9 Ways To Get Your Kids To Eat Vegetables And Enjoy Them
Getting your kids to eat vegetables can be an arduous task. If you have children who love veggies, you are fortunate, and you may not be able to understand the struggles of mothers whose kids dislike eating anything veggie. Some kids are quick to explore and consume different varieties of food and veggies, unlike others.
Vegetables are a well-known source of essential nutrients in the body and are necessary for growth and development. Our young ones need all these nutrients in their formative years to be healthy.
Most parents desire their children to eat healthily, but this is not always the case, as many end up with kids who avoid eating veggies like a plague.
Do you perhaps have such kids and don't know how to handle them? Not to worry so much, as in this blog post, we have summarised tips on how you can get your little ones to embrace and enjoy veggies.
Ways To Get Your Kids To Eat Vegetables
1. Set A Positive Example
Your kids learn from you as you are their first role model. Children learn by imitation, so be rest assured they watch every one of your actions. That's why you need to be a positive role model by eating healthy yourself.
When your child grow up seeing you eat vegetables, they are more likely to do the same thing than parents who don't eat these vegetables.
This is because kids are curious and like to eat whatever their dad or mum is eating. That way, you can give them to taste and try to make it a regular part of their meal. With time, they will get enjoy it.
2. Keep Exposing Them To Vegetables
You can easily become disappointed if your child rejects a vegetable, especially if you've tried multiple times to convince them to eat it. But if you repeatedly give them the same vegetable, there's a chance they'll give in eventually.
Once they start taking them, don't be in a hurry to give big quantities to them, rather start with a little piece at a time. So as not to turn them off or overwhelm them with a full meal.
3. Add Vegetable Into Foods Like Sauce, Oatmeal, Smoothies, etc
Adding vegetables to your kid's favorite dish is one way to get your child to eat more vegetables. Vegetables can be easily incorporated into a range of foods and recipes in a way that kids might not even notice. So if you have kids who wouldn't want to eat veggies, this trick will come to your rescue.
You can blend the vegetables and add them to the sauce with other ingredients. That way, the kids can eat them without knowing it's in the food. Also, you can decide to prepare smoothies with any vegetable of your choice.
Another way you can boost your kid's vegetable intake is by adding them to oatmeal. For this, you can add shredded zucchini to the oatmeal, and it will still turn out great. And when making foods like pancakes, you can try adding shredded carrots and mashed sweet potatoes.
Adding shredded carrots or summer squash to bread, mixing pumpkin puree into soups and stews, and blending kale or spinach into smoothies are all delicious ways to add more vegetables to their meals.
However, the goal is not only to get the nutrients into their body but to make these kids adopt a healthy relationship with eating vegetables. So as you camouflage vegetables in their means. Also, try to make them try it out.
4. Butter Them Up
There's a scientific reason why most kids despise broccoli and kale: bitterness. Kids will always be kids; that's why they will prefer vegetables that are not bitter or those that are sweet to their tastebuds.
This is because young tongues are sensitive to bitterness, and children instinctively avoid bitter foods, unlike adults who are used to the taste and understand that bitterness comes from the good-for-you nutrients, such as calcium, polyphenols, and flavonoids.
Therefore, you can cover the bitterness with butter to help your kids get over it. Butter, especially the grass-fed variety, not only contains essential nutrients for growing children like vitamins A, E, and D3 but additional fat which facilitates their small bodies' absorption of the nutrients from the vegetables.
For example, you can decrease the harshness of mashed sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, and boiled spinach, by adding a tablespoon of butter to every half cup.
5. Apply Peer Pressure
Kids can be described as lemmings. If one of them jumps in the muddle, then you should know that most of them will do the same. So use this trick to make them eat their veggies. If you have friends or neighbors whose children love eating vegetables, that is an excellent opportunity you can't afford to miss. Ask them if your kids can come over before sending them to their homes to spend the weekend or vacation.
When they see their friends eating these veggies, they will be compelled to try them out. Kids love to compete with each other so they will like to show their friends that they can eat it as well.
6. Get Your Child Involved With Shopping And Preparation
Children love going out with their parents, so getting your child to the grocery store should be pretty easy. Spend some time with them at the produce section and allow them to feel comfortable around veggies.
For example, you could ask the child to name the veggies they can recognize while you check if they are correct or not. At that moment, you have the opportunity to chip in how they taste, the ones you loved as a child. Then seek their opinion or ask them to choose the vegetable that will be eaten during dinner.
Also, they will be more likely to consume the vegetables they helped prepare if you involve them in the preparation and cooking at home.
They can do little things around the kitchen, like directing them to put the chopped vegetables in the steamer or saucepan before being cooked and wash the vegetables for salad. Then, the older kids can help with grating or chopping vegetables once they are of age and you are convinced that they can handle a knife.
7. Use Praise When Your Child Tries Vegetables
Praise is most effective when you tell your child exactly what they did well, such as Jess, I love how you tasted your pumpkin and broccoli!'
However, be careful how often you praise them. Your aim should be to help your child eat veggies because they enjoy it rather than out of a desire to be praised.
Even when your kid refuses the vegetable, punishing them is not in your best interest. Punishment will worsen their current dislike for veggies. Rather you can simply try again next time.
8. Use Fun Shapes And Brightly Colored Serving Dishes.
Other factors can influence a child's willingness to eat vegetables in the meal rather than the vegetable itself.
If your kid refuses sliced or chopped vegetables, try cutting them into stars, hearts, or other shapes instead. You can make these shapes with a knife or purchase fruit and vegetable cutters.
Children like bright colors because it attracts them. Serve vegetables on brightly colored bowls or plates when serving them with a meal. There are also a variety of exciting forks and spoons available, such as dinosaurs, construction tools, and animal-themed options. These will make them be hooked on to the objects and, by extension, the veggies.
9. When In Doubt, Air Fry
Fries are among kids' best foods. Frying your potatoes and other veggies in an air fryer can be another way to get your kids to love veggies.
Almost every veggie comes out nice when you fry and add oil, salt, and pepper. The taste will change, and they will get to love it.
Bottom line
Getting your kids to eat vegetables can be difficult at times, but you shouldn't give up. If they refuse a particular vegetable, try it another way by preparing it in a way other than they are familiar with.
Getting them to like vegetables may take some time, but it can be done. You need to be patient with the child and not force them. With you leading by example, sooner or later, they will come around. Every meal is a new opportunity with the kid, so make it memorable and fun as much as you can.
