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Getting children to eat enough fruit and vegetables can be difficult at times. We here at Planet Green are going to give you some strategies to encourage your children to eat a more nutritious diet.
1. Be a good role model. Why should your kids eat vegetables if you don't?
2. Eat together as a family as often as you can. They are more likely to eat a nutritious meal if you all eat the same thing at the same time. Otherwise, they'll toss a pizza into the microwave.
3. Have fruit and vegetables on hand all the time. They can't eat it if you don't have it. Conversely, ditch the snack foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar. Offer them fruit, or a homemade treat.
4. Have a designated snack time and stick to it. They are more likely to eat what you are serving if they hungry at mealtime. 5. Be positive when offering vegetables to your kids. Remember that it takes from 10 to 15 times offering vegetables before a child will eat it.
6. Being positive goes for the kids, too. Don't let them make disparaging remarks about what you've cooked. No saying "eeuw" at the table.
7. Let your child choose a menu, including a vegetable choice. Then let them help you cook dinner. Children are much more likely to eat something that they have cooked themselves.
8. Play to your strengths. If your kids like cheese, make a gratin using vegetables, or a cheddar sauce to pour over broccoli or cauliflower.
9. Understand that taste buds change as children grow older, so don't assume that because they wouldn't eat something at five that they won't be willing to try it at ten.
10. You don't have to be a short order cook. Cook one meal for everyone. They'll figure out that they have to eat what is on offer or be hungry.
11. Tell your children the truth. I am not a big fan of the Jessica Seinfeld theory (plagiarism accusations notwithstanding) of hiding the vegetables in other stuff. I believe that we should teach our children to question what is in their food. Children have a right to know what they are eating. This is especially true if you have a child who has a food allergy. Having said that, if you have a really picky eater who won't eat any vegetables at all, then I guess hiding them in other things may be your only option.
12. Understand that there are true likes and dislikes and respect that. Do you like everything?
13. Don't panic. My eldest child was a strict meat, potato and rice kind of a guy. Now at the age of 22, he has been a vegetarian for three years. My younger child saw her first artichoke at the age of 4 and declared that it was something she just had to try. She still eats her vegetables.
Difficulty level: Easy
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