Introduction
Every parent has stories about encouraging their children to eat healthy foods … and those same parents may feel discouraged when it feels like nothing works. We’ve all been there!
We are here to eliminate the guesswork in helping your picky eater choose veggies, but we know that this process takes patience and creativity. Good things take time, and this journey is no different!
While your child may turn their nose up at anything green, keep the end goal in mind. Veggies contain vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants to support the growth and health of your little ones. A diet high in veggies reduces their risk of health issues like diabetes, high blood pressure, and even cancer. This journey can be frustrating, so we appreciate your effort to provide your kiddo everything they need to thrive.
Know Your Role
Some parents insist their kids stay at the table until they finish their veggies. While this approach may work short term, it can hinder the long-term goal – we want kids to willingly choose to eat veggies. Threatening to take away their dessert only creates negative feelings toward vegetables.
Take the pressure off of yourself! You are not a bad parent if you put veggies on your child’s plate and they don’t eat them. Your role is not to force them to eat vegetables, so you have our permission to avoid the screaming tantrum of “but I don’t want it!”. Children typically need to see vegetables many, many times to even consider poking them with a fork, let alone be willing to try them.
Instead, your responsibility is to set the boundaries for mealtime: you decide what options they have to eat, where they eat, and when they eat. For example, you choose what foods to prepare for dinner, where to serve dinner, and what time to set the food out.
The child’s role is to decide whether to eat the food offered to them. You know children – if they feel forced to do anything, their favorite word magically becomes “no”. As a result, when they feel pressure to try new foods, they may avoid those foods more. Therefore, consistently offering veggies is the best approach, even if they don’t initially touch them.
In addition to vegetables, offer foods you know they enjoy. When they see their favorite foods, they feel more comfortable exploring unfamiliar, healthier choices.
Eight Steps to Success
So how can you encourage kids to eat more veggies? We outlined eight key takeaways.
Be a Role Model!
Kids learn by watching, and you are their best role model. Kids mimic adults, so if they see you enjoy eating your veggies, they may be inspired to do the same.
Eat Together as a Family
Research shows that kids are more likely to try new foods when they eat with their famiys. Try to set aside time for a family meal once a week, even if your busy schedule prevents family dinners every night.
Bring Out Veggies First
We all know that after school or before dinner kids sneak into the pantry to find a snack to hold them over. Use this to your advantage – kids are more open to trying new foods when they’re hungry.
How? Silently leave a bowl of veggies on the table while you put the finishing touches on dinner. Wait for them to ask about the food rather than encouraging them to try it. Initially, they might be suspicious, but eventually, you may see them take a bite as they dash through the kitchen. After all, those veggies are convenient – and they’re hungry!
Kid-Friendly Veggies
In your picky eater’s defense, kids have a stronger sense of taste than adults, causing some veggies to seem extra bitter. Children are also more sensitive to texture, making certain veggies less appealing.
Some naturally sweeter vegetables have a mild taste, making them a great place to start for these kiddos:
- Okra: although the taste is mild, sometimes the texture can throw kids off. Try this healthier baked popcorn okra recipe to introduce kids to okra in an approachable way!
- Corn: one of the sweetest vegetables!
- Sweet Potatoes (roasted or mashed)
- Squash (roasted)
- Canned Green Beans: a mild flavor and softer texture than fresh green beans
- Cucumbers
- Bell Peppers
- Carrots (raw or roasted): get them hooked on these carrot cake cookies!
Try, Try Again
Just because kids announce their hatred for a certain veggie doesn’t mean you should stop offering it. Research suggests that kids may may need to try a vegetable ten or more times before they develop a taste for it.
Additionally, if kids try a vegetable and don’t like it, ask them why. Their issue may sometimes relate to texture or preparation method rather than taste. These are easy fixes, but you only know if you ask!
Let Your Kids Help Prepare Vegetables
Kids are more likely to try foods they help prepare. Assign your kiddos simple tasks like washing, stirring, or seasoning vegetables, even if they don’t like the veggie in question. Ask them to taste-test the veggies to see if they need anything else, and they may want to provide their feedback, allowing you to overcome the initial hurdle of getting them to try it.
Make Veggies Fun to Eat
Whoever said playing with food is a bad thing? Touching and interacting with veggies makes kids more likely to try them down the line. Veggies are some of the most colorful foods out there, so use this to your advantage by allowing them to transform veggies into fun pictures. If you are short on time, encourage your kids to do this preparation, such as creating these Veggie Funny Faces!
You can also come up with playful names for different foods based on their interests. If your daughter loves dolls, then you can make a pink smoothie out of beets and strawberries and name it after her favorite brand of dolls. If she loves flowers, help her use her creativity to create these Fresh Veggie Flowers! If your son loves superheroes, you can create a green smoothie with the addition of spinach and name it after his favorite superhero. Tell him that’s what the superhero used to grow so big and strong! Try our Healthy “Spider” Snacks for a child who loves a certain spider-themed superhero!
Let Them Choose
Before grocery shopping, ask your kiddos what vegetables they would like with dinner. Give them some options and allow them to decide, which will make them more likely to try the veggies. You can also take them along to the grocery store and allow them to pick their favorite veggies.
What if They Just Won’t Eat Vegetables?
Let’s talk about the worst case scenario: you’ve tried everything, and they still won’t even touch a carrot, let alone anything green.
Continue including the strategies above, but what do you do in the meantime?
Sneaky Veggies
Sometimes, the easiest way to get kids to eat veggies is to sneak them into their foods!
While it’s important for kids to eventually choose foods they know contain vegetables, adding veggies to foods secretly can help you get by for now. Here are some creative ways to do it:
- Smoothies – Blend spinach, carrots, or cauliflower into fruit smoothies. If you include spinach, make sure to use a dark berry blend (think blackberries, raspberries, or blueberries) to cover up the green color.
- Muffins – Add finely chopped zucchini or carrot to muffins for a veggie-packed breakfast or snack.
These cheesy breakfast muffins, which include mushrooms, bell peppers, and cilantro, are a great transition that masks the taste of the veggies but still allows your child to see what’s included the muffins.
- Puree Veggies into Sauces, Sides, and Soups – When the texture of a certain veggie bothers your children, you can blend them into a different dish. For an easy example, try our cauliflower mashed potato recipe!
Increase Their Fruit Intake
If all else fails, increase the amount of fruit in their diet as you continue to offer them vegetables and model healthy eating patterns yourself. Rest assured that the fiber, vitamins, and minerals in fruits are comparable to the amount in vegetables, but kids are often more willing to try fruit because of the sweeter taste!
Watch out for fruit products with added sugar, though. Opt for no-sugar-added varieties, such as unsweetened apple sauce, but whenever possible, choose whole foods (like whole apples) instead.
Conclusion
Developing a taste for vegetables takes time and consistency. Keep offering them veggies without pressure, and know that you are playing a key role in helping your kids build healthy lifestyles from a young age.
Do you have any tips to encourage children to eat veggies? Comment them below!