School is back in session. The holidays are over; a time when kids play, go on adventures, have fun, and can often enjoy treats like pizza, ice cream, and chips. Let's admit it, during vacations, eating healthy foods is a bit less of a priority and we tend to relax on veggie consumption (but chips, pasta, and other treats are always welcome).
It is widely understood that consuming sufficient vegetables is crucial for children's well-being. Therefore, how can we ensure our youngsters maintain an adequate intake of leafy greens despite their initial reluctance?
Here are some useful suggestions:
Be patient
Allow your child time to get accustomed to a ‘new taste’. Even if your child is not fond of it the first time, continue serving it (maybe in a puréed form).
Make it fun
Eating off a fun plate can do wonders! For instance, spinach gives you strong muscles, and carrots give you amazing eyesight. When preparing the food, arrange the vegetables in a fun pattern and use a variety of colorful designs to make it appealing to the eye.
Set a good example
As a parent, demonstrate a preference for eating vegetables. Kids don't always follow your instructions, but they tend to imitate your behavior.
Experiment
If your child doesn't want to eat traditional vegetables, try visiting an international grocery store or a local market to explore new options such as sweet potatoes, beets, or other unusual vegetables you haven't tried before. You might be pleasantly surprised!
Give vegetables cool names
An experiment conducted in a British school demonstrated that renaming a vegetable can have an effect. For instance, broccoli was rebranded as Power Brunch Broccoli and carrots were termed X-ray Vision Carrots. Feel free to get creative and give it a try!
Please ask me a question and I'll suggest an alternative preparation method to you.
Some children may enjoy their vegetables prepared in a unique manner. Alternating between a masher, wok, oven, grater, and breader, topped with a sprinkle of curry powder, can be an option. Alternatively, serving sweet potato, parsnip, or carrot fries can be a fun and tasty way to enjoy vegetables.
Give small portions
Feed your child small portions right away and don't argue about the quantity. Your child should be able to feel proud even after just having one carrot.
Process vegetables
You can incorporate it into smoothies, sauces, spaghetti (zucchini strands), rice, couscous, meatballs, etc.
You can also incorporate vegetables into cakes and pancakes: carrot, zucchini, sweet potato ...
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