How to Entice Kids to Eat More Vegetables

There are ways to get your child to eat vegetables even if they don't like them.

Getting children to eat the required three servings of vegetables a day can become a chore, especially if your child doesn't like their texture or how they taste. Luckily, there are ways to add vegetables to your child's diet so he will enjoy eating them, hopefully, and with fewer complaints.

Instructions

1. 

   Offer your child a variety of vegetables to find which ones she likes.

   Give your child all types of vegetables to try. She may not like peas or carrots but may enjoy corn, green beans or sweet potatoes. Exposing children to different vegetables gives them a chance to learn which ones they like.

2. Show kids vegetables taste good by eating them yourself. Kids model their parents' behavior, so if mom and dad don't eat vegetables, kids won't either. Be a good example and eat your vegetables.

3. 

   Prepare fresh vegetables instead of canned or frozen.

   See if your child will eat fresh vegetables instead of canned or frozen. Cut up and cook fresh vegetables or serve them raw. Sometimes children enjoy the taste and texture of fresh vegetables instead of prepackaged vegetables, which can be soggy and lacking in flavor.

4. 

   Grate vegetables and sprinkle over foods your child loves.

   Sprinkle grated vegetables on foods children already love. Grate or chop carrots, peppers, radishes or any other vegetable and sprinkle on salads, pizza or mix in soups. Kids may not even taste them and will eat the vegetables willingly.

5. 

   Set out a vegetable tray with dip before dinner as a snack for your child.

   Serve a tray of fresh vegetables before dinner each night. Kids are usually hungry while waiting for dinner, so set out a tray of carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cherry tomatoes or any other type of vegetable with a bowl of salad dressing or dip. Hungry kids will eat these up if there's nothing else offered, and there won't be a fight at dinner to eat their vegetables.

6. 

   Eating foods like tacos fulfills servings of vegetables.

   Make foods kids love that already include vegetables. Tacos, pizza, spaghetti sauce, chili and chicken noodle soup are examples of foods that children love and include vegetables.

7. Try roasting vegetables. Roasting potatoes, carrots, peppers, squash and even tomatoes gives vegetables a different flavor that may appeal to children.

8. 

   Spice up your child's vegetables for added flavor.

   Add spices to vegetables for additional flavor. Many vegetables taste bland, but adding a little chili pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, cilantro or sage may bring out flavors your children will enjoy.

9. 

   Serve your child a delicious fruit and vegetable smoothie.

   Make your child fruit and vegetable smoothies. Healthy Recipes for Kids suggests adding a vegetable into your child's banana, apple or pear smoothie. With this method, children will eat one serving of vegetables without even tasting it.

10. 

    Serve your child a glass of fruit and vegetable juice.

    Serve a fruit and vegetable juice. Try one of the many new combinations of fruit and vegetable juices available. One 8-oz. glass contains one full serving of vegetables as well as fruit, and kids won't be able to taste the vegetables.

Tips & Warnings

• Be persistent in serving vegetables at meals. Experts say it can take 10 to 12 times of seeing a particular food before children will actually try it.

• Begin serving a variety of vegetables to children as babies so they become used to different flavors and textures when they are young.

• Don't make eating vegetables a battle. Serve a small portion and ask your child to eat at least one bite and leave it at that. Most children will eventually eat vegetables as they grow older.

References

• Keep Kids Healthy "Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables and Fruit"
• Dr. Spock "How to Get Your Child to Eat Vegetables"
• Healthy Recipes for Kids "Fruit and Vegetable Smoothies"