The Best Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Vegetables

*This is a collaborative guest post

As parents, it’s our duty to make sure that our children adopt a healthy lifestyle. Besides getting them to stay active through play and sports, you should also ensure that they have the right nutrition to keep them energised throughout the day.

Vegetables help support a child’s nutritional needs in a variety of ways. Primarily, they support your child’s growth and well-being thanks to the array of minerals and nutrients found in these natural products. 

While we can go on and on about the benefits of vegetables, the reality is that not many children would willingly go out of their way to eat them. Whether it’s due to the strong, bitter flavours or the unfamiliar texture, children may find the thought of eating these nutritious vegetables repulsive and undesirable.

That said, this doesn’t discount the fact that vegetables are vital for helping kids meet their daily nutritional needs. So if you’re in need of some assistance in getting your kid to eat healthily, then you’re in the right place.

We’ll give you some tips to help motivate your child to eat more vegetables to keep them healthy and strong. Let’s jump right into it!

1. Blend Vegetables into a Healthy Drink

One way you can entice your kids to consume more vegetables is by incorporating some of them into a healthy beverage. 

Blending vegetables like spinach and cucumber with sweet fruits helps mask the flavour and make it easier for children to consume. It does this without removing the essential nutrients and minerals found in the vegetables, so they’re still getting a very healthy drink when consuming this beverage.

Many veggie smoothie recipes can be easily customised depending on your child’s taste preferences and dietary needs. For example, you can blend spinach with a banana for a naturally sweet green smoothie, or mix carrots with orange and pineapple for an immunity-boosting drink.

For a start, reward them with a vegetable-based drink with sweeter notes like fruits. You can easily make smoothies at home with a fruit mixer and blender. Then, as they get accustomed to the flavours over time, raise the density of vegetables per drink. You can even top it off with a sprinkling of dried vegetable flakes from Austral Herbs or other grocery retailers for added flavour.

By getting them to enjoy vegetable-based beverages, you can get your child to associate vegetables with something good and tasty. In turn, they’ll look forward to drinking veggie drinks as part of their daily routine.

2. Present Vegetables in a Visually Fun Manner

Another way to get your child to eat more vegetables is by making these veggies look visually appealing on their plate.

Children love seeing and engaging with things that are bright, colourful, and interactive. As such, the way you present their daily serving of vegetables can play a big role in sparking their interest in the food, which can motivate them to give it a try.

You can present vegetables in a fun way through several approaches. For one, you can cut them in fun patterns that resemble real-world objects or animals. You can also play around with colours, mixing and matching veggies with other food items of different hues and patterns.

You can also drizzle the vegetables in colourful sauces, like hummus or dressing, so that kids can feel interested in the food item. Exercise your creativity on the plate, and in doing so, you can make mealtime something your child will look forward to, even if vegetables are on the menu!

3. Involve Kids in the Cooking Process

Cooking is a life skill that’s best learn early. So is being an eater of healthy, green vegetables. And one way to hit two birds with one stone is by assigning your kid to do some tasks around the kitchen.

Letting your kids cook their food is a way to reinforce ownership of their food choices. The time they spend and the effort they put into creating a dish will make them value the food on the dinner table, even if it’s a vegetable-heavy dish!

Of course, it’s important to be considerate of your child’s skill level in the kitchen. Don’t let them do kitchen duties beyond their capabilities. Start small with tasks that are appropriate for their age. If they’re toddler-aged, give them something easy to do, like washing vegetables and mixing ingredients.

Then, as they become older and more skilled, you can increase the difficulty of these cooking tasks. You can get them to measure ingredients, handle various kitchenware, and then eventually cook and present dishes.

By doing this, you’re honing their cooking skills while also giving them the confidence and drive to prepare vegetable-based dishes. In turn, this can make them appreciate vegetables more and see them as a good addition to their daily meals.

4. Lead by Example at the Dinner Table

Another way to motivate your child to eat vegetables is to show that you eat these healthy ingredients as well. 

Children are perceptive of your habits, and they can tell if you don’t follow through with what you say. If they see you leaving your plate of vegetables unfinished, or if you’re eating a separate plate filled with unhealthy fried food, then that would reinforce their belief that vegetables are as gross as they think they are.

That is why it’s important to put your food where your mouth is. During family dinners, be sure to show that you’re eating vegetables at the table. Praise the flavours and textures without necessarily pressuring them to eat it. Pressuring them can backfire and lead them to a rebellious streak.

Over time, your kids will trust your judgment and choose to eat everything on their plate—including their veggies. You are your kid’s first role model, after all, so try to put your best foot forward when showing positive eating habits. A childhood of healthy meals will pay off dividends when they grow older.

5. Turn it into a Competition

If you have multiple kids at home, you can host a game on who can eat the most vegetables during a mealtime session. This can ignite a spirit of light-hearted competition that children will look forward to. 

Children tend to enjoy games, and they also tend to enjoy working hard for a reward more than avoiding eating vegetables. Use this driving force to get them to meet their nutritional needs in a fun yet effective way.

The key here is the framing. When kids don’t feel forced to eat vegetables, they will more likely push through with it in anticipation of the reward and achievement. Hosting this consistently can also make them more open to eating vegetables in the future. Eventually, they’ll build the habit of eating vegetables and become healthier as a result.

We hope that we’ve given you enough insights on how you can motivate your kids to eat their vegetables. All the best in keeping them healthy!