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Creativity has been replaced with angst. You’ve tried again and again but each time you lose. Your kids refuse to eat their veggies, the veggies that you know they need to grow up strong and healthy.
You want to be a good parent, but you’re worn down. You’re tired of attempting to fight the good fight. Well, maybe all you need is some inspiration. Maybe some new ideas may change your kid’s mind.
It doesn't have to be a covert operation. In fact, much of creating good habits is about having an open dialogue with your kids and trying to find a way to work with them rather than against them.
1. Get Started Early
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Good eating habits start young. So if you're thinking of having kids or you have babies, this tip is for you. Your kids make decisions about food and often hold tight to them whether they truly dislike a food or not. My husband swore he didn’t like tomatoes until he was 30 years old. Finally, I convinced him to try them again only to find out he loved them. Your kids can be stubborn about certain tastes.
One of the most important ways to start good habits early is to make your own baby food. After all, would you eat pureed carrots from a jar so processed they could withstand a World War? I don’t think so and you shouldn’t expect your kids to eat something that makes you gag. Here’s a guide to making your own baby food. After you get the hang out of it, making homemade baby food is fun and easy. Avoid using sweeter foods first, meaning try vegetables before fruits so that kids don’t get addicted to sweets.
2. Make it a Family Affair
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Eating a family dinner every evening gives your kids an opportunity to try new things. It’s also important to show your kids that meals aren’t just about stuffing your face, they’re a nightly ritual where the family spends time together enjoying each other’s company. That said--families that made dinners together a priority are also less likely to have fussy eaters. It turns out having an open dialogue with the kids, rather than using coercive techniques, helps kids try new things that they may not normally have eaten.
3. Make Your Smoothies Green
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Kids love smoothies, to them it’s like a healthier milk shake. One way to get some good iron as well as vitamin B and K in your kids is by adding kale to their smoothies. By mixing kale with more traditional smoothie ingredients like coconut milk, fruit, cocoa powder, peanut butter, and honey, your kids won’t even notice the kale. Make them think green is a fun color, not an indicator of health.
4. Introduce Them to Ethnic Cuisine
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A wide variety of food cultures make vegetables the main part of the show. Introducing your kids to new ethnic foods at an early age is a great way to get them to try non-Western plant-based preparations. In our house, we love Indian and Thai food and with so many vegetarian or plant-based dishes, the work is already done for you. If you get your kids started early, their palettes may surprise you.
5. Choose High Quality Vegetables
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Part of the reason my husband hated tomatoes growing up was that he was eating (or not eating) the mass-produced, tasteless variety that you find at the grocery store year round. You can’t really blame him for hating them. This is true of many vegetables.
Each week, head to the farmers’ market with your kids and pick out the week’s produce together. Let them play a role in picking out the best and the brightest of the season. Local vegetables taste better. My husband wouldn’t of had an aversion to tomatoes if he’d been eating gorgeous South Carolina heirlooms with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt all along.
6. Attempt When Hunger Strikes
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You’re much more likely to eat something you’re not sure about when you’re hungry. That’s the best time to attempt new tastes on your kids as well. Serve dinner when you know that your kids are hungry but haven’t yet had time to snack. Eat at the same time each evening so kids know they can depend on a meal and don’t need to go scavenging for junk food in the pantry.
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