Kids Love Vegetables if You Let Them

Think back when your child was a baby eating Gerber's from the jar. They loved those vegetables, didn't they? Your child is 5 now and won't touch a vegetable. What happened? Sometimes the answer is "adults set bad examples". This article deals with ways to encourage (not force) your children to eat their vegetables. The bonus is that adults get to set good examples for their kids!

Adults can set a good example.

Adults can set a good example by never saying "I hate corn or I hate spinach." When is the last time you heard an adult say that? How many kids were near by taking it all in? Always refer to vegetables in a positive manner, always. Adults should always have the same vegetables on their plate and happily eat them!

The knowledge of the miracle of food.

There is nothing like the knowledge of how your food was grown and where it comes from to give your kids a new outlook on vegetables. Take the time and effort to grow a small garden, even if it's in pots. Let your child plant, water, weed and harvest the food. Your kids will understand what a miracle food is. They will also be proud to eat something that they have grown. This is a great way to introduce a vegetable like spinach.

Preparing vegetables for kids.

Steaming vegetables like carrots insures the best flavor. Carrots, tomatoes and corn are usually the favorites of kids. When it comes to broccoli or cauliflower, a little cheese may encourage your child. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the vegetables and let it melt. After you kids have gotten used to the more bitter tasting vegetables, they will likely go on to eat them without cheese or sauces.

Make preparation of vegetables a fun thing to do with the kids. Kids love to take part in making a meal. Make a green salad and let them decorate it with other vegetables. You might be surprised how interested they are in eating the vegetables they helped with!

Don't hide vegetables in kid's food.

Many believe this is a great idea. I don't unless absolutely everything else fails. Kids will figure it out and then they will be suspicious of everything you make. To hide something equates it as being bad or something that kids should fear. You won't always be around to "hide" vegetables in your kids food, so just be honest and say that vegetables are good for kids!

Don't make vegetables a big issue.

If you do the above things with your kids, you shouldn't have to "harp" to get kids to eat their vegetables. Don't lament in front of them to others that they don't like vegetables. Make sure you have vegetables on their plate everyday and mix it up with a big variety. All adults in the house should eat all the vegetables that are offered to the kids.

Yes, kids do love vegetables. Sometimes adults get in the way!