Simple Ways to Get Kids to Eat Their Veggies

The USDA recommends that everyone should eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies a day. If you do a poll at your dinner table tonight, it might be interesting to see how many people in your family actually eat enough of these healthy foods. As a mom of 4, I’m always trying to get my kids to eat more of these healthy, but not always popular, foods.

Here are some of my strategies:

1. Keep a bowl of fruit out on the counter. If they walk passed it, they might eat it!
2. Try to include a fruit or veggie (or both) at every meal. If they don’t have any fruits and veggies for breakfast or lunch, it will be almost impossible for them to get caught up by dinner.
3. When kids want a snack, tell them they need to eat an apple or some celery sticks first and then see if they are still hungry. The rule in my house is that you have to have a glass of water and either a fruit or a veggie first when you want a snack. After that if you’re still hungry, I’m open to having something else.
4. Incorporate smoothies for breakfast or a snack ( a good recipe is10 oz. fresh strawberries with stems removed, 2 bananas, 3 Tbs sugar or honey, 1 cup ice cups, 3/4 cup milk or yogurt)
5. Prewash and prep fruits and veggies in the fridge so the are ready to eat. Stand washed and cut up celery in a glass with a little water in it, have grapes cut up in bunches ready to eat…
6. Include fruit kabobs, cut up fruit, and raw veggies on the dinner plate. Veggies don’t have to be cooked, some kids like raw green peppers but won’t go near a cooked one.
7. Experiment with different ways of cooking veggies. Maybe your kids are grossed out by mashed sweet potatoes but they might like crispy roasted sweet potatoes cubes.
8. Even if your kids don’t eat the veggies you put out, put them out anyway so they get accustomed to seeing them.

A few simple strategies will help you, your family, and your kids eat more fruits and veggies with ease.

Crystal Maleski of MakeDinnerEasy.com. Crystal is a contributing writer for Mom Technology bringing us tips to get dinner on the table! Crystal makes dinner easier with weekly dinner plans, shopping lists and child approved recipes sent right to your computer…. this is technology simplifying Moms life!

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Tagged as: fruits and vegetables, healthy eating, Kids