Did you know that less than 20% of schoolchildren meet the federal dietary guidelines for their daily requirement of vegetables? It's an age-old question that moms have been posing for years: how can we encourage kids to eat more veggies? To start, each Friday, the Food Bank will feature a healthy delicious recipe featuring our Veggie of the Month on our myspace page. But fixing this problem will take a serious team effort, so we want to hear from you! Chime in and let us know some of your best meal-time tricks for cleaning the veggies off your kids' plates!
Anytime you're preparing any vegetable, offer a little piece (and never assume they won't eat it). We've been shocked to find our kid will actually swallow chunks of raw cauliflower, whole spears of asparagus, carrots (especially with the tops still on, what fun that is!), and especially snap peas. My best trick: make up a couple small containers of frozen corn and frozen peas. Bring them to a park and brandish them as "special treats." On a hot day, these snacks are just as sweet and satisfying as ice cream. And no where near as messy. :)
ReplyDeleteLeave cut-up cucumbers and carrot sticks at kid level in the fridge for easy snacking.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have to do is eat it myself and also have my husband eat it so that my boys will eat it. Also I sometimes have to compromise and let them have a drink of juice or water before every bite, but sometimes with my oldest son (Toñito 3yrs.) I have to flat out hold him by his arm and turn off the T.V. & make him eat!! With my other son (Nico 2yrs.) I have no problem he will eat anything and everything under the sun!!
ReplyDelete