find yourself in a situation where you have nothing to feed your child. Having a few vegetable-based options on hand can go a long way towards helping you avoid that pitfall. Potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash are all good choices because they can be served in so many different ways: mashed, roasted, baked, boiled, or even in a soup. Carrots and sweet potatoes can even be eaten raw as snacks. Broccoli and green beans are also popular vegetables that are easy to prepare in different ways. If you have a powerful blender or food processor, you can even make a vegetable smoothie for your child. If you have a few options to work with, you can use the ones your child seems most open to or even based on what is in season or on sale at the grocery store that week.
Serve it up (and encourage the rest)
If your child refuses to try something, don’t force them to eat it. It’s important to serve vegetables, but it’s also important to respect your child’s autonomy. If they refuse to take a bite or even try a new food, don’t force the issue. Toss it in the compost pile and try again next time. It may help to prep the vegetables in a way that kids will like them—some prefer raw broccoli while others like it cooked, for example. If your child likes to dip their vegetables, try serving them with low-fat ranch dressing or hummus. Spices and herbs can also help to draw attention to less palatable foods.
Offer A Small Amount First
If your child has never tried a particular vegetable, start with a small amount. If they don’t like it, they don’t have to eat it, and you won’t have to throw it away. You can even put the vegetable in a smoothie and not have to deal with the “yuck!” factor of a child spitting out a piece of broccoli. If your child does eat it and enjoys it, then offer the vegetable again the next time you’re cooking, but in larger amounts and hopefully more than once. If they don’t want it again, don’t force them to try it.
Don’t nag or lecture
Whether your child eats vegetables or not, you shouldn’t nag them about it or lecture them about nutrition and the benefits of eating vegetables. You also shouldn’t tell them that they have to eat vegetables because they are good for them and blah blah blah. The best way to get your child to eat vegetables is to create an environment in which they are willing to eat vegetables without you having to nag them about it. If you nag, lecture, or demand that your child eat vegetables, you are creating an environment in which they won’t feel comfortable trying a new food.
Don’t use dessert as a reward
Kids will always be excited about dessert, and many parents resort to offering dessert as a reward for eating vegetables. While this may help get a few more bites of broccoli into a child’s mouth, it’s a bad habit to get into and one that may cause more harm than good. First of all, you’re teaching your child that broccoli is something they have to earn the right to eat. It should be a reward in and of itself. Having dessert after dinner is also a bad idea because it throws off your child’s metabolism. When they eat dinner, the metabolism slows to digest the food. But when dessert is eaten after dinner, the metabolism doesn’t get a chance to slow down. Instead, it stays at a high rate and causes an energy spike followed by a crash.
Try Something New At Dinner Time
If your child doesn’t have a specific vegetable aversion, try a new vegetable every week or so. This will get your child used to the idea of trying new things and may make the whole ordeal seem less daunting. But if your child does have a specific vegetable aversion, the best way to get them to eat vegetables is to try a new vegetable every week for the rest of their lives. It may take a while, but it is possible. The best way to get your child to try a new vegetable is to not make a big deal out of it. Don’t make a big production out of slicing a new vegetable and serving it with fanfare. Just serve it along with the rest of the meal like any other vegetable.
Conclusion
Getting your child to eat vegetables can be a challenging task. It is important to remember that kids eat with their eyes first. Presenting vegetables with different colours, textures, and spices will help to get kids excited to eat vegetables. It is also important to make vegetables fun and interesting for kids. There are many ways to introduce vegetables to kids so that they will enjoy them and even look forward to eating them.