How to get a Child to Eat Vegetables

“I don’t like beans or peas or broccoli or asparagus or (insert tonight’s vegetable here).” 

Is this typical dinner conversation at your house?  Is cauliflower a four-letter word?   Well there are ways to get your children to eat those vegetables.  The following tips may help make supper more enjoyable, and fill those adorable little bellies with the vitamins and minerals they require to grow and thrive.

Hide them

It is amazing what you can hide in pancakes, eggs and even brownies.   Pureed sweet potatoes and squash are easily hidden in pancakes.  Mix in some homemade salsa into your eggs and put them in a wrap with grated cheese and your prodigy will never even realize they are consuming wonderful nutrients and anti-oxidants.    Pureed peas and carrots blend easily into meatloaf and hamburgers.  There is no need to get you blender out either.  You can just head back to the baby food section of your grocery store and pick up the jars already pureed.  For more cunning ways of hiding vegetables pick yourself up a copy of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld.  The woman is a genius.

Make vegetables fun

Veggies don’t have to be serious.  There is nothing wrong with playing with your food, a little bit of carrot stick hockey or pea and potato sculpturing never hurt anyone and it sure is more fun to eat a “puck” rather than a beet.  You can also take a hint from Dr. Seuss.  Add spinach to scrambled eggs served with some ham or bacon and you have just created “green eggs and ham.”  Who could resist? 

Consider fruit

Most kids love fruit and there is no rule that says that every meal has to include vegetables. Scour the Internet to research different types of fruits that can replace the green stuff.  Avocados are wonderfully nutritious, as are berries of all types, kiwis and even apples.  Serve them as a fruit salad, as a smoothie or with a yogurt dip.

Let your child do the preparation

Your child is far more likely to eat something that he has prepared himself.  An older child can help chop, a younger one can help wash, stir, or place on the serving dish.  They beam with pride in helping out and of course, they sample their own delicious creations.

Top it off

As weight conscious adults, we shy away from the cheese sauces and other fat laden add-ons but our growing children can afford the extra calories, so bring out the cheese, jam or even chocolate.  It is much better to see them eating a few extra calories at the table with nutritious food than filling up on empty calories later because they are still hungry.

It does not really matter how you get them to eat those leafy greens as long as they are getting them somehow.  You may have to be a bit tricky and perhaps a bit creative but you will be giving your children the gift of good health  for a lifetime.