Simple tips to get your kids loving their veggies!
Making children eat their vegetables can be a real nightmare. It takes time, creativity and a lot of patience. We might not be sure how to do it, and feel guilty every night when we don’t succeed. But don’t worry; it’s not only your kids who struggle to eat their veggies! So, take a deep breath and keep reading, with these tips and recipes your kids will become veggie lovers!
Why your children should eat more vegetables
It’s nothing new that eating vegetables is healthy and should be an essential part of our diets, as they are full of a variety of nutrients. These nutrients are essential for the health and vitality of your family, so getting your children to enjoy eating their greens is very important.
Ideally, they should eat a wide range of veggies and fruits to get all the nutrients they need, but if you find it difficult to get them to try new vegetables, it’s better to eat the same veggies than have them eat no veggies at all. If you don’t know how to start, check our kitchen tips and leave the veggie wars behind.
5 kitchen tips to make it easier
For some parents, getting their children to eat vegetables can be a real challenge. However, there are some kitchen hacks you can put into practice to succeed. It will likely be necessary go through some trial and error, but you will eventually find one that works with your kids!
- Just one meal. Planning separate meals for the adults and children in your family can be exhausting and time-consuming. Besides, when we serve our children a different meal they don’t see us eating our vegetables, and most of the things that our kids learn are through imitation! Show them how much you enjoy your veggies and take advantage of the fact that they want to be like you, by cooking just one meal for the entire family to enjoy.
- Begin with sweet varieties. Peas, carrots, sweet potatoes or beetroot are some of the sweetest veggies, and might be easier to start with. The reason why kids are more willing to eat fruit instead of vegetables is because of taste. Children prefer sweetness to the bitterness of some veggies, so it might be a great idea to start with those that are sweeter and introduce new types one at a time. You can try making a side dish with them once they get used to their flavour, and see what happens!
- Getting creative. The blender is the best friend of every parent who wants to hide veggies. You can add some peas to your kids’ favourite smoothie, mix them with your pasta sauce or camouflage them in the pastry of your next quiche. You will all benefit from the extra flavour and nutrients while eating your favourite meals.
- Go for dips. Children love experimenting and playing with their hands, so making veggie dips might encourage them to try new veggies. As well as using your favourite bread for dipping, you can also make carrot and cucumber sticks, or even cut cherry tomatoes in half to dip. The plate will be much more colourful and appealing.
- Kitchen allies are allowed. Every single war is won with the right allies, so what are your kids’ favourite foods? It might be the flavour ketchup or the stringy texture of melted cheese. By using a little of their favourite foods in the dish containing veggies, you’ll hopefully incentivize them to try it.
Ideas to make your kids love veggies
Probably your kids are more willing to eat a burger or chicken nuggets with a side of chips rather than a side of cooked veggies. So, making a veggie variation of their favourite meals can be the ultimate trick to get your kids to fall in love with veggies. You can try this Pea Nuggets with a Cooked Ham Dip or prepare a Pea Veggie Burger. Both of them will be ready within 15 minutes and are amazingly delicious!
For dessert, you can prepare a colourful fruit salad,or add small pieces of fruit into their yoghurt. If you want to really surprise them, try this Pea Ice Cream with Bacon Wafers. You can use their favourite wafers instead of the bacon. Enjoy watching your children eat their greens in a new and inventive way!
Did you like the idea of making dips to encourage your kids to eat vegetables? Get inspired by our veggie dips recipes.