Struggling to get your kids enough vegetables? Who isn’t J What if we told you
that we have a few ideas for y’all! The most important thing to remember is; if
at first you don’t succeed then you better try try try again. Kids are
conditioned to believe that vegetables are bad for them before they really even
give them a fair chance. Many parents don’t even realize how much their own
likes and dislikes rub off on their children. If they don’t believe you would
eat them, then good luck ever convincing them to give it a fair chance.
Sometimes placing the vegetables in front of your child at mealtime is just not
enough. This doesn’t mean that you should just accept that they aren’t “veggie
eaters” and move on. It means you may have to get a bit creative on how you get
them to eat vegetables. Kids enjoy creativity and fun and sometimes it really
is all in the presentation. Below are a few ideas that you should try:
1. Grow a garden and have your children help in
each step of the process. They will be so proud of their accomplishment they
will want to try the finished product. Plus an extra bonus is that it will
allow you to spend some quality time teaching your child one of the best
lessons in the world, how to provide for themselves.
2. Puree recipes and put them in some of your family’s
favorite meals. I would suggest this only if you are truly struggling to get
them to eat their vegetables. I am by no means opposed to pureeing vegetables;
I think it is a great way to get more in the whole families diet regardless of how
picky they are. The reason I think we should avoid using this method as a
primary way to get more vegetables into our children’s nutrition is because
once our children are on their own they will be unable to make their own
healthy choices. They need to understand and appreciate why it is so important
to include vegetables in our daily nutrition.
3. Let them pick out the recipe and help prepare
it. Kids are far more interested if they feel like they had a choice of what
vegetable is on their plate or at least how the vegetable was prepared. This
doesn’t always mean that they will like what they pick out but it usually is a
green light for them to at least try it. Just make sure while picking out
recipes you don’t hide anything from them. If they pick out a recipe that
includes something they don’t like then be sure to discuss if they would like
to exclude it. Encourage them to keep it in the recipe by explaining that each
vegetable used in cooking helps to create the tasty meal as a whole. Sometimes
excluding a certain ingredient can change the taste of a dish dramatically. If
they are set on excluding it then you may want to approach them with a
substitute ingredient that will allow the dish to keep close to its original
taste.
4. Create a picture with your children and talk
about different vegetables you could use to create the image. And then do it.
Doing tasks like these takes the “seriousness” of vegetables out of the
equation. They stop looking at them as a carrot or cucumber and begin seeing
them as trees or flowers. This takes away from the negativity surrounding
several vegetables. It also allows your child’s imagination to run wild and
free. Sounds like a win-win to me J
5. Keep them cut up in the fridge and accessible.
Offer them as a snack when a child says they are hungry. It’s amazing what
children will eat when they have no other choice. It is said in several places
that when children are truly hungry, they will eat. If a child truly wants a
snack and their options are cucumbers or carrots, I bet you would be surprised
at their ability to make a decision. As a society we make excuses for why our
children wouldn’t choose a healthy option, instead of allowing them to make the
choice for themselves.
6. Our final piece of advice is to communicate with
your children. Know and understand some of the basic reasons to eat vegetables
yourself. Explain to them why it is important to make vegetables a regular part
of their nutrition. No matter what age the child is you can usually reason with
them in their own terms. This gives them the feeling that they are in control.
We all know that children enjoy feeling like they are in control.
Getting your children to eat their vegetables really is an
important battle to fight. Some days it may feel exhausting, but vegetables are
proven to keep us healthier and to increase our energy. This allows us to live
a more fulfilling life. We owe it to our children to make good choices for them
while they are too young to understand. As they grow older it is ALSO our
responsibility to make sure that they learn and understand why vegetables are
so important. Each child is different. This is why we say to try a few
different ways to peak your child’s interest in vegetables. I promise you, this
is a battle worth fighting!
Mucho love to you all and wishes to live a healthy and happy
lifestyle,
LORI J
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