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8 Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

Let’s just be honest, kids can be a pain in the butt. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my children but I often feel like pulling my hair out when trying to get over certain hurdles in the growing up process. One of the most common issues most parents have is getting their kids to eat vegetables. Man, back in the day, I wasn’t super fond of veggies but now that I’m older, I love them. Why must life be so difficult? Why can’t we just start loving them at a younger age? Anyways, although it’s a struggle and feels like a game more times than not, there are easier ways to get kids to eat their veggies outside of threatening them with a year of grounding. Here are 8 tips to get your kids to eat vegetables. 

8 Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

Sneak it into the food – Sometimes making things like veggie burgers where the veggies don’t taste like veggies helps your kids to smoothly get a serving or two of veggies in for the day. Of course, there are plenty of ways to do this but it will take a bit of trial and error to find which recipes they will eat.

Use vitamins – In this day and age, there are a ton of natural alternatives to forcing broccoli down your child. There are even gummies that are just for getting you all your servings of veggies for the day without having to actually eat all the veggies.

Make it fun – Often times eating vegetables can be stressful before the meal even gets put on the table. Make veggie time fun. If you have to, make it to where they earn good points or a prize for finishing their veggies.

Make it a goal – Encourage your child to make it through their veggies by again, making it fun. Break it up into a goal. Say they have 5 pieces of broccoli they need to eat. Come up with something fun if they make it to a goal such as two pieces. For example, you get one bite of dessert for every two pieces of broccoli you eat. If you eat all 5 pieces, the rest of the dessert is yours!

Be honest with them – Sometimes, telling the kids they’re going to love a veggie such as spinach is just mean. You know they’re probably going to hate it so don’t get their hopes up because then it just makes your job harder when they find out it’s gross. So be honest with them about the fact you most likely don’t like it either and sometimes when they see you still eating it, they find the will to do so as well.

Eat it with them – Sometimes kids just need a partner to get through those gross veggies. Challenge them or make gross faces with them as you both eat it. Don’t abandon them at the table as they whine about not wanting to eat their veggies, it rarely goes anywhere.

Don’t force them to finish – The worst possible thing you can do is force a kid to eat the entire pile of gross veggies. The veggies are usually left until last so kids are most likely close to full or already full as it is. Maybe set a limit of bites they need to take in order to get up from the table. My mom was queen of this and it worked!

Eat the veggies first – When first starting a meal, everyone is hungry and at this point, it’s easier to eat certain foods. Try making dinner a three course meal and serve the veggies first by themselves. This often times will make it easier to get through the battle of eating veggies.

8 Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

23 Comments

  • Joi
    September 6, 2016 at 11:14 pm

    That pin is super adorable! Those are good suggestions especially eating with them and trying to make it fun. I have found that repeatedly giving them the ones they like is easier for me being the God mother 🙂 !

    Reply
  • Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle
    September 7, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    Great, great tips. Kids need those veggies to get in enough vitamins. But actually getting the veggies INTO them can be a battle, to say the least!

    Reply
  • Colleen Lanin
    September 7, 2016 at 1:35 pm

    Where were these tips when I was trying to get my kids to eat my veggies?! I had SUCH a hard time getting them to eat their vegetables when they were young.

    Reply
  • Brandy
    September 7, 2016 at 3:16 pm

    These are all really great tips! It can be hard to get your kids to eat their veggies so I make sure to give them vitamins every day.

    Reply
  • Bren Pace
    September 7, 2016 at 3:57 pm

    haha Boy did that take me back to my childhood! I was one of “those” who hated veggies. I tried hiding them under the potatoes, sticking them under the table, and slipping them to our poor dog – Candy. Thankfully, NOW I will eat some veggies but they still aren’t my fav.

    Great tips!

    B

    Reply
  • Pam Wattenbarger
    September 7, 2016 at 5:07 pm

    I remember having to sit at the table until I was finished with my collard greens. I still hate collards.

    Reply
  • Tracey
    September 7, 2016 at 9:33 pm

    These are awesome tips! I know some friends with picky eaters so I will pass this post along to them.

    Reply
  • Chavonne Harvey
    September 7, 2016 at 10:10 pm

    These are really good tips for getting kids to eat their vegetables. I especially like hiding the vegetables in the food (sometimes I have to do that for myself), setting a certain amount of bites they have to eat rather than insisting they eat it all is terrific advice and I also love the tip of eating the vegetables first when you’re most hungry. Seems like some of this advice applies to me actually.

    Reply
  • Liz Mays
    September 7, 2016 at 11:49 pm

    I think your ideas are great. My kids enjoyed some vegetables but there were a few I had to be pretty clever with.

    Reply
  • Tracy @ Ascending Butterfly
    September 8, 2016 at 12:11 am

    I do not have children and definitely don’t want to ever have them so I won’t know what this battle is like personally, but my friends with kids say the struggle is real.

    Reply
  • Melissa @ thestatenislandfamily
    September 8, 2016 at 12:50 am

    Honestly I’ve tried the sneaking but the best way that has worked for me is one tip you mentioned–eat it with them! These are all great tips and I’m pretty sure they will help any parent get their kid to eat at least ONE VEGETABLE!

    Reply
  • Kelly Hutchinson
    September 8, 2016 at 2:17 am

    These are such great tips. It was so hard to get mine to eat their vegetables.

    Reply
  • Rachel Ferrucci
    September 8, 2016 at 2:53 am

    These are great tips and I love the one you say to be honest, that makes total sense.

    Reply
  • Marcie W.
    September 8, 2016 at 12:41 pm

    These are awesome suggestions, especially for a frustrated parent. I was blessed with three wonderful eaters but my nephew is extremely picky.

    Reply
  • Amanda Love
    September 8, 2016 at 2:59 pm

    Kids + Veggies = not a good combination! You definitely have to get creative when it comes to “tricking” them to eat their veggies. I am loving your tips!

    Reply
  • Kristi
    September 8, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    Great suggestions, for our daughter it was all about temperature…she would eat them if they were cold and not hot. Worked for a few years and then she ate regular warmed up veggies.

    Reply
  • Nicole Escat
    September 8, 2016 at 4:27 pm

    What a great read. I am so glad that my son is not a picky eater, he loves veggies!

    Reply
  • Beeb Ashcroft
    September 8, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    My kids, thankfully, eat certain vegetables pretty well so it hasn’t been too bad of a struggle. Hopefully they’ll branch out on what they like though!

    Reply
  • Kristin
    September 8, 2016 at 5:47 pm

    This is so great! I have a kiddo who isn’t too fond of veggies, this is very helpful.

    Reply
  • Nikki Wayne
    September 8, 2016 at 11:11 pm

    I thing being an example really matters. I am so glad I was able to teach my son earlier than expected.

    Reply
  • Nellie
    September 9, 2016 at 1:51 am

    I totally do the “take this many bites” method. It works every time!

    Reply
  • christina aliperti
    September 11, 2016 at 1:01 am

    We so need all the tips we can get with my nieces. They are the pickiest eaters I have ever met in my life.

    Reply
  • Karlaroundtheworld | Karla
    September 16, 2016 at 6:37 pm

    I remember a lot of these when I was child and it’s true, they work. Also, some of these are instilling mutual respect between parents and kids as well. You’ll be surprised how it works when you don’t really force the child.

    Reply

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