How to Sneak Veggies Into Your Diet

You hear news reports every day that you should get 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits per day to have a healthy diet. If you struggle to get your family to eat fruits and vegetable, here are some quick and easy ways to sneak veggies into your diet and theirs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. If you or your kids turn your nose up at veggies, do not fear. With the wide variety of produce available, there are sure to be some varieties that will please everyone. Your first step would be to take yourself and your family on a field trip to your local farmer's market or produce section.

2. Ask to try samples if you are at a farmer's market. They are usually more than willing to allow this. Keep in mind these items are almost always fresher and do not sit in warehouses for weeks on end. As a result, they will taste better.

3. Once you have made your selections, it is now time to decide how you will prepare them. While many of them are good in a raw state, your family will want variety. You can sneak even undesirable veggies (once pureed) into cakes, sauces, cookies, desserts, main dishes and more. See the link below this article to help you get started. You can really use the method in that article for many vegetable purees.

4. Most kids will eat carrots, cucumbers and lettuce in salads. Get in the habit of giving your children one of these per night. You can also combine them, cut them into fun shapes or tuck them into a wrap. If they will go for lettuce, then try stepping them up to spinach hidden in a wrap.

Tips & Warnings

• It make take up to a year for a child to embrace a certain food, so be patient.
• Watch for food allergies.

Resources

• Get even more fiber and nutrition with these tips.

[ajaldridge]

on 5/19/2009 I make my own spaghetti sauce and sneak in zuccini!! I put in the food processor first..they have no idea

[MidniteWriter]

on 3/8/2009 If you have kids, you have to sneak veggies into your diet. This was written with YOU in mind! Please share your veggie stories, comments, complaints, suggestions, ideas HERE! THANKS!

[leanan]

on 12/10/2008 Great tips, esp. for choosy toddlers :)

[CrunchyMama]

on 5/13/2008 I have an easy way to get my toddler to eat veggies. That last half hour before dinner, when everyone is whiny and hungry and obnoxious and I'm trying to get dinner on the table, I just fix up a veggie tray and put it on the table. Add some dip if you like. She's so hungry that even veggies look appetizing, and if she fills up on the veggie tray, I don't care! It also keeps her out of my hair and out of the kitchen while I finish dinner.