9 Fun Approaches to Encouraging Kids to Enjoy Vegetables

Normally, we gear our nutrition advice to adults, but because your family’s health is also important to us, and because it’s summertime, we are focusing this blog post on your kids and their nutrition habits.

With the kids around the house more, you’re inevitably going to hear “I’m hungry” more times than you can count. While it may be tempting to fill the pantry with crackers, cereal, and other easy-to-grab snacks, it’s important to help our children develop healthy eating habits by fostering a love of fresh vegetables.

Vegetables are edible plants that contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and nutrients necessary for our body’s optimal health. WebMD explains that “eating more vegetables can lower your risk for conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke. A diet that’s rich in vegetables also helps improve blood sugar control and promotes weight loss.”

Conversely, “A diet low in vegetables is linked to several chronic diseases, including heart disease, obesity, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. People who don’t eat enough vegetables are also more likely to die at a younger age than those who eat lots of vegetables.”

As parents, we must set our kids up for success in all walks of life, and that includes their physical health. If we want our children to develop healthy eating habits, we must train them to do so, and we must do this in a positive way.

Research shows that children who eat vegetables are more likely to continue eating them as adults. So here are 9 tips for getting your kids to eat and enjoy fresh vegetables.

1. Offer a wide variety

Not every kid will like every vegetable, and that’s okay. Allow them to dislike some while providing them with the ones they like, even if it’s often the same ones. Take them to the store with you and have them pick out some fresh vegetables that appeal to them. (We encourage you to stay away from canned vegetables, as they contain significant amounts of added salt.)

2. Let them see you eat vegetables

Kids will often do what their parents do and try what their parents are eating. So if you snack on celery and peanut butter, pea pods, or green beans, they will be more willing to try them as well.

3. Incorporate vegetables into meals

Create meals around vegetables. We used to regularly eat BLTs and tacos for dinner. With BLTs, kids get lettuce and tomatoes (yes, that’s technically a fruit), and with tacos, they also get lettuce and tomatoes, plus avocados. Additionally, we often made homemade pizza and put loads of vegetables on top. One of my sons was just two years old when we found that he liked raw mushrooms.

4. Plant a backyard garden

Kids will be much more willing to taste and eat vegetables that they helped nurture and grow right in their own backyard. Let them choose which they want to grow, then allow them to help you plant, care for, and harvest each vegetable. This also teaches them responsibility!

5. Cook in various ways

Have you ever coated Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt, and pepper and baked them on a cookie sheet? They are delicious! What about sautéing a mix of broccoli, carrots, and peppers with a little olive oil? Or steaming some fresh carrots with a clove of garlic? All of these are ways to enhance the flavors of some of your favorites.

6. Limit the availability of junk food

If kids have the ability to choose between cookies and carrots, they will likely choose cookies. But if you limit the amount of junk food you have in your home, they will have to make better choices.

7. Make vegetables readily accessible

Wash all produce, then store it in easy-to-open containers so that kids can grab them for an easy snack.

8. Put vegetables out as snacks

When my kids were little, we would play games at night or sit on the floor and play with their train set. I would put carrots or red, yellow, and orange peppers in a bowl and just set them out as a snack. The bowl didn’t stay full long!

9. Keep introducing new vegetables

Kids’ tastes change over time. And sometimes it takes several trials for a child to grow to like a certain taste. A Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia health tip blog explains that “it takes eight to 15 times to introduce a new food before your child will accept it.” So don’t get frustrated. Keep putting out healthy foods. And do so in a positive way. Don’t become angry with your kids if they don’t want to try something. This is often their way of exerting control. Simply keep putting the food out as available without giving junky options. Most kids will eventually try it, especially if a parent is eating it too.

Summertime is a great time to introduce new foods, especially if you have planted a garden. So take some time to explore and enhance your family’s taste buds while doing good for your body. The increase in vegetable intake will be good for you as well!