Mealtime with growing kids can be tough, especially when you are forcing them to eat green leafy vegetables. It is important that kids have a diet that is rich in the most essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients, and nothing can offer them more health benefits that the goodness of green leafy vegetables. So, how do you win, how do you get them to eat something, that they simply refuse to even look at.
Well, we have a few ideas that you can use to include vegetables into their diet without too much of a fight.
Bring Them Into Your Kitchen
Get your kids involved in the process of preparing a healthy meal. Take them to the grocery store with you or to the closest farmer’s market. Join him as you pick up the best organic vegetables that are available.
Next, get them in to the kitchen and ask them to wash, cut and peel the veggie that they wish to eat. You could also ask them to suggest the flavoring, be ready for some adventure while you are doing this, because you may get suggestions like, “Mom, let’s dip it into some chocolate.” Be sure to let that slide and give them a set of ingredients to choose from.
This will help them develop a sense of ownership towards the food and they will be more likely to eat it without too much of a fight.
Club Favorite Foods with Some Veggies
The objective of this exercise is to include veggies into their diet and therefore, combining it with their favorite foods could really help. For instance, top a beautiful cheese pizza with some healthy veggies, slide some into their favorite cheeseburger. Set up bowls of delicious veggies, when you have salad night, pizza night or taco night at home, let the veggies be colorful, and you can be sure, that a few of them will make it on to their plates.
Veggies Can Be Fun
Kids love to put things in their mouth. Get a bunch of vegetables together, get a safe knife and help them with cutting them up to make animal figures and smiley faces, and before you know it, a few of them will make their way into their mouth.
Do Not Fight!
When your child refuses to eat a certain vegetable, you can be tempted to lose your temper, however, do not. It is known that kids when forced to do something can often develop an aversion to it.
Introduce a New Veggie with an Old One
The process of getting your child eating vegetables has to be one that is followed step by step. Get your child eat a new vegetable one step at a time. When they are comfortable with one, sneak in a new vegetable to see how they react. Encourage them to try the new offering, and do it nicely, and see how it works.
Don’t Give Up!
The yucky faces that kids make when you offer them vegetables can be discouraging, however you have to stay string and not give up. Tastes change and you can be sure that sooner rather than later, if you stay persistent, your child will learn to eat the vegetables you want them to.
Veggie Popsicles and Smoothies
No child can resist an icy cold Popsicle or a colorful smoothie. There are some amazing recipes available online that you can use to include the most healthiest smoothies and popsicles that your kids will devour.
Let Peer Pressure Take Over
Keep an eye on your friend’s children. Invite friends who have a healthy diet in to your home and serve some amazing veggies for dinner. It is indeed amazing what peer pressure can do, if their friends are having it, it is likely that they will try it too.
Roast ‘em
Some vegetables when roasted taste amazing. They often resist vegetables because they may be mushy, or the taste may be too strong. Roasting them will help you arrive at a flavor that they will surely enjoy. Roasting will make them really soft on the inside and crispy like French fries on the outside, an will make them sweeter for the palate too. A drizzle of olive oil and some Parmesan cheese will help.
Dip Dip Dip
Kids love dips, especially those that are colorful and taste yummy and they also love eating food with their hands, and the act of dipping makes eating fun too. Healthy dips like hummus too can help make meal time or snack time easy. Serve up some veggies cut well with these dips so that they can enjoy the veggies.
Have Veggies Everywhere
Make sure unhealthy food does not make its way in to the home. Keep only veggies within reach. When they are hungry and you are not around, they will choose to make a sandwich with the veggies that are in sight, rather than looking for a bag of chips.
Be Good
You cannot expect your child to eat healthy if you do not follow your own teachings. Stay away from junk food. Make a healthy sandwich with lots of vegetables instead of turning to a bag of chips. Your kids will emulate your path.
It may be tough to get your children to eat vegetables, but it is not impossible. So, be patient, visit a Registered Holistic Nutritionist to learn what diet can help you nurture a strong and healthy child. Homeopathy too has a host of advantages that you can use to keep your child healthy.
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