10 Ways To Get Your Child To Eat Some Vegetables

As a child, I wasn’t a particularly picky eater. I loved snacking on orange slices, cauliflower florets and cottage cheese.  I’d try any green veggie that was smeared with a little butter, and I loved a savoury mash of turnip and carrot.

That isn’t always the case with kids. Their growing bodies and developing minds need high quality nutrition. Yet, their sensitive taste buds can dictate otherwise. I’m not a mom yet, so I enlisted the help of my good friend Karie, veteran blogger and local super-mom, to teach us a few tricks for little picky eaters. 

Vegetables and kids can be a bit of a conundrum.

Veggies tend to get a bad rap with the little ones. It makes sense; it’s hard for broccoli to compete with, let along win against, peanut butter and macaroni.

Children between the ages of two and 13 need at least four to six serving of fruit and vegetables per day and for some parents making that happen is often more frustrating than trying to chop a carrot with a plastic spoon while standing on one foot and wearing a blindfold.

But it’s worth the effort. Vegetables contain all kinds of vitamin, minerals and other compounds that improve the immune system, digestion, eyesight and the skin; prevent obesity and anaemia; and reduce the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers. Seriously, I could go on forever about how vegetables are just covered in awesomesauce.

In our house we eat a mostly meat-free diet. When our daughter came along we knew we would need to get her on board with plant food right from the start because we were going to be serving a lot of it.  It was tough. One day she would love peas and the next day she would look at us like we were nuts if we suggested she eat them. Heck, for a few months all she would eat was yogurt. Ensuring she got enough veggies often required a little creativity.

She’s only three but I think overall we’re doing okay. She likes some vegetables and even occasionally requests carrots for a snack. But, we are faced with an occasional veggie strike and there are times, like when we’re travelling or are really busy, where carbs are the feature attraction. So, I’m always looking for ways to get in a few extra bites of the good green stuff.

Here are some ideas to get your kids eating more vegetables:

1. Dips. Dipping is fun and dips taste good. Let kids use their veggies to scoop up some plain yogurt, hummus or a little salad dressing.
2. Sauces. You can put ANYTHING in a sauce, especially tomato sauce, if you stick it in a blender. Grab some kale, squash or even Brussels sprouts and toss them in. Use the sauce for pasta, rice or homemade pizza.
3. Smoothies. Just like with sauces, anything goes. The sweet fruit will usually offset the more bitter vegetable tastes and once it’s all blended up your children won’t even know they’re drinking spinach.
4. Popsicles. Make a batch of smoothie then freeze it in a popsicle tray. Your child will think he’s having a treat and you’ll know he’s licking a carrot.
5. Muffins. Store-bought muffins are usually loaded with sugar and fat but you can make your own healthier versions packed with grated vegetables. Carrots and zucchini work really well.
6. Soups. Soups are just like sauces; you can sneak all kinds of stuff in there if you puree it. You can even make big batches of soup and freeze it, making for an easy and nutritious meal.
7. Brainwash. Go ahead and serve up heaping spoonfuls of parsnip propaganda. Talk constantly about the super powers of vegetables right from day one and try to eat them yourself. Explain how they help us grow, keep us from getting sick and give us energy to play more. Kids are gullible and impressionable; so try using it to your advantage.
8. Abuse the “try one (or two) bite rule.” If your family has this rule, load up the plate with a variety of vegetables. One bite of carrot, one bite of cauliflower, a spoonful of peas and a cucumber slice can almost make up a serving.
9. Make it fun and give options. Make skewers of colourful peppers, tell them to eat their cucumber cookies, let them pick out a new vegetable at the grocery store and ask if they want their carrots hard or soft.
10. Garden. Gardening is fun for children and it’s fun to eat the stuff you grow. The experts all say to get children involved in the meal prep and gardening gets them helping right from the start. They might even start snacking on snap peas and cherry tomatoes while playing in the backyard…

And if everything fails…just cover everything in ketchup (kidding…sort of).

Karie is writing teacher, federal public servant, music enthusiast and lover of the internet, candy, wine, high heel shoes, swings, naps and cheese. She hates olives. Oh, and she’s a mom to a really awesome three-year-old girl. She lives in downtown Ottawa with her family, their dog and four goldfish and blogs about urban parenting at Pub Patio Playdate. You can also find her on Twitter. 

Thanks, Karie! I bet there are a few adults who will use these tricks to sneak more vegetables into their own diets, too.