As your kid to eat vegetables and put a plate of greens in front of your kid. What does he do?
Smile, pick a piece up and chew slowly.
If only............
If you're having trouble feeding your kid vegetables, you're not alone and yes, that is no shock. Which kid wants to stuff his face with greens, especially when they taste like cardboard (Brussels sprouts, anyone)?
Little children, especially toddlers, are becoming picky eaters by the quantity . It can be a struggle for moms and dads. But, vegetables are supposed to be part of the growing diet of a child. Concerned parents would not want their children to miss out on the essential nutrients that vegetables provide.
So how do you make a child like vegetables and eat them regularly? Cue: Dilemma.
Well, here are some ways you can try to douse the dilemma out!
Serve or create healthy versions of your child’s favourite food. Find out what your child likes to eat and substitute some of the ingredients with vegetables when cooking. You can include vegetables when preparing your kid’s favourite food or dish such as smoothies, cake, pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, ice cream and a whole lot more. There are endless possibilities to what you can do with vegetables.
Offer them a variety of vegetables. At first, your child might reject the veggies you set on the table but this doesn’t mean you should stop offering them. Instead, you should include vegetables every mealtime. If they often see them on the table, they may like them later.
Involve your child in the food preparation. You can do this by letting your child pick or choose the vegetables at the supermarket. At home, you can ask him or her wash the vegetables you will need for cooking. In this way, they will become interested with the vegetables they have helped prepare.
Take the lead. Be an example to your child by showing him or her that you enjoy eating vegetables. If they see you do that every mealtime, they will become curious about what you eat and they’ll eventually eat the vegetables you serve them.
Make mealtimes enjoyable. Don’t force your child to eat something he or she does not like yet. Don’t struggle with them during meals. This might make them feel bad about eating vegetables and would think that mealtimes are dreadful.
Offer food with vegetables when your child is most hungry. After an exhausting activity, most likely your child will eat almost anything you serve them. So, this is a good time to introduce burgers or sandwiches and smoothies, shakes or ice cream with vegetables as ingredients.
Add toppings or serve with a dip. Toppings such as butter or a happy face can add flavour and colour to vegetables. A dip such as mayonnaise or dressing can also catch your child’s interest especially if it is his or her favourite.
Be creative in serving vegetables. Serve vegetables which are of different colours. Cut them into different shapes. You can add captivating alphabet-shaped noodles to a vegetable soup. Put a happy face on the food.
These steps are just the beginning. As you continue your adventure down the road of feeding veggies to your child, you are bound to find a favourite veggie that your child loves. If all else fails, introduce your child to Bugs Bunny. There never was a child who did not like carrots after watching Looney Tunes!
Also read: Vegetarian weaning recipes