5 Ways to Get Kids to Eat More Vegetables

Our boys are somewhat fussy eaters. While they ate lots of vegetables are a young age, the older they get, the harder it is to get them to eat good, healthy vegetables.

Disclosure: *This post may include affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the disclosures and terms for more information.

Here are five ways in which we have found encourage our boys to eat more vegetables:

1. Grow your own Vegetables

By being involved in the growing of vegetables, our boys have shown a lot more interest and are more willing to taste the foods they have grown. By having the responsibility of their own garden or section of garden and growing the vegetables of their choice, our boys have been more than willing to taste the food they have grown. I have often seen them snacking on fresh beans or snow peas from the garden while they are playing outdoors.

2. Involve them in preparing the Meals

Our boys have been extremely willing to try the meals that they have been involved in. Encourage them to search through recipe books or magazines and find a meal that they would like to try. Let them write the shopping list and help with the purchasing the ingredients at the shop. Depending on their age let them help as much as they can in preparing and serving of the meal.

3. ‘One’ bite

As research has shown, kids don’t take to new foods straight away. We encourage our boys to take one bite from something they do not like or have not tried before. They are not made to eat the whole lot, just encouraged to have one decent bite. Kids become accustomed to seeing and tasting the new food, the more it is served to them. Be consistent, only try one new vegetable at a time and you should gradually see the results. It may take a while, but our boys are now eating more vegetables than ever!

4. Presenting the Food

By presenting food in fun ways, children are more likely to eat it. Our boys don’t like their food touching each other, so by presenting the food in patterns or shaping it into a smiling face they are more inclined to taste it. Serving a variety of vegetables in a multitude of colours in the shape of a rainbow looks much more appealing to kids than a clump of vegetables in the middle of a plate.

5. Be a Great Example

Children love to mimic adults and this is a perfect time to model healthy eating to them. Be enthusiastic and fill your plate with a variety of vegetables. If you don’t eat it, why should they?

Bonus: I also like to hide vegetables in cakes and slices such as these Beetroot Cupcakes and these Zucchini Brownies.

Have you any other great tips for getting your children to eat vegeatables?