How to Get Your Child to Eat Their Vegetables

Most children don't like to eat their vegetables. Children say that vegetables such as broccoli and carrots taste gross and disgusting. I am a parent of a two year old who used to feel this way until I made some changes in how vegetables are served. There are things that you can do to make the vegetables look and taste more exciting. I have come up with some great ideas that will get your child to beg for more vegetables.

·Provide dips to go with the vegetables. Vegetables all by themselves don't taste that great to a child's taste buds. You can change the taste by providing a dip such as ranch that they can dip their veggies in. You can have your child experiment with different dips to see what they would like.

·Juice the vegetables. One wonderful method I have found out that my two-year-old likes is his vegetables juiced. He doesn't like carrots but he loves carrot juice. He always drinks it up quickly and asks for more. Some children may not like carrot juice so you can add a few apples to sweeten the taste. Children love most anything that tastes sweet. In addition it is a great way to get that fruit serving in for the day.

·Cook the vegetables in a main course meal. There are many recipes that call for vegetables. This is another wonderful way to serve them. The vegetables are cooked and mixed in with other flavors. Some of the best dishes that children will eat are the ones that come with spices and sauce. Often time's children won't even notice that they are eating their vegetables.

·Have fun with the vegetables. Your child is more likely to eat their vegetables if they are presented in a fun way. For example, they can decorate a piece of bread or cracker with different veggies. One example that my child enjoyed was peanut butter veggie sandwich. I had him spread peanut butter on a piece of bread. Then he got to make a face using a small stalk of celery for the mouth and carrots for the eyes and nose. He loves it!

·Be a positive role model for your children. There are many adults, who don't like vegetables and avoid eating them, which leads their child to avoid vegetables too. A good way to encourage your child to eat vegetables is for you to eat them too.

·Serve different vegetables. Eating the same vegetables can be boring and not very appetizing. You can make it more exciting by serving a variety of vegetables. This is also gives your child the opportunity to find a couple of vegetables that they might like.

These are some tips that have encouraged my child to eat their vegetables and I think may help your child too.