Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables
Over the years, parents have come up with some very effective and inventive ways to get their kids to eat their vegetables. As a loving parent, no doubt you want your child to have the best health possible. So how do you make sure they get their greens? Here are some of the best tips for getting your kids to eat their vegetables.
Serve Yummy Veggies as Appetizers
When kids are hungry, they’ll eat just about anything. Even if it’s vegetables.
20-30 minutes before dinner is served, if the kids are hungry, whip up something healthy, fast and yummy for the kids to eat.
Even if the dish is primarily veggies, kids will often gobble it down without resistance – It’s just an appetizer, after all.
Put it In a Soup
For some reason, kids don’t seem to mind veggies in soup. Broccoli as a main dish or cabbage in a salad they won’t touch – But in a soup?
They’ll gulp that down in a heartbeat. One great way to get your kids to eat their veggies is to put it in their soup.
Sneak Them In!
Another proven method for getting kids to eat their veggies is to simply sneak them in.
Add some finely chopped carrots to your meatball sauce. Blend some broccoli that’s been boiled till soft into their cheese. Put some parsley in their rice before cooking it (it tastes great.)
There are many ways to sneak veggies into foods. It can add both taste and nutrition. In fact, there are several books on the market that focus on teaching parents recipes for sneaking in veggies in delicious foods.
Make it Fun
How about a carrot hot dog? Or a smiley faced salad?
If you can make your veggies fun, kids will enjoy eating it. Even if they don’t love the taste, they love the game – Of pretending like they’re eating a hot dog, or of getting a smiley face on their plate.
Be a little creative and come up with different ways to make your veggies fun for your kids.
Focus on Sweet Healthy Foods
There are a lot of foods that are both sweet and healthy. Fruits like mangos and strawberries are kid favorites.
Instead of letting your kid eat candies, why not strawberry dipped in organic chocolate? Or better yet, an organic fruit smoothie with no additives. Just use frozen bananas and a few fruits. It’ll taste great – Almost like ice cream – And be 100% nutritious.
Persistence
Studies have shown that it can take as much as 10 to 15 exposures before a child will try eating a new food.
If your kid has refused to eat spinach in his last 3 meals, just keep putting it on his plate anyway. Be persistent with getting your kid to eat his or her veggies. If you’re persistent, they eventually will start to eat their veggies.
As you can tell, there are many things you can do to get more greens and fruits into your child’s diet. Pick 1-3 of these and try them out. Then just stick with the ones that work for you and your family.
