6 Tips to Get Your Children to Eat Vegetables and Fruits

August 7, 2008

Eating healthy is very important regardless who you are. All of us know the good of eating vegetables and fruits but face the problem that children refuse to eat vegetables and fruits. Ashton refused to eat vegetables and fruits sometime back too. He seems to have an eye for vegetables. He can picked out even the most tiny piece from his bowl. When I demand that he eats them, he refused to open his mouth. There was once I made him eat apple and he hid in the room and refused to come out even when I turned on his favorite cartoon. I began experimenting on different ways to get him to eat and here are some successful attempts.

Be creative with your dish - Instead of nagging at your children to eat vegetables and fruit, come up with innovative ways of cooking. What I did was to mix it with my son’s favourite food. I knew that he loves chicken. So I minced the vegetables and carrots, wrap them inside his chicken fillet. The next question that I knew I would be expecting from him is “Mummy, what is this?” So I came up with a beautiful name. I told him the dish is call The Rainbow Chicken Fillet. Bingo! He was so happy and start eating because he loves rainbow. That was how I got him to eat without putting up a struggle.
Develop a healthy eating habit yourself - Show your children that you are eating fruits and vegetables and you love them. Parents are a great influence to their children. They will be willing to at least give it a try when they see that you enjoy eating them so much.
Keep vegetables and fruits within reach and easily available. I always prepare cut fruits for my children and when they are back home after playing with the neighbours, I serve them fruits to quench their thirst. They are sometimes too thirsty to reject my fruit platter. Sometimes, I would cut some fruits when we are going out for a car ride and serve my children as a healthy snack to substitute cookies.
Make eating fruits and vegetables fun - When my son refused fruits, I get him to eat fruits by using pretend play. He loves cookies and wants to be cookie monster from sesame street. I pretend to be a cookie monster and get him to be one too. I cut the strawberries into slices and we pretend that they were cookies and keeping on munching on the strawberries. It worked and now he loves strawberries.
Be patient - Do not get upset with your children for refusing vegetables and fruits. The more you force them to eat, the more they are going to reject. I have tried that. Just be patient and try testing out different ways to get them to take their first bite on it.
Be positive - Refusal to take vegetable and fruits might be just a passing stage of a toddler. Keep on encouraging them, don’t give up. One day, they will love the vegetables and fruits. Now having vegetables and fruits everyday has become a must for Ashton and Ashlyn as they have got pass the stage and now enjoy eating them!

Remember the saying, an apple a day, keeps the doctor away? Start your child on vegetables and fruits now!

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