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As parents, we know the importance of eating vegetables. But when it comes to children, this is easier said than done. Do you find yourself struggling to find ways your child enjoys vegetables?
Are you resorting to sneaking vegetables into your child’s meals? These are all common scenarios and you are not alone in playing hide and seek with vegetables. In the short term, sneaking vegetables is great for getting your child to eat them but long-term, it can encourage fussiness and won’t help change their food behaviours.
Our in-house Dietitians from The Lifestyle Dietitian share six ways to help your child eat vegetables and actually enjoy them.
- Make vegetables taste good
Humans are born with a preference for sweet tastes. After all, a baby’s first food is breast milk which is naturally sweet. Vegetables are starkly bitter in comparison so don’t be afraid to approach vegetables differently. Use seasonings, herbs and spices or saute and roast vegetables with olive oil then garnish with cheese. Make salads tasty with toppings like nuts, seeds and dried fruit or let your child dip vegetables in their favourite sauces. - Serve one new vegetable at a time
Avoid overwhelming your child with multiple new vegetables at once – they will likely not touch any vegetables at all! Choose one new vegetable and serve a small portion alongside a favourite and familiar food for your child. A ten cent size portion is all that is needed to help children build acceptance. - Use neutral language
Do your best to remain neutral when vegetables are rejected. Avoid comments like “you can only have dessert after eating your carrots” or “well done for eating all your vegetables first, now you can have dessert”. These send a message that vegetables are not enjoyable and that certain foods need to be earned. Long-term, food will become more chaotic and problematic for your child. - Role model
Children learn by example, so eating vegetables yourself goes a long way in helping your child eat them too. Aim to fill half of your plate with a range of colourful vegetables, knowing that you are benefiting both your own and your child’s health. - Involve your child
Allowing your child to explore vegetables in multiple ways beyond eating helps familiarise vegetables. Hands-on approaches are known to help increase children’s vegetable intake. Try taking your child to the shops to pick up a new vegetable, get them washing, peeling, blending and grating in the kitchen or start a herb garden. - Keep trying
Did you know that it takes up to ten to 15 exposures for children to accept a new food? As disheartening as it can be when your child rejects vegetables, keep offering. It takes time for children to build acceptance but your persistence will pay off long-term.
