Persuading children to eat vegetables is a nightmare for parents because it is children’s nature to stay away from most types of vegetables they see.
As a child, most of us used to hate eating vegetables no matter how hard our parents tried to persuade us. Young children usually prefer brightly colored food and food that have an easy-to-swallow taste. Or some kids just hate the color green that is usually present on most vegetables. Though it is very challenging for parents to help their children eat vegetables but with proper methods, this will be a walk in a park. Today, Illume-eMag will provide parents with some tips to help their children enjoy eating vegetables.
Give your children a good example
Children usually follow what adults do and eating is not an exception as well. You should let your children see you eat vegetables and have the time of your life while doing so. By eating vegetables and enjoying doing so, your kids will be inspired to eat vegetables. To increase the effectiveness of this method, you should practice this method at meals where your whole family gathers. As children see their siblings and parents having fun eating vegetables, it will be a matter of time before they love eating vegetables.
Praise your children when they eat vegetables
It is a universal fact that kids love being praised by their parents. Kids seek approval from their parents in every action they do. Every time your kids eat vegetables, no matter the quantity they eat, you should praise and encourage them to eat more. To kids, being praised by their parents is the best thing that they want to hear. But you should minimize the amount of praise you give, focus more on encouraging your young ones. Little by little, your children will be able to eat vegetables in no time.
Expand the variety of vegetables
Most kids don’t like vegetables because of the color of vegetables, to be more specific, kids aren’t fond of green vegetables. As kids love bright-colored food, bright-colored vegetables might be able to draw their attention. If your child sees a vegetable that has their favorite color on it, they will want to eat that vegetable more. Aside from colors, the taste of vegetables is important as well. Kids hate bitter food so during the time your children are getting used to eating vegetables, avoid vegetables that taste bitter.
Try to sneak some vegetables into meals
Kids usually eat foods based on their appearance foods. Try to mix or disguise vegetables as your child’s favorite meals, they will be attracted to those dishes and eat them without a doubt. When your kids are used to the taste of vegetables, you can switch back to normal vegetables. But you shouldn’t rush them, start with a small amount and then increase the quantity as time go on.
Prepare vegetables in different ways
Most parents let their kids eat boiled vegetables as starters. This method is quite ineffective and bland. Kids usually judge and love things based on their first impression. Giving your kid a bad and bland first contact with vegetables is not a good move. You should try to cook vegetables in different ways or focus on giving vegetables the tastes that your children love. If you lack the time to cook vegetables, you can make a simple sauce for your kids to eat vegetables with. If your want to help your kids eat vegetables, a simple dish of salad with sweet and sour topping will work perfectly fine.
Replace regular snacks with vegetables
Kids love snacks, no one can deny that. Snacks are tasty and easy to swallow but they have no beneficial effects for your child. You should try to replace some of the snacks with vegetables, this will help your children get used to eating vegetables and avoid unhealthy snacks. A prime example of fruit as snack is mixing chopped pieces of vegetables with yogurt for your kids to eat, a very healthy snack for your kids.