At times you love them with every piece of your heart, then there are those times you want to… One of those times when your last thread of patience is going to snap is when they just won’t eat those ‘damn’ veggies that you have cooked for them.
Here are a couple of hints to make it easier for you and to make sure that they get all their nutrients:
Don’t hover over them with the “don’t test me” glare and force them to eat. If you repeat this every time they eat, mealtime will become something to be dreaded. Rather join them and make the meal a family occasion.
Show your children that you enjoy your veggies, if they see that you like them, they will imitate you.
Make meal times fun, put the food into smiley faces or call the veggies different names. Our blogger
Raspberry,
uses Sponge Bob as a tactic.
Mask the taste of the veggies by covering them with white sauce. Sweet corn or pumpkin fritters are a healthy alternative to the usual flapjack; they taste just as delicious and are still nutritious.
Wiz up smoothies for an alternative healthy snack; they still taste great and the kids don’t need to know what ingredients were added.
Stealth health: If your child runs away screaming at the sight of vegetables, disguise them. Do a Jessica Seinfeld and hide them in soups and stews. Grating carrots and hiding them in mince is a trick my mother used. We naïve kiddies never knew the difference.
Make your kids feel more grown–up; like big boys and girls. Give them proper cutlery and plates, with the clear message being that grown–ups eat their veggies.
Sometimes black–mail or negotiation works; promise the kids a treat after dinner, if they don’t eat their veggies they don’t get a treat. Never bend the rules.
If your children don’t eat cooked veggies it might be the texture that puts them off. Why not try raw veggies?
Involve your children in the cooking process, like our blogger Coffee Cup Diaries.
Any other hints from the mommies and daddies out there?
