How to get kids to eat their veggies

I had my first baby shortly after finishing uni. Having studied nutrition, I figured that feeding a child would be easy.

Armed with the very latest research and having prepared my fussy-eating husband to be a good role model (he pretended to enjoy everything I served) I expected my first child to be a dream eater. And then he was born…

It took sleepless weeks for him to establish breastfeeding, messy, sticky months before he would accept solids and the all too familiar highs and lows with fussy eating. While the theories I had studied helped a bit, I certainly wasn’t really prepared for the real-life challenge of feeding a small human.

Now we have four kids and each has taught me plenty about my own health beliefs and how to feed a family.

So what is my top tip for raising healthy eaters?

Fussy Eaters

First we need to understand; why are kids so fussy?

Children are not in control of much in their own lives and they love when they can take charge. Food is one of the first areas that a child starts to ‘taste’ control (haha). We all know, as hard as you try, you can’t make a child eat if they don’t want to! Learning about and taking responsibility is an important part of growing up – eventually kids will need to make all their own decision; and even decisions for others!

So, how can we give them the responsibility they desire while still getting them to eat their veggies? Should we even bother? Why not wait until they’re older and can understand better?

Fussy eating is a normal part of childhood. We want to get through the fussy eating stages smoothly, happily and with as many veggies as possible. But research shows that eating habits track through life, getting less fussy as we mature. So a “two veg” child will become an adult who may taste five. But a child who eats ten different veggies will mature as an adult who can enjoy and experience the entire spectrum of delicious, healthy food.

Persisting with your kids to eat a variety of foods now is extremely valuable for their long term eating habits and will ultimately give them a richer and more fulfilling life.

The illusion of choice
Always give your child a choice, or at least the illusion of choice.

This is not to say you are a gourmet restaurant taking custom orders; quite the opposite. Cook your meal and give them the choice of how much they would like to eat and which vegetables they would like to include on their plate.

The illusion of choice looks like this:
“What green would you like to eat tonight?”
a) Broccoli
b) Spinach
c) Peas?

It works at lunchtime too:
“What colours (fruit and veggies) would you like in your lunch-box today?”
a) Apple
b) Banana

“Which do you like more….”
a) Carrot
b) Red capsicum
c) Tomatoes

“Would you like your carrot grated on the sandwich or carrot sticks on the side?”

Allowing your child an element of control over their eating will encourage them to accept more foods. Give them healthy options and they cannot help but make healthy choices!

Our kids now know that in order to be the best they can be, they need to eat different colours everyday. A “traffic light” on their plate. Before a spelling test, karate class or dance lesson we talk about having lots of different colours to help them improve at the things they enjoy.

They can choose what green, yellow/orange and red goes on their plate or in their lunch box. If they pack a lunch box or serve some dinner I may sometimes offer a friendly reminder “oops, where is your red today?”

Finally, try to relax. It is easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day business of feeding your family and forget to look at the big picture. If my son doesn’t want to eat peas one day, it doesn’t matter. He has a healthy attitude towards food and enjoys a range of colours.

Involve your kids in choosing their colours, they may just surprise you and give it a try. If not today, try again tomorrow. Never stop trying and use the illusion of choice to teach them how to make healthy choices.

Are your kids fussy eaters? Are they vegetable lovers or haters? What are your tips to encourage your children to eat their veggies?

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Kate is a dietitian and mum to four young kids. She specialises in the development of fun and healthy resources and education sessions for kids, schools and parents. You can check out her fabulous website, Making Food Fun, here

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