Making a child eat vegetables can be a real challenge and who knows that better than a parent! No matter how hard you try, kids are able to come up with innovative excuses to avoid anything green on the plate.
But it looks like celebrity mum Candyce Toh has cracked the code and managed to get her daughter Azalea to love what most kids despise–vegetables and greens! So much so that she is now quite fond of them.
What’s even better? She’s sharing her secret trick with all her followers.
The mum-of-one recently took to Instagram to share creative tips to help fellow parents who just don’t know how to get a child to eat vegetables!
Candyce Toh Knows How To Get A Child To Eat Vegetables
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In her stories, the famous mum shared that while people might think that Azalea is a good eater, she is not. It is indeed quite difficult to make her sit at the dining table.
She added that her daughter had the bad habit of making excuses to get up from her chair. As a result, she’s often lost her temper on Azalea several times during meals.
Candyce then went on to share how she developed healthy food habits in Azalea.
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Lead by example and eat lots of vegetables
Candyce said that both she and her husband, Ang Junyang eat lots of vegetables. They are not particularly fond of them, but they do so because they know it is healthy.
And mind you, these vegetables are sans any seasoning.
The power couple like to eat their veggies water-boiled and Azalea too has developed a liking for these “clean” veggies.
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Develop a habit of clean eating from a young age
Candyce shares that she’s always given her daughter bland food without any seasoning. The only addition to her food is that of a home-made “powder.”
Here’s how they make it: Her MIL gets silverfish from the market. They fry it without oil and then it is powdered in a blender. It is sometimes added over to her fish and meat.
Mummy Candyce makes it a point to see that her daughter is not given super salty food often and hence, she prefers vegetables over meat. She believes that salty and seasoned meats tastes good and once kids develop a taste for it, they won’t touch the vegetables.
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Respect your child’s decisions about food
Image courtesy: Candyce Toh Instagram
Candyce shares that it can be a struggle to make her daughter try new food, so bringing her to places with limited food choices could actually be a pain. “But, there’s nothing McDonald’s can’t solve” says the mum, who clearly respects her daughter’s food choices.
As for her meals, Candyce gives her daughter two main options especially for dinner. These include:
- Steamed minced pork, tofu and boiled vegetables, or
- Steamed fish and boiled vegetables with rice and soup
During the weekends, they usually order in or Candyce likes to prepare something special for her. For instance, pasta, fried Bee Hoon, or a burger.
These are indeed great ideas for a quick fix healthy meal. But don’t forget what experts say too!
Quick Tips To Make Your Fussy Eater Eat Plenty Of Greens
Sociologist Dina Rose says that kids need to taste a new food almost 10 and 15 times before they can finally accept it. So the best way to get them to like a food item would be to be persistent.
Try to introduce any new food in small portions and avoid pushing them to finish everything on their plate.
Additionally, if you also enjoy different cuisines and dishes, try to innovate your child’s meals too. Replace unhealthy ingredients with the healthy ones and hide greens and veggies in meals. Slowly but surely you will succeed.
News source: Instagram
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