Getting Kids to Eat Their Veggies – 6 Easy Tips
One common struggle that most moms will face at some time or other is getting their kids to eat their veggies. Many kids turn up their nose at the sight of anything green. So how do you get around the veggie issue? Here are some fun and easy ways to get your kids to eat their veggies:
Fun Presentation – Kids love fun and colorful food. Cut up some carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, sliced cherry tomatoes and sliced bell peppers and arrange them all on a plate. You can make a face using the cucumber rounds for the eyes, carrot sticks for eyebrows, cherry tomatoes for nose and mouth and arrange the pepper strips to form the face. Serve with hummus and cut pita bread on the side.
Make it Routine – Try to serve at least one veggie with each meal. You can alternate between salads and cooked or cut veggies but always serve at least one with each meal. Your child may not eat them at first but if they see that veggies are a standard part of meal times they may just start trying them.
Set a Good Example – This one goes without saying. Just like making veggies a routine part of meals, it will also help your children to see mom and dad eating their greens. Show your kids how delicious veggies can be by filling your plate up.
Get Creative – Okay, this is a little sneaky but it definitely works: most kids love spaghetti so place some veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, peppers into a food processor and blend until liquid. Add the mixture to your spaghetti sauce for a nutritious meal. Make sure you don’t go overboard and add too many veggies as this will change the taste of the sauce. The trick is to start out slow and gradually increase the amount of vegetables as your kids’ taste palette changes.
Veggie Muffins – Add a little grated carrot or zucchini to your standard muffin recipe. Banana-carrot muffins are delicious and so are zucchini-chocolate chip muffins. You can also bake pumpkin muffins or cake. This is a great way to give your kids a yummy treat and still ensure they’re getting a good serving of veggies.
The One Bite Rule – We have a rule in our house: even if the kids don’t like the look of the veggies, they must at least try one bite. If they actually don’t like it then they don’t have to eat it. This avoids a lot of meal time tantrums, and most of the time, the kids actually like the food once they taste it. Try it! You may be pleasantly surprised at how many different foods your kids will actually eat.
