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One of the challenges many parents encounter is encouraging their children to enjoy eating vegetables during meals. We cannot entirely blame the children because they may not be able to fully comprehend the benefits of vegetables in their diet at a young age. As adults, we eat vegetables because we have grown to enjoy them over the years, only after we found out the health benefits. So it is possible to get your children to enjoy eating their greens every day.
Vegetables are a source of vitamins, dietary fiber, potassium, folic acid, and they are low in fats and calories. The inclusion of vegetables in meals goes a long way to prevent illnesses and diseases because they boost your kids’ immune system and aid in proper growth and development.
In this post, we will be discussing some fun ways to encourage your children to ask for more vegetables. Don’t raise your eyebrows yet because it is possible.
Teach your children the benefits of eating vegetables
Educating the little ones about vegetables can be done in fun and interesting ways to keep them engaged and pass the message. Fortunately, vegetables are mostly brightly colored which can easily attract the children. If you can help them understand that they can enjoy their fun activities such as riding a bicycle, swimming, or playing video games better when they eat their greens, your children can start asking for more servings. Helping the children know that vegetables make them stronger and healthy so they can play longer and have a better success rate while engaging in their fun activities and in academics is a good way to start.
Use vegetable nutritional fact charts for kids
These charts have been creatively designed to show the common vegetables children eat and the growth benefits. Such as indications that show leafy greens aid in the formation of blood, and sweet potatoes, broccoli is an excellent source of calcium for strong bones, others for good eyesight, healthy teeth, and skin, etc. Nutritional education indicates how much vegetables healthy children should be eating per serving. This information will help to reduce protests and arguments when the kids are served with vegetables because they already have an idea of the nutrition ration for vegetables. Your kids can have fun reading and reciting the information displayed on the chart, and with your guidance, they can understand why you have been trying to get them to eat their greens all this while.
Introduce new methods of cooking vegetables
There are a variety of cooking methods that can be used to prepare vegetables to make them taste better and more enticing for the children. Did you know you could grill vegetables? Many children love grilled vegetables because they taste so nice, so it is possible that your kids will enjoy them too. It is worth the try if you have been having a tough time getting them to eat their greens. Some examples of vegetables that can be grilled include potatoes, tomatoes, fruits, Brussels sprouts, and green beans to mention a few. It is really easy, and you can find affordable grills to use every day. When you discover the vegetables your children enjoy eating after grilling, meal times will become a happy moment for the kids. Grill sets are affordable; to save costs, check out the best barbecue grills under $300 that can last for many years.
Learn creative food presentation methods
Food presentation can go a long way to make your children feel like eating vegetables. Does it sound complex? No, it is not hard really; you can find some practical tips online on food presentation to get it right every mealtime. Attracting your children by the arrangement of vegetables on their plates during mealtime will help encourage them to eat their greens. So find creative ways to add vegetables to every meal.
Allow the kids to participate in cooking
Cooking with children can be a fun time for the family. Everyone gets dressed up as a chef with the funny hats and aprons. The children can learn the names of the vegetables they eat and also have an opportunity to taste them while cooking with you. Having small bites before the meal can be appetizing and they will look forward to the main meal to consume all their vegetables.
Introduce vegetables as snacks
Snack time is usually when your kids feel a little hungry before the main meal. They may be willing to satisfy their hunger by eating their vegetables. So try this approach rather than offering sweet drinks and cookies as snacks. Healthy snacking is an excellent idea because we hold on to the habit of snacking until adulthood. Hence it is best introduced at a young age.
These tips are great, but you have to be patient. The results you want may not be immediate but do not give up, and it will happen. Keep trying options, and soon you will get a list of vegetables your children enjoy eating.
Some great tips! Thanks for sharing with us at The Blogger’s Pit Stop!
Thank you for checking them out. Thank you for hosting the Blogger’s Pit Stop party.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.
This is it, tricky yet doable. I am going to try these to see some success this time š
Thanks for the post.
You’re welcome. I hope it helps you out.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. I hope to see you again soon.