How To Get More Fruits And Vegetables Into Your Child’s Diet

Children and vegetables are not a combination that tends to go too well together. Even without tasting them, children will often assume that they aren’t going to like the taste of vegetables, so they’ll often ignore them or even cause a fuss about eating them. Fruit is a little easier, but it can still be hard to be sure you’re giving them enough. With this in mind, here are some ways to help you incorporate more fruit and veg into your child’s diet. 

Start Early 

This piece of advice might not be useful if you already have children old enough to eat solid food and you want to start giving them healthier options, but if you’re pregnant or have a baby who is still only on milk, it’s good to know that starting early when it comes to fruit and vegetables is the best thing you can do. 

The earlier you start, the less unusual these foods will be for them. The child will just naturally eat them as part of their everyday diet and never think anything of it. The later you introduce these foods, the harder it is to get your child to try them. 

Give It As Snacks 

If there’s one thing you’ll know as a parent, it’s that children need snacks. When you go out and about, there are many different things to pack, and snacks need to be one of those things. Why not ensure your children get more fruit and vegetables by only taking fruit and veggie snacks with you?

Invest in some soup containers with lids to keep everything fresh, and take some carrot sticks, cucumber, and broccoli with you when you leave the house. Or you could try strawberries, raspberries, or even soup in soup containers on cold days if they prefer. 

Serve It Differently 

Just because your child has refused a vegetable in the past doesn’t mean they’ll never eat it. You might be able to persuade them to try it (and perhaps even like it!) by serving it in a different way. 

Perhaps your child enjoys macaroni and cheese but isn’t a fan of carrots. In that case, you could make macaroni cheese and add some carrot slices to the recipe. Or you could serve vegetables as fritters rather than on their own on a plate. Mash is another excellent idea – a carrot, parsnip, or swede mash (with or without potatoes) offers a new texture for the vegetables, which might just work.

You don’t want to hide the healthy ingredients because children will never learn to eat them by choice, but adding them to other things can be a good compromise. 

Set A Good Example

If you don’t eat your vegetables, why do you think your child will? If you want them to eat well, you need to eat well, too, so make sure that you have the same vegetables on your plate and that your child sees you eat them. 

Not only will this be good for your health, but it will also ensure you all eat together at least a few times a week. On top of that, you’re being a great role model, and your children should be happier to eat their vegetables if they see you doing so.