How do you get your young children to eat their veggies?

[joycemcgregor]

When my children were small and learning to eat and love different vegetables, I had to be inventive to get them to eat them. One of my favorite ways was to grate carrots and other vegies and add them to spagetti sauce or mix them into meatloaf or meatballs. I also made quick breads with grated vegies such as zucchinni and carrots mixed in. I have a young grandson living with me now and I need more suggestions as to how to sneak those all important vegetables into his meals. Any ideas?

 

[GadgetGuy]

Well, THIS little boy still gorges out on junk food I have not seen him eat any veggies since I've been knowing him!! As you can see, looking at his very bright cheerful smile & playful self, you can't help but to adore & hug him or shake his hand! But when it comes to eating junk food, he lets nothing stand in his way!! Give him regular food to eat, & he'll give you a mean & nasty dirty look!! And he won't eat it at all!!

I asked him this evening what he eats for lunch at the preschool program that he attends every day. He couldn't remember what he had yesterday or the day before, but he told me that he had a hot dog and some milk. This little boy is definitely eating unhealthy, and his mom needs to try to reverse that issue, or he will certainly have problems later in life!! His unhealthy lifestyle of eating needs to be stopped!!

 

[Berties]

We've all heard of hiding vegetables in food but the big plan should be to introduce children to fresh veg at a early age our local school at infant level give out fresh preped raw fruit or veg at morning break and at lunch a set meal with fresh fruit and veg,so by starting at basics is a good start,not every one finds they like all vegetables but they should have tried them ,to make that decision and find the ones they like,but remember your palate and tastes change and mature as you get older

 

[queenbellevue]

We've all heard of hiding vegetables in food but the big plan should be to introduce children to fresh veg at a early age our local school at infant level give out fresh preped raw fruit or veg at morning break and at lunch a set meal with fresh fruit and veg,so by starting at basics is a good start,not every one finds they like all vegetables but they should have tried them ,to make that decision and find the ones they like,but remember your palate and tastes change and mature as you get older

There's your answer. Children don't inherently hate veggies and fruits from a young age (this is anecdotal, but I grew up in Asia and have never seen this problem. Seems like it's only prevalent in the West), they just have very simple palates. If you feed them veg starting from when they're young, they'll get used to it.

 

[Pat]

We eat a lot of veggies like broccoli and cabbage which the kids eat. I still hide vegetables in muffins and cookies. I make sure the kids get their fruit which is not as big a fight as the veggies. I have one grandson you have to grab your apple as soon as they come into the house or he will eat them all.

 

[winterybella]

The sneaking thing may or maybe work and I have a feeling it mostly doesn't work. I have a little nephew and once when I had to babysit him his mom brought a well balanced meal when she dropped him off and he just ate it all up veggies and all. I think if you introduce it early most will embrace it. I would also try to make it fun and colorful from time to time. I found a link that offers some practical suggestions.
http://summertomato.com/11-proven-ways-to-get-kids-to-eat-more-vegetables/

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Bringing up my brother and sister, I just operated on the policy that they ate them because I expected them to. It worked. I would often cook stews and casseroles and I would not tell them what was in it or even what it was called until they had tried it and told me if they liked it or not. There were one or two arguments over the years, but not many at all because they knew if they tried it and they didn't like it and were honest with me I would cook them something else, but if they did the 'I don't like it before I've tried it face' and tried to pull a fast one, they would end up picking at the food and not eating much, going hungry and there is nothing wrong with them being hungry for a few hours and learning a lesson! It is not going to kill them.
They learnt and both of them grew up loving veg, my brother loved sprouts - we would cooked them til almost done, then melt cheese over them under the grill (UK grill) and serve them just like that - worked and they loved it.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The little boy whose pic is above, he won't eat any meat or veggies!!

His aunt gave him s few pieces of potatoes with some gravy. He flatly refused to eat it & turned it down!! Especially after asking for some of it! He got mad, was pouting, and wouldn't talk to ANYONE!! He's stubborn and won't eat normal meals!

He seems hell bent on eating the things that HE likes, such as candy, cookies, potato chips ,juice & soda!!! Shame!! He's a very cute sweet cheerfull and adorable little kid!! But he's seemingly hooked on eating unhealthy foods only!! He gets mad when he's offered regular food! He obviously does not know that he's missing out on the benefits of eating healthy foods.

As long as he's eating junk food, he's in hog heaven!! His mom needs to wake up and smell the coffee and get him off junk food!!

 

[Berties]

If kids are let to get away with eating some thing because there is something better,it's down to the parents to correct this at a early age or early as possible ,we all have that social condition in us ,it needs taming ,ie if your favourite food is,pork sausage you do not eat them every day,you could ,and could afford ,but what's the point,
Food should be a education ,my two boys now 15 and 16 are good eaters,but still guided by social factors ,offal is a no go but your taste buds do develop as you grow ,they do try most things and consider foods providence
They eat moules by the kilo but not oysters but they tried ,they eat raw sirloin of beef where as when I was growing up beef was well done,we should encourage youth to experiment ,
I have done work with a local school with my veg suppliers support letting them try fruits,a lot of the problems is the kids have never been given the chance to try a fruit because their parents think that they don't like it as they were bough up eating a. Certain fruit,so the kids some how loose out

 

[GadgetGuy]

He DID eat a few grapes yesterday. As for everything else, there is no doubt in my mind that this little boy is stubbornly set in his ways! Already!!! He also has a speech problem. We had to ask him about 3 or 4 times what he said. It is always for something to eat - mainly junk food. About the only word that can be heard clearly from him is the word cookies!! In the evening, I'm told that his mom takes him to McDonald's for supper! Getting him to eat anything healthy is like getting him to go a day without eating junk food!!!

How on earth does a child THIS young want only junk food and nothing else that would be beneficial to his health?!! Something is definitely wrong here. Never in my life have I ever seen any child that won't eat a normal home cooked meal, yet pigs out on junk food! I asked him what he has for lunch at the preschool that he attends during the week. But I can't understand what he's saying because he does not talk clearly.

But give me a week or a month with him, & he WILL be eating normal meals!! No, I would not hit him at all, be he needs to have wholesome food in his stomach that is good for him. No junk food except on very rare occasions! He refuses to eat anything unless it is junk food!!! He will blatantly hold out for junk food. He does not eat any meat or veggies - which in THIS case, would help him immensely, health wise. And it is his mom's fault for him being the way that he is. I feel awfully bad for him, but he should NOT be allowed to gorge out on junk food like that! He's definitely spoiled rotten because he won't eat anything but junk food!! Shame!! He needs to stop this bazar madness!! By the time he reaches 8 or 9, he'll probably weigh well over 100lbs!!!

 

[ChanellG]

Bribery! LOL. I was a picky eater child and my parents would bribe me into trying things with a half of a peanut butter sandwich. The hid an olive inside a meatball so I would have to eat the meat to find out what was in it... They also tricked me into eating Spinach, via Popeye cartoons, lol. You just have to get creative. However, to this day I still don't like "meat sauce" on my spaghetti.

 

[GadgetGuy]

There is no bribing with this little boy! No trying to fool him, no trying to coax him or anything else. He's just about as stubborn as a mule, & he's tough as a alligator steak!! He puts up this extremely tough façade that seemingly is a hard shell to crack!! He sees right through what you are trying to do.

And he will not let it fly!! Shame! How in the Sam Hill can a little boy, still a toddler, have that much control & power over people to the point where he is stubbornly insisting on getting only what HE wants to eat, & everyone has to cave in to him just to see him eating things, even though they are unhealthy for him, and nothing else?!! He is definitely spoiled rotten!!!

 

[ChanellG]

Because the adults are not adults. A child eats what you give it or it doesn't eat. You put the food down, if they don't eat it you know they aren't hungry. Plenty of kids were raised you don't get up until you eat, or they got excused from the table but got no other food. The plate went into the fridge and they either went to bed hungry or changed their minds and ate. It's ridiculous!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Because the adults are not adults. A child eats what you give it or it doesn't eat. You put the food down, if they don't eat it you know they aren't hungry. Plenty of kids were raised you don't get up until you eat, or they got excused from the table but got no other food. The plate went into the fridge and they either went to bed hungry or changed their minds and ate. It's ridiculous!

But in today's horrible world, authorities might look at that as being child abuse, child endangerment or child abandonment.
This little boy has his mom, babysitter and everyone else whom he deals with, wrapped around his finger!! He knows full well that he can get away with getting what he wants! It is his way or the highway!! That is how he likes to roll! That's sad! So sad!

I'd quickly give him an ultimatum. That either he eat his normal meal, which would be a meat, starch & veggie, or he gets no candy, potato chips, lollypops or soda!! He won't even eat a slice of cake!! Just the usual junk food that he gorges out on each & every day!! He needs help badly! Things are looking very bleak for him and he is just out of control! I think that he needs therapy of some kind. He's setting himself up for health problems in the not-too-distant future. And the worst part of the whole thing is that, even though his mom is a very nice person, she gives in to him & she need to just put her foot down with this little boy & cut off his junk food supply!! And only give it to him about once every blue moon!!

 

[rosiep]

For my two boys (I have a two and five year old) mixing it in food doesn't seem to work. I've tried the peas in mac n cheese and no one will eat it. But if I do it separately no problem. Both my boys loved fruits and veggies as infants and suddenly when they turned 2 the I don't want to eat anything but candy phase started. Of course this wasn't what they got to eat but every meal was a battle. With my older son we found a unique solution to his not wanting to eat his meals. He loves books, so for every bit he took I would read one page of his story book. (These were the short books with just one or two sentences per page.) This really helped and he would finish his meal. Now the promise of a small desert if he cleans off his plate works every time. Unfortunately, the 2 year old is just at that I only eat what I want stage. I still haven't found a solution for the 2 year old but he did just eat some grapes, so I have hope.