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Getting Kids to eat their veggies

A common comment that I receive when people see my daughter eating her vegetables is:

“wow! How did you get her to eat those veggies?!”

My first response, well – I give them to her! And I have always given them to her, from 6 months on.

The World Health Organization recommends that babies be breastfeed exclusively till 6 months and then supplemented with solids and breast milk until at least 2 years and beyond. Just after 7 months of age Cedar showed a real interest in solid foods and the first foods that I introduced were: fruits and veggies of course! Originally I started out by buying organic bottles of baby food until I realized it was actually more economical and fresher to make my own. I would start by steaming the veggies, and then puree and freeze the extra in little baby size portions for later dates. Freezing is an optimal way to preserve food so that valuable nutrients aren’t lost.

It seems overly simple to overcome the not eating veggies syndrome by saying “just feed it to them” and it is. There are tricks of the trade to incorporate to help get your child off to good eating habits and here are a few suggestions:

- Make fruits and veggies just as important as grains when preparing your child’s meals. Ensure that they are present in abundance at every meal, even for the wee ones.

- Ensure that a wide variety of veggies are introduced even the green leafy ones. To get the strong tasting greens such as dark kale down, try using a little Braggs or Goddess dressing.

- Avoid introducing sugars, sweeteners such as honey and salt to children under 4. The longer the taste buds stay pure the easier it’ll be to maintain healthy eating habits. The child will also be more aware of what they are putting into their bodies and if an overdose of a particular type of food will make them feel good or sick. A friend of mine start giving her son treats and he eventually refused to eat the foods he was previously accustomed to. He would want nothing but the junk style food and she gave into his wishes as she didn’t want him to go hungry. She later grew frustrated with the bad habit she had created and decided to forgo all junk foods and go back to their old style of nutritious eating. Her son didn’t eat much for 2 - 3 days and had some fits but children will not starve themselves and he eventually got back on track.

- Change the presentation and cooking style of the various veggies being cooked. For example, one day a broccoli can be a tree and the next day a furry sea creature.

- Be creative with baking. I once made blueberry spinach muffins, they were delicious.

- Always check the ingredient list on bought food including milk alternatives, cereals, baby food, etc. One would be surprised at the ingredients of some of the kid food out there, even the organic stuff. Organic doesn’t always mean pure or healthy!

For more ideas and information check out the following resources:

www.askdrsears.com

Book: Super baby food

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Baby-Food-Ruth-Yaron/dp/0965260313/ref=pd_sim_b_11

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Comment by Anne Arsenault on July 21, 2010 at 11:01pm: Getting your kids to eat healthy can be a challenge after they go to school and see what the other kids are eating and drinking. I have brought her up healthy, but she is also making her own decisions now and I am not always there. The more I persuade her to eat healthy, the less she wants to.......she even calls me a "Nutrition Freak".
So I do what I can to get Health into her.........if she's into a certain fruit or vegetable I make sure that I always have that around and I might try different ways to get it into her, like the spinach, strawberry and almond salad I made for dinner last night. She loved it.
I also make protein smoothies with a banana and frozen berries and anything else healthy that I can get her to drink..............she was suprized that I also put fish oil into her blender drinks.
Every child will be different and some are more challening that others.

Comment by Maria Rippo on June 1, 2010 at 9:08am: This is great advice and I did the same thing! My kids love healthy food as well. One trick I also used was to always make sure they were really hungry at meal time. It's amazing how much better healthy food tastes when kids are HUNGRY!!
I like to feed them green smoothies as well. My kids have a favorite one and most kids LOVE this.
Kale-a-Bunga Smoothie
3/4 of a head of curly kale

1 mango

1 pear

3 dates

1 tsp vanilla

1 - 2 cups frozen strawberries

5 scoops stevia

Combine all ingredients in the blender. You may have to make it in two batches. Fill blender with water and blend well. Enjoy in a fun and festive glass! Cheers!!

And here's another one they really like:
This is the perfect green smoothie for anyone to start with. My kids love this one.

1/2 cup frozen organic pineapple

6 or 7 organic strawberries

1 cup fresh, organic spinach

1 teaspoon vanilla

Himalayan or Celtic salt to taste

Add ingredients to blender. Fill blender with water. Blend well and serve immediately.

YOu can find these recipes and many more on my site at www.thegreensmoothiechallenge.com
I also have a book that's full of raw, vegan, healthy and delicious recipes at www.thegreensmoothiechallenge.com/store
It's a PDF download so you get to read it as soon as you purchase it:)
Cheers-
Maria

Comment by Jessica Arnold on May 28, 2010 at 3:30pm: I fully agree!!! My mother raised us without sugar, white flour, salt and a host of other food unnecessaries. When I turned 16, I added Veganism to that mix and 16 years later am still going strong. My son is 9 months old and hasn't had a mg of salt, sweetener or processed oils and I know it's the right choice to ensure he lives the same healthy life I've enjoyed. Our family enjoys quinoa, hemp, legumes, whole grains, all fruits and veg (yes, even asparagus and kale) and all sorts of other awesome foods without covering the great flavours they provide. To quote my son, "Num, num, num."

Comment by cecilia wolfson on May 28, 2010 at 12:05pm: always carry healthy food with you, that way, you are ready before getting into temptation!!!

Comment by AMIE VALPONE on May 28, 2010 at 12:01pm: Great post! I always encourage my clients to add pureed squash, sweet potatoes, broccoli and carrots to smoothies, shakes, oatmeal and mashed potatoes for an extra antioxidant boost and tasty spin on fun flavor!

Comment by AMIE VALPONE on May 28, 2010 at 11:59am: Great pots! I always encourage my clients and readers to add pureed squash, beans, broccoli and cauliflower to kids smoothies, mashed potatoes and ice pops!

Comment by Camille Crittenden on May 28, 2010 at 11:02am: I, too, am always puzzled by parents who complain about their kids not eating vegetables. Why not? Our daughter has eaten all kinds of veggies from the very start--and has been a positive influence on her buddies. (The moms all thank me because now their kids want to eat salad, like Paige does.) I think the most important thing is the parents' attitude. Just make eating vegetables a completely normal part of the meal. We all eat vegetables because they taste good and they are good for us. No extra show or praise to single them out. Also, anything eaten with hands automatically tastes better! So we often allow some leeway for abandoning utensils if it means more broccoli down the hatch.

Comment by CJ Hitz on May 28, 2010 at 10:53am: Great post! My wife & I don't have kids yet but these are great tips when/if we do. I've been thinking along these lines for awhile now and have believed, as you said, it's important for kids to maintain pure taste buds so they're not "messed up" right out of the starting gate

Comment by Vega Lee Ann on May 28, 2010 at 10:17am: Great post! My daughters 19 months and not quite ready for raw veggies so I steam carrot sticks for her, she'll eat them warm or cold. She's a big fan of smoothies too. We use Vega Health Optimizer in our smoothies and she loves it. Smoothies are great when she's teething and not willing to chew and give me piece of mind that she's getting something nutritious even if she refuses to eat.

Comment by Frances Worster on May 22, 2010 at 8:34am: Amen! I've also been learning about parents who introduce GREEN juices a smoothies as the first non-breast-milk food