How to Get Your Kids to Eat Soy

Most children in America don't grow up eating soy, therefore the strong and unique taste of soy can be off-putting to children (and adults for that matter). Soy is a great source of low fat protein, however, and is rich in fiber and other nutrients. So if you can add soy to your child's diet, it certainly will enhance their nutrition. You can get your kids to eat soy, it just takes a little creativity. Try these ideas for incorporating soy into your child's diet, without any objections.

Chocolate Soy Milk. Offering your child chocolate soy milk is a great way to incorporate soy into her diet. Chocolate soy milk does taste differently than regular chocolate milk, however most kids enjoy the taste anyway. In a former occupation, I offered chocolate soy milk to children in the fourth and fifth grades. Over 97% of the children had never tasted soy milk of any kind before. After trying chocolate soy milk, over 92% of the children said they liked it. Chocolate soy milk is a great way to get your kids to eat soy.

Steamed Edamame in the Shell. Steaming edamame in the shell is one of the most simple and inexpensive ways to prepare soy. Children often enjoy eating steamed edamame because it is a fun food to eat. Just purchase frozen edamame in the shell. Steam in the microwave and toss with sea salt. Your kids will love using their teeth to pull the little edamame beans out of the shells to eat them. My three year old loves eating edamame this way and this is a great way to get kids to eat soy. Just make sure they don't eat the shells!

Chocolate Covered Soy Nuts. What kid doesn't like chocolate? If your child enjoys the salty sweet goodness of such treats as chocolate covered pretzels, trying offering chocolate covered soy nuts instead. Still crunchy, salty, and sweet, chocolate covered soy nuts contain so much more protein and nutrients than other similar snacks. Try offering your children soy in this form and they may become soy eaters for life.

Sticking a slab of tofu in front of your children is probably not going to win their hearts over to soy. Choosing more innovative ways of incorporating soy into their diets, just might. Try these creative and tasty ways to incorporate soy into your child's diet, and who knows, these ways to eat soy might work for some adults in your life too!