Vegetables have been a nemesis for most kids, for time unknown. It is not surprising then that, parents struggle big time to ensure that their little ones eat vegetables. Adding colourful vegetables to the diet is extremely healthy for kids and helps the body function properly. Here are a few suggestions by which you can make vegetables attractive for kids.
- Done Cook Vegetables Completely:
- Don’t Mix Vegetables:
- Finger Food:
- Vegetables with their Favourite Food:
- Play with Food:
- Change in Taste:
- Roast Some Vegetables:
- Familiar Vegetables:
Some vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli smell unpleasant when cooked completely. And some children are sensitive to the certain texture of food as well. You can try to cook them to a crisp and tender stage. You can even serve some common vegetables without cooking.
Younger children usually dislike their food if it has a bend of all vegetables. They would rather have dishes where they can identify the vegetables. A good example could be a salad. Salads that are not mixed and each ingredient is arranged separately, are usually a hit among kids. In fact, kids love it if you serve them in a buffet style, as it gives them the satisfaction of making their own decision.
Vegetables such as green beans and asparagus are fun for kids, since they can eat them with their fingers. You can explore other vegetables that they can consume as finger food. Some common examples include cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, pea pods, apples, corn on the cob, cherries, berries, oranges, etc.
You can add vegetables to some of the favourite food of your kid. If they like pizza, you can add it as toppings or add vegetables to their favourite soup or stew. You can also do the same with tacos or nachos. Some children tend to experiment with their food more than others.
Letting your kids play with their food might be a good way to make some vegetables attractive and fun to eat. Let them make broccoli or cauliflower trees, celery sticks with peanut butter and so on.
It is important to understand and acknowledge the fact that kids change their tastes with time. Some vegetables that were yuck when they were small might no longer be the case. Thus, you can try again to feed them the same vegetables.
As you roast some vegetables, it reduces the intensity of their flavours and makes them soft as well. Roasting vegetables also caramelizes the sugars in them, making them a tad sweeter. Most of the vegetables cooked in this way taste great. You can toss them in a pan at high heat with a bit of oil, salt and pepper.
A great way to introduce new vegetables is to do so with vegetables that they are already familiar with. If they do not like the new vegetable, they still have the option to eat the familiar veggie.
These simple steps can help you feed vegetables to your kids.
