Tips For Getting Your Child To Eat Their Vegetables

It seems like a cliché, but don’t be amazed to find yourself saying “eat your vegetables,” while your child makes a face and says “yuck.” Don’t worry you’re not the only parent dealing with a picky eater. Read on for a few helpful tips from your Happy Valley Pediatricians on how to encourage your children to eat their vegetables.

Studies show that most children have a greater sensitivity to bitter tastes, and many vegetables taste bitter to them, even those that adults are either desensitized to or accustomed to. That doesn’t mean that healthy and sick children alike don’t need their veggies, though!

Frustrated Parents

As adults, we know how many essential vitamins, minerals, and natural fibers are in vegetables. We know that sick children, especially, need access to these health giving properties and that one of the best things you can do in helping a sick child, is to get them to eat healthy foods.

Make It Invisible

Some parents find that the easiest way to get their kids to eat veggies is to sneak them into other foods. Sometimes this is the best solution. A fruit smoothie with some spinach thrown in can be a very convenient way to ensure that your child is eating something green on a busy school day. Disguising veggies makes helping a sick child easier, because no one wants to force sick children to eat what they don’t like. Your sympathetic Happy Valley pediatrician will understand how hard it is not to feel sorry for sick children. But they also know that helping a sick child means considering their long term health as well.

The one down-side with this approach is that it can make it harder for children to establish a relationship with healthy eating. It may not serve them in the long term if they don’t get to know the spinach on their plate as its own delicious possibility.

Make It Taste Good

If you are struggling to convince your healthy or sick children to eat their veggies, make an extra effort to find delicious recipes. Involve your kids in meal prep, by taking them to the grocery store with you to help select fresh produce for a dish or letting them help cook family meals.

Because children often mimic their parent’s behavior, make sure that you’re modeling an attitude of adventure and fun when it comes to trying new, healthy foods.