Has meal time become a struggle to get your kids to eat vegetables? Here are some tips that will hopefully help you out!
Put a plate of veggies in front of your child, and what does he do? He smiles, picks up a piece, and chews slowly. If you’re one of the lucky ones, your child will probably happily swallow the piece or do the complete opposite and hold it in their mouth for as long as they can or just spit it out. If you’re having trouble feeding your little one vegetables, you are not alone. Many moms and dads may regard meal time as a battle because while the parents want to provide their child with vitamin-packed vegetables, the child wants nothing to do with it. So how does one make your child eat vegetables? Here are some ideas.
How to Make Your Child Eat Vegetables Tip 1: Create healthy alternatives of your child’s favorite food
Whether your child’s favorite dish be pizza, spaghetti or baked goods, there is always a healthier way to make them. For example, if your child is a spaghetti lover, grate some carrots and other vegetables and mix them into the sauce. If he likes pizza, spread out a thin layer of vegetables on top of the dough before adding the layer of cheese. Children often stick out their tongue to dishes that serve vegetables as is, so it’s up to you to be creative with how you serve them.
How to Make Your Child Eat Vegetables Tip 2: Involve your child in food preparation
Children often look at vegetables as the “enemy”, so its up to you to ease the tension between the two. One way you can do that is to get your child “comfortable” with vegetables by getting them to handle them. Take your child to the supermarket, and ask them to pick up the vegetables that you need. While at home, ask your child if they’d like to help you prepare the vegetables for meal time by washing, drying, slicing or chopping them. By doing so, your child will become more interested and may even be drawn to eat the vegetable during meal time as a result of his participation in food preparation.
How to Make Your Child Eat Vegetables Tip 3: Take the lead
Be an example to your child and eat vegetables yourself. If they see you enjoying, they will become curious about it and will hopefully ask to taste some. Make mealtimes enjoyable and don’t force your child to eat something he absolutely does not like. Instead, encourage him to take one bit of his vegetable and then alternate it with something else. The point is to make the meal enjoyable as opposed to something dreadful.
How to Make Your Child Eat Vegetables Tip 4: Offer food when your child is most hungry
After an exhausting activity, your child will most likely eat whatever you serve him. So, take advantage of this and serve him healthy or vegetable based snacks or meals. Also, you may want to serve the snack or meal in a visually pleasing manner, make a happy face omelet, cut carrots into shapes as opposed to normally serving it as sticks and more!
These steps are just the beginning. As you continue down the road of feeding vegetables to your child, you are bound to unlock the secrets to feeding him, whether it be discovering a certain healthy dish that he likes or serving the meal in a manner that encourages your child to eat it, do what you think works best for your child.
If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below.
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