Eight Easy Effective ways to get Kids to Eat Vegetables

Eight Easy Effective ways to get Kids to Eat Vegetables

A balanced diet full of vegetables ensures our children develop well physically and mentally. However, we all know children can be notoriously fussy when it comes to eating anything remotely healthy. Rather than hiding vegetables in food, here is 8 ways to support and encourage your children to eat and enjoy their greens.

Get them involved

From helping to plan the meals, choose recipes, letting them pick new fruit and vegetables to try in the shops to preparing with you in the kitchen. There are many ways to get them involved which will encourage them to try new foods.

Practice what you preach

Eat the same meals as them. They are much more likely to eat and try vegetables if their trusted adult is eating the same as them, set an example and be a good role model.

Create a nice atmosphere

Turn off the tv, put on a calm playlist which will help ease any stress or worry about mealtime, create a nice environment, enjoy eating together as a family to make it an experience.

Incorporate vegetables as snacks

There will be less anxiety at mealtimes if your children come to expect fruit or veggies every time they eat. Veggie sticks with houmous, avocado or salsa is a great snack. Keep a container of chopped vegetables, like cucumber, carrots, and baby corn, in the fridge ready for snack time.

Make Meals Fun

Offer a variety, choose veggies of different shapes, colours, textures, and tastes, the more variety there is, the more likely your child will find something that they’re interested in eating. Have fun making pizza faces using vegetables or make “Ants on a log” celery stalks with peanut butter and raisins.

Offer new foods alongside existing ones they like

If you serve new vegetables with food your child enjoys, the entire focus of the meal isn’t on new vegetables, it helps take the pressure off.

Keep trying

It’s normal for children to say they don’t like some vegetables when they first taste them. Some children need to try a new food up to 10 times before they accept it, and another 10 times before they decide they like it.

Consider Communal Serving

If plated vegetables aren’t working, try home style serving. Rather than plating their meal directly to their plate, present the meal in bowls in the middle of the table, and everyone helps themselves – as a good way of giving the child a greater degree of control over what they’re putting into their body.