Neighbor News
New Year Resolution Help for Mom: 5 Tips to Get the Kids to Eat Their Veggies
Creative ways to get kids eating healthy vegetables every day
My brother hated peas growing up and still does. I remember seeing him be force-fed those little buggers and couldn’t understand why he didn’t love them like me. I have not grown up to be a vegetarian and neither has he, but we both love our veggies. Why? And can we recreate this in our kids? With six of my own kiddos (and a few who strongly dislike peas), try out these tried and true sneaky ways to get the kids to eat their veggies every day.
- Provide them at every meal - yes, even some veggies can work at breakfast.
- Insist on trying at least one tablespoon - my pediatrician’s advice has never failed me. They can always ask for more and one tablespoon is a very small and reasonable amount to try, or no dessert.
- Get creative - try something different, like an international recipe, something the kids find in a cookbook, maybe a recipe from a family member or one from a country of your family’s heritage. Try a veggie you’ve never prepared (please find a recipe first, though).
- Prepare them differently - invite the kids to help. Ask your after-school sitter to enlist the kids to participate and you may be surprised at what they can create. Veggies are not meant to be boiled to slimy-near-death-conditions. Try raw, lightly steamed, or oven-roasted versions.
- Sneak them in - when all else fails, take the low road (just kidding). I have found some seriously tasty recipes (that my kids will eat) which sneak in healthy things like pumpkin, banana (i know it’s a fruit) and squash.
Okay, not every kid will like every vegetable. I still believe olives and mushrooms are foul and should not be considered foods, but some of you like that rubbery junk. My mother did provide a fairly bland diet. I may have carried it into my adult eating habits. I have never even tasted a few things like kale, okra and parsnips. Growing a garden helps my kids to be more adventurous and their elementary school does a great job of providing at least one international-style cuisine each month, plus a variety of fresh and prepared veggies every day. Remember, too, that our tastes do change over time, so don’t accept the I-tried-it-once-so-I-hate-it-for-life excuse. Offer a wide variety of options, prepared in several ways; over time, you will be pleased to see most kids eating their veggies, and loving them.
