Veggies Are Good: How to Get Kids to Eat Their Greens

by Blog Contributor | June 27, 2024 | Food and Cuisine | 0 Comments

Photo by Foodie Factor

How to Get Kids to Eat Their Greens?

Vegetables: the healthy foods that fuel growing bodies and minds.

Yet, for many parents, mealtimes can become battlegrounds for getting their little ones to embrace these colorful sources of vitamins and minerals. Fear not, fellow guardians!

Veggies Are Good: First Steps

Make the whole thing feel like an adventure. This locks in the child’s attention. Make grocery shopping a treasure hunt. Let your child pick out a new, brightly colored veggie each week. Explore farmer’s markets together, and let them marvel at various shapes, sizes, and textures. Spark their curiosity with fun facts.

Here’s a free one for you: did you know carrots help you see in the dark?

Nurture a small vegetable garden as a team so they know how to connect with their food. From witnessing seeds sprout to reaping their harvest, children will feel a sense of achievement, making them more likely to relish the fruits (or, should we say, vegetables) of their labor.

Before cooking their green meals, let your child touch, smell, and even taste raw vegetables.

Also, be a role model; children are keen observers, mimicking the behavior they see around them. Make vegetables a regular part of your diet and express enjoyment as you eat them.

Veggies Are Good: The Flavor Landscape

Don’t start off with the boring boiled broccoli. Experiment with different cooking methods. Try roasting vegetables with olive oil and herbs for a crispy, flavorful treat.

Using cookie cutters, cut vegetables into fun shapes like stars, hearts, or animals. Arrange colorful veggie platters that resemble faces or rainbows.

Teach your kids how to make their meals more palatable for their mouths. Hummus, guacamole, or even a simple yogurt dip can turn plain vegetables into a party in a mouth. Let your child help you whip up a healthy dip for added engagement. Pureed vegetables can be a way to add nutrients to familiar favorites without children refusing to eat them. This way, your child gets the nutritional benefits of the vegetables.

Veggies Are Good: Personalizing the Journey

Let your child help with meal preparation. Washing vegetables, stirring ingredients, or decorating pizzas with veggie toppings are all ways to to teach kitchen skills and get nutritional benefits.  Browse cookbooks or websites for fun and easy recipes that could involve children. There are endless possibilities to explore, from veggie quesadillas to rainbow fruit and yogurt parfaits. For instance, you can try making a vegetable stir-fry with your child, letting them choose the vegetables and stir them in the pan.

Focus on effort, not just results. Let your child grow into themselves. Praise your child for trying new vegetables, even if they don’t love them initially.

Going back to the first steps, make eating greens an adventure and a game. Challenge your child to try a bite of each vegetable for a point. Keep it light, though, and avoid pressuring them.

Recognize and celebrate your child’s advancements. Did they try a new vegetable they used to reject? Make a big fuss about it! Positive reinforcement is key to fostering a love for vegetables.

Developing a taste for vegetables takes time and repeated exposure. Keep going if your child rejects something the first time. Keep offering a variety of options and celebrate small victories.

By doing so, you’ll be ready to raise a veggie-loving little champion!

There is a rich anthology of delicious dish recipes in Eleanor Gaccetta’s book Generations of Good Food, which you can use to teach your children how to eat their greens. Order a copy from www.onecaregiversjourney.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble or most online book retailers.