If you love vegetables, then eventually your kids will too (most of them anyway!) Of course there are a few tricks that you might want to try if you're on a campaign for not only healthy eating, but a love for healthy eating! (And if you don't love vegetables, well then just pretend that you do, for your kid's sake!)
- Treat vegetables like they are something special (they are!) and serve them in an eye-catching way. Who wouldn't want to get their hands on this platter? My kids were jumping up and down! (Okay I realize that they are not normal in their love for vegetables, but maybe it means I'm doing the right thing? How many kids do you know that will devour sliced radish? The other white vegetable is kohlrabi, wonderfully crisp and delicious.)
- Serve fresh vegetables at every meal so they become a natural part of everyday eating.
- Enlist your husband's help and convince him to ooh and aah over the vegetables and take the majority for himself, all the while smacking his lips with no desire to share. (Believe me, this one works really well, you should see the types of vegetables my kids eat because my husband loves them, like raw artichoke! Who ever heard of that!)
- Don't ever force a kid to eat his vegetables, in fact don't mention anything, just go about your business and make sure you are eating your vegetables!
- Consider growing some of your own vegetables
- Take kids to the farmer's market (or even a well stocked grocery store) and talk about all the amazing kinds of vegetables that exist, their colors, shapes, etc.
- Don't give up, ever! Just keep on serving those vegetables and follow this blog for more helpful hints down the road.
