Five Easy Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies!

We’ve all heard it countless times from our own moms, the media, the government and our doctors: EAT MORE VEGETABLES. Most of us know why, but not always the how. In our busy lives it’s simply not practical to sit down and eat a salad for every meal, plus that would be very boring. I have a skinny friend (you know, the kind of amazing woman who even looks slender when 9 months pregnant) who once told me, “I just don’t eat anything that I’m not excited about eating.”

While that’s not quite what I do always, I have found some ways to get more vegetables into my own body AND be excited about it!

My kids, on the other hand, were a little more reluctant at first. Our oldest daughter has always been an adventurous eater. When she was a toddler I was so proud that she would literally gobble up almost anything I sat on her high chair tray. Daughter number 2 wasn’t as agreeable but still ate pretty well. Then came along baby number 3, and all my motherly nutritional pride went out the window. You know, she’s one of those kids who loves to eat anything the color TAN. Chicken nuggets, french fries, pizza, mac and cheese, are her favorite things in the world. I had to start getting a little more creative after this one. 

Here are five ways I get my kids to eat more vegetables: 

1. Be an example! One of the most important ways to influence kids’ behavior (or anyone for that matter) is to model it yourself. Do your children see you enjoying lots of veggies? Watch your words too. I’ve noticed a big difference in our kids’ attitudes when I say out loud “I need to eat this salad” vs. “I can’t wait to eat this colorful plate of salad!” 
2. Let them help in the kitchen and give choices. Our five-year-old Ilana loves to help me in the kitchen, especially when I let her use a kid-safe knife and cut veggies or fruit. Gabby, our “selective” three-year-old seems to eat more when I let her choose the family’s dinner vegetable. Green beans or spinach? Carrots or green peppers? Preschoolers especially love either-or choices and their involvement in meal planning. 
3. Start a vegetable garden or visit local farms or farmers markets. Children of all ages love to get in the dirt and see where our food really comes from. I personally have not developed my green thumb (I’m not giving up yet!) so we do try to go to local farms or farmers markets monthly. There’s nothing more satisfying than growing/picking your own food! Our seven-year-old, Ariella, is very adventurous when it comes to food and she loves trying new ones she finds on our trips.
4. Be sneaky! Sometimes a mama’s gotta do what a mama’s gotta do! Let’s be honest, there are just some vegetables my kids will not eat. Soups/sauces and baked goods are perfect ways to “hide” some veggies. I make a taco soup that my kids scarf down and they still have no idea that there is pureed cauliflower and okra in the broth. Zucchini and pumpkin are very easy to hide in muffins. Google is your friend for these creative recipes! There are so many we can add to our “veggie arsenal”.
5. Make them taste good. This can be key, not just with kids, but husbands too! No one in my family will sit down and eat raw broccoli usually. However, steam that succulent veggie and add some grassfed butter or coconut oil and some seasonings or sprinkle some cheese and it becomes a treat. My husband and two of our daughters are obsessed with my kale chip recipe. Almost as soon as I pull them out of the oven, they are scarfed down by those three. Want to try it out with your family? Here’s my recipe. Let me know what your family thinks!
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