Food that women should have everyday

How to get Kids to be Fruit and Veggie Eaters

Let’s face it. When given a choice between a succulent steak and fresh, colourful salad, bet you would make a beeline for that juicy hunk of beef. Kids would too because who wants to munch on lettuce leaves when a steak or a mac n’ cheese just hits that hungry spot?

As parents, we know the value of a good diet which unfortunately means lots of fruits and veggies. Growing kids may know the same thing from school lectures and your incessant admonitions to “Eat your broccoli, son;” but knowing nutrition values versus actually wanting to eat those values are whole worlds apart. Knowing that kids need good portions of plant food everyday in their diet, it’s quite a challenge to convince a stubborn little carnivore to transform into a healthier omnivore without fighting a food war. And in most cases, parents mostly lose the food battle.

So how to get kids to eat their fruits and veggies? Perhaps these tips could help:

Be a Role Model

You can’t expect your children to believe that peas and carrots are great food for them when you don’t eat them yourself. Change your diet ways if you want your kids to follow suit. Clean out that larder of chips and soda and restock with healthy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and high fibre foods. Not only will your family eat healthier; your waistline will thank you for it.

Keep Serving ‘Em Up

Usually children say no to food they have just met at the table. They don’t bother to get to know new food first before they form their gustatory opinion. “That green stuff Mom calls broccoli is as green as those awful tasting spinach leaves she made me try last week. Broccoli must be yucky too.”

According to research, children can be conditioned to like a food or at least give it a chance when they have seen it served at least 8 to 15 times. As a vegetable becomes a familiar sight at the table, children can drop their reservations enough to be curious about it. So, serve up that broccoli every week and eat your servings. Your kids are bound to come around soon.

Establish the “One Bite Rule”

To tamp down constant rejections, implement the “One Bite Rule” that requires the child to get one good mouthful of a fruit or vegetable served in a meal, whether these have been former rejections or a newcomer to the table. Who knows, your little fussy eater may just suddenly like that “bad-tasting” fruit or veggie. If not, perhaps it may just be constant exposure to it that can wear down his palate’s resistance.

Stick of course to the one bite rule. Don’t force three mouthfuls down when the rule clearly states one bite. The aim here is to gradually help the child adjust to the taste and texture of fruits and veggies. Making them eat what they clearly do not like or are not ready to like may let you win that food battle but will definitely cost you that war.

Get Them Involved with Their Food

Children often feel they don’t have a choice; so giving them options is like giving them some control over what they wish to eat. Bring them with you to the market or grocery and make them choose what they want at the produce section. Just letting them have a choice of their fruit and vegetable could very well lend a special interest towards their pick.

Get your children involved in preparing the salad, steaming the carrots, or cutting up bananas. Vegetable or fruit dishes prepared by their own labours will seem especially delicious to your little ones.

An even better idea is to get into vegetable gardening with your kids. If they see the wonders of a growing tomato, what’s not to like?

Keep Fruits and Veggies Very Accessible

Kids are usually hungry and tend to choose food they can grab on the go. Keep bananas, apples, and other fruit in a bowl within kids’ easy reach. Keep celery and carrot sticks very visible and accessible on the refrigerator shelf. Maybe the added sight of a cheese dip may just entice them to choose these veggie stick snacks over a cookie, which by the way, shouldn’t even be seen if you want your fruit and veggie campaign to work.

Sneak The Spinach In

When all else fails because your kid happens to have an extremely stubborn I-hate-veggies streak (perhaps inherited...Tee hee!), it’s time to get sneaky. Hide the veggies in food by blending them into pasta sauce, soups, and even in cupcakes. Whole fruits can be transformed into yummy cold smoothies or sorbets. Use your creativity to get those much needed nutrients in while working on your kids’ vegetarian leanings.

Whatever you do, don’t throw in the towel. Patiently expose your children to healthy food without forcing them. It just takes some time for kids to develop the taste for eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.