Easy Ways To Entice Your Kids To Eat More Veggies 

It’s the perennial argument between kids and parents: you have to finish your veg if you want to get dessert. While bribing kids to eat the vegetables that are such an essential part of their diet is one way to get kids to finish their veg, there are other easy ways to entice kids to eat the healthy parts of their meals.  

Being a good role model and showing kids that veggies can be a great and delicious part of their diet is an important first step. You can also make the preparation and presentation of vegetables more fun and engaging, making kids actually want to eat the veg on their plate.  

Get Them Involved With The Prep And Cooking 

Involving kids in the preparation of their vegetables can help entice them to eat them once prepared. Getting kids involved in the kitchen can be an excellent way to broaden their horizons and make them more likely to eat what they prep. You should always supervise your kids when they’re helping with the cooking and give them age-appropriate tasks.  

You could even take it one step further and get their help making a vegetable patch in your backyard. Vegetables like potatoes, beets, and cucumbers are simple to grow and can get your kids involved in the cooking process from soil to table.  

Let Them Choose The Veggies 

Giving your kids control over the vegetables you use in meals can encourage them to eat a broader range of vegetables. Consider taking the kids with you when you do your weekly food shop and let them explore the produce aisles. Let each child pick out a selection of vegetables that can be incorporated into the meals you will eat that week. If the veg they choose isn’t ideal for the dishes you had in mind, consider making some healthy snacks or using them as a side dish.  

Cut Veg Into Fun Shapes 

It is common knowledge that food that looks fun is much more fun to eat! Cutting vegetables into interesting shapes can be a great way to get your kids engaged with their food. Consider creating roast potatoes in star shapes or heart shape zucchini. You could also invest in a spiralizer that allows you to make fun ribbons out of veggies.  

Try Roasting Veggies 

How you cook vegetables can make all the difference to whether your kids will be willing to try them. Boiling is one of the most common and easiest ways to cook vegetables, but if overdone, it can result in veg that is unpalatable even to adults. If your kids have rejected boiled veg, it may help to try a different way to prepare them, and roasting can be ideal. 

Roasted veg can take on an entirely different taste and texture than other methods of cooking. You can roast a wide range of vegetables from potatoes to root veg to broccoli to tomatoes. Roasted beets can be an excellent option, as beets are often challenging to get kids to eat. Find out more about how to cook beets from the expert cook at The Clean Bake.  

Blend Vegetables Into Sauces 

If you have a particularly picky eater and other tactics have failed to get them to eat their veg, blending veggies into sauces and dips could be the perfect solution. This will ensure that your kids are getting much-needed nutrients while you work on building their enthusiasm for eating whole vegetables.  

Blended veg can be easily added to sauces like Bolognese or chili, leaving kids none the wiser. Ensure you cook the veg to soften it, and blend thoroughly to remove any big lumps that might tip off the kids to the presence of veggies.  

Pair Vegetables With Tasty Dips 

Making veggies, a dippable snack can be an excellent way to entice kids to eat more veg. You could make sticks of cucumber, zucchini, and carrots to pair with hummus or other dips and sauces your kids enjoy. This can encourage them to eat their veg as a vehicle to get to their favorite sauces! 

Make Veg Based Smoothies 

Similar to blending veg into sauces, you could create nutritious vegetable smoothies for your kids to ensure they get plenty of veg in their diets. Smoothies can be customized to appeal to your kids’ tastes and ensure that getting a good dose of veg in their diet is fun and easy. You can sweeten the smoothie using natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup to further encourage the kids to enjoy their veg. 

Enjoy Veggies In Front Of Your Kids 

Enjoying your own veg is crucial to getting your kids to enjoy theirs. You are one of the most important role models your kids have, so you should eat vegetables in front of them. Kids will often repeat what they see their parents doing, so if they see you enjoying a plate full of vegetables, this will go a long way to convincing them to try and enjoy the veg on their own plates.

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