4 Tricks to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies

Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. But being healthy might not make them more appealing to children. In fact, just knowing that vegetables are healthy may be enough to turn off some picky eaters. Luckily, working vegetables into your child’s diet doesn’t need to be a constant battle. These simple tricks may help convince vegetable-averse children to not only eat their veggies but actually enjoy them.

Have Your Child Help You Prepare the Food

Preparing a meal may sometimes feel like a chore to you, but children often enjoy helping out. With your supervision and guidance, children can help with simple tasks like shelling peas, breaking broccoli or cauliflower into florets, or mashing vegetables. Involving your child in food preparation may also make them interested in trying their creations, so you may have an easier time getting them to eat their veggies.

Eat Together

Eating together gives you a chance to model good behavior for your child. If your child frequently sees you eating and enjoying your vegetables, they may start to mirror your behavior.

Incorporate Vegetables in Family Favorites

Picky eaters may shy away from new dishes, which can make it more challenging to get your child to try different vegetables. However, if you incorporate vegetables into the dishes that your child already loves, it may set your child up to also enjoy the vegetable. For instance, if your child loves cheese pizza, you might consider adding a little spinach or broccoli on top. If you make your pizza from scratch, you could even put it under the cheese to make it less noticeable. If your child enjoys spaghetti and meatballs, you could work vegetables into your meatball recipe and add more vegetables to the sauce. If you’re feeling adventurous, you might even try using zucchini noodles.

Try Different Preparations

The preparation of vegetables can affect both their flavor and texture. Children that hate one preparation may enjoy a different preparation, so don’t give up too quickly! Depending on the vegetable, you might try serving it raw, boiled, roasted, air fried, and/or fried. And whatever preparation you choose, don’t forget to add a little seasoning. Some vegetables that taste a little bland can be improved with some salt and pepper or a spice blend.

What other tips and tricks do you use to get your children to eat more vegetables? Let us know in the comments section below.