10 Simple Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables / Plus FREE Printable Chart
Photo by Gabriel Gurrola on Unsplash
When I was pregnant with my first, like so many parents I considered what my priorities were in raising a healthy happy kiddo. One of my top priorities was to encourage a love of eating as well as an adventurous palette. One book that I turned to from pregnancy through the early years was French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon. That book gave me the confidence to introduce atypical foods like beets, smoked mussels and edamame to my son from a very early age.
For awhile I thought my methods were fool proof! I was raising two kiddos who loved to eat, and it was a joy to cook for and with them. Somewhere along the line, my son in particular began slipping into picky eating habits. Between working to keep my marriage on track, going back to work full time and then eventually going through a divorce and all the change that entailed, adventurous eating went on the back burner.
A couple weeks back, I decided to get our family realigned with my initial values around our eating habits, but where to start?
I’ve used all of the methods below, but the last one really clicked with my oldest recently and is setting the stage for food adventures ahead!
1. Veggies as the starter. If your kids are like mine, they are asking for a snack 45 minutes to an hour before dinner. This is a great opportunity to cut up some veggies and serve with an enticing dipping sauce at the table, or get them involved with the prep work and “allow” them to grab a few slices/bites of whatever veggie is going into dinner that night. My daughter in particular loves to sit on the counter and grab a slice of mushroom or a strip of red pepper, while we chat about the day…or the complex relational structure between her stuffies.
2. Offer a “try me bite”. This has been the standard in my house for years. My kids know that they don’t have to love it and they don’t have to eat all of it, but they do need to try a bite of everything on their plate. For parts of the meal I know they’ll be wary of, I only offer a small portion to avoid overwhelming them.
3. Hide it! Sneaking veggies into more familiar preparations is a great baby step to warming up their immature palettes. At various times I have pureed veggies into pasta sauce, made “unicorn” smoothies with beets and red peppers and made countless “dinosaur” pancakes with pureed spinach.
4. Grow your own. Nothing beats a sun-soaked homegrown veggie straight from the garden. I remember when my oldest was nearly two years old, he would head out to the tomato planter and pop cherry tomatoes into his chubby little cheeks like they were candy. Bonus points if they help plant the seeds and you through a little science lesson into the mix!
5. Have them choose their favorites. Kids, especially young ones, don’t have a lot of say in their day to day lives. Allowing them to choose their top three veggies instills a feeling of pride and importance, so they’re more likely to eat what they’ve picked.
6. Veggie education. If you’ve got a super curious kid, consider grabbing a book from your local library or bookstore and reading up on gardening or the science of plants. The more invested they are, the more willing they will be to try something new on their plate.
7. Try different preparations. My kids really surprise me with how they like their veggies prepared. Sometimes raw broccoli wins out over roasted, or roasted potato with smoked paprika will land and black pepper on it won’t. Experiment with different preparations – raw, steamed, seasoned, fried, thinly sliced or thick sticks.
8. Consistency. Like any other parenting priority, stick to it. Sure, there will be days when you’re just not up for making any effort beyond some boxed mac and cheese (our generation survived, didn’t we?!), but commit to progress over perfection.
9. Get them involved. Along the lines of having your kids choose their own veggies at the store, offer them a cookbook and ask what they would like to make with you. Again, having some choice in the matter will lead to a feeling of confidence and ownership over the outcome.
10. Chart it up! My oldest is really into charts and numbers, so I came up with a plan to tap into those motivations. I drew up a chart with the days of the week and a bunch of vegetables he and his sister don’t like. I offer a bite sized piece of a veggie from the list each night, and they each give it a rating. A smiley face if they love it, a neutral face if they’re not sure and a frowny face if they don’t like it. If they give it a smiley face, that veggie can move to the list of vegetables they already like. It’s been working well so far!
If your kiddos are chart motivated, click the link below to download a FREE printable chart to encourage your budding foodies.
DOWNLOAD PRINTABLES
If raising more adventurous eaters is one of your family values, you can start at any time!
I would love to hear what methods work for you and your family.
With love,
Steph
