Encouraging Kids to Eat Veggies

October 9, 2023

Vegetables are part of a balanced diet for both adults and children. However, sometimes encouraging your kids to eat their veggies can turn into a battle! As parents, we often find ourselves pleading with our children to eat their vegetables or offering toys as rewards for just taking one more bite of broccoli. While vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, they are just one part of the bigger picture. Vegetables provide our bodies with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber that we need, but that we can also get from fruits and whole grains. So, while we are working on increasing vegetable intake, you can rest assured that your kids can still get all the nutrients they need through other foods.

Here are some tips that can help encourage vegetable intake:

Make Vegetables Fun

It is time to take the pressure off from eating vegetables and allow your children to explore and play with their food. We eat with all our senses – sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. When we are introducing any new or unliked food into our children’s diet it is important to allow them to explore. Have them describe what they see, feel, smell and taste. Give your kids permission to play with their food by making fun shapes or “food art” at the table. The more they explore food, the more likely they will be to try it and enjoy it.

Consistency is Key

Along with exploration comes continual exposure. If your child tries carrots for the first time and declares they do not like them, we can encourage them that vegetables can taste different depending on the season and how they are cooked. Tell them they can try it again another time and bring the carrots back in a different form. It takes time to develop a taste for vegetables and even certain foods. You can also remind your child that our taste buds are constantly changing so while carrots might not have tasted good last time, our taste buds have probably changed since then. Challenge them to continue trying while allowing them to exercise their independence. Tools such as veggie choppers can make veggie prep much easier for parents, such as this chopper.

Involve Kids in Meal Prep

As parents, part of our role is to encourage our children as they grow in independence and autonomy. Involving your kids as you plan and prepare meals, not only helps them develop cooking skills but can also foster more autonomy as they help decide what meals are served. This is a great opportunity to have children choose fruits and vegetables for the week when grocery shopping. You can also encourage them to get involved with age-appropriate cooking tasks, such as seasoning or mixing. Look for fun kits such as this one to encourage your little chef. When children feel ownership of which foods are being cooked and how they are cooked, they might get encouraged to try something they saw develop from the grocery store to the plate.

Create a Positive Meal Environment

Eating should be fun! Not only should we enjoy our food, but we should enjoy the company we have at mealtimes. When mealtime is calm, we can create the perfect environment to explore these new foods. Be patient as your kids learn what these new foods taste like and join them in the discovery. Use this as an opportunity to discuss other kid friendly topics, even as simple as highs and lows for the day. Also, when mealtime is more relaxed and enjoyable, we can better listen to our bodies’ cues about hunger and satiety. Remember, toddlers and children have periods when they will eat more or less than their normal intake; lean into it and teach them to listen to their body’s cues.

Be a Healthy Role Model

People often say children will do more of what their parents do instead of what their parents say. Therefore, encourage your children to eat their veggies by eating your veggies. Show your kids how you enjoy vegetables and even how you try new vegetables often. Research often shows that parents who model eating fruits and vegetables have children are significantly more likely to meet their daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables.

Conclusion

Parents do not forget to remain patient and do not get discouraged! Introducing and encouraging more vegetable intake is a learning process for you and your kids. If you learn and explore together, you can create lasting memories along with life-long eating habits.

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Resources

UC Davis

Austin.com

Do512.com

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Encouraging Kids to Eat Veggies

Written By: Mariana Ross, MS, RD, LD

Edited & Medically Reviewed By: Isabella Ferrari CSO, RD, MCN, LD

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