This blog was written by Judith Lynn Paediatric Nutritionist Founder and Owner Little Monkey Nutrition.

Next LIVE Fussy Eating Masterclass on Saturday 15th June @ 10.30am GMT. Join the waiting list to be notified when the checkout goes live and to secure you space. Join here

OR

Need this information NOW? Get instant access to a recording click here.

As a parent, you know how essential it is to include vegetables in your child's diet. Vegetables are packed with nutrients and can help keep your child healthy and active. However, getting your child to eat vegetables can be a challenge. Many children are picky eaters, and vegetables aren't always their favourite food. But, don't worry, there are plenty of ways to makes vegetables more appealing to kids. Here are some tips on how to get children to eat vegetables. 

Research shows that consumption of vegetables in pre-school children remains well below recommended levels so implementing the following strategies can help increase consumption and therefore overall nutrition. 

1. Make it fun 

Children love to have fun, so why not make eating vegetables enjoyable? One way to make vegetables more fun is to create a game around eating them. For example, you could challenge your child to eat as many different coloured vegetables as possible in one meal. Or you could set up a taste test, where your child tries types of vegetables blindfolded and tries to guess what they are. 

2. Get them involved

Children love to feel involved, so why not get them involved in the process of choosing and preparing vegetables? You could take your child grocery shopping and let them choose vegetables they would like to try. Or you could involved them in the cooking process and let them chop or mix vegetables into cake mixtures, pancakes, pinwheels, pizza, sauces etc, fritters and croquettes. Get them to grate the vegetables or mash down root vegetables and add as ingredient. They will touch the vegetables, smell it in their hands and see them which initiates the senses and helps with exposure. 

3. Be creative with preparation 

Vegetables don't have to be plain or boring. There are plenty of creative ways to prepare vegetables that can make them more appetizing to children. For example, you could turn vegetables into fun shapes using cookie cutters. Or you could make vegetable kebabs with different coloured vegetables. Another way to make vegetables more appealing is to flavour them with spices and herbs and butter/garlic butter. Also, grated or finely chopped vegetables are more accepted as they are smaller and easier to consume.  

An experiment was carried out where a group of children were repeatedly exposed to original and transformed food for 6 weeks. Significant differences in the consumption of pumpkin, sweet potato, spinach, carrot and aubergine were observed between the groups, demonstrating that the appearance appeal of fruit and vegetables improves the willingness of children to try disliked fruit and vegetables and increases their vegetable consumption. Appearance alteration of fruits and vegetables to increase their appeal to and consumption by school-age children

4. Lead by example 

Children often learn by example, so if you want your child to eat more vegetables, you should lead by example and eat them too. Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables in front of your child, they will be more likely to follow your lead. When parents serve as positive role models and make fruits and vegetables more available and accessible to children intakes increase. Schools, through their food and nutrition programs, have increased the amounts of fruits and vegetables offered to children in school. You as parents can reiterate these messages by making fruits and vegetables more available in the home and at meal times.

Growing your own vegetables is also an incredibly effective way of getting your children interested in vegetables, learning about where food comes from and the importance of food and nutrition for our bodies. When you grow your own even if it's lettuce, herbs, radishes, spring onions etc into a window box, your children will see you doing this and want to be involved too. This creates a form of interaction and community where children learn how food is made and then how to use those ingredients to create meals to eat. 

5. Don't overcook vegetables

When vegetables are overcooked, they can smell sour and gassy which can cause children to form a negative opinion on vegetables.  Vegetables that have been undercooked have a sweeter taste and don't have a strong smell, which is much more appetizing. Also, raw vegetables, such as carrot sticks, are often better accepted than overcooked vegetables. Overcooking vegetables can also interfere with a child's nutrient intake as some vitamins and minerals get degraded. 

When cooking vegetables try to steam them in some water for a few minutes in the microwave until warm but are still hard to touch. Children prefer the texture of crunchier firmer vegetables. Also offering raw vegetables or grated raw vegetables on your child's plate is a good starting point to helping them form better acceptance. 

6. Exposure Exposure Exposure

Picky eating in regards to vegetables is very common in children and so it is important that they are exposed to them before they begin to try them. A study evaluated the effectiveness of an exposure-based intervention, carried out by parents in the home, in increasing children's liking for a previously disliked vegetable. 156 parents of 2–6 year old children were randomly assigned to Exposure, Information or Control groups after a pre-intervention taste test at which a ‘target’ vegetable was selected. Parents in the Exposure group gave their child a taste of this vegetable daily for 14 days, parents in the Information group were given nutritional advice and a leaflet, and parents in the Control group received no further intervention. All participants took part in a post-intervention taste test. Greater increases in liking, ranking and consumption of the ‘target’ vegetable from pre- to post-intervention occurred in the Exposure group than in either of the other two groups. Only the Exposure group showed significant increases across all three outcomes. It can be concluded that a parent-led, exposure-based intervention involving daily tasting of a vegetable holds promise for improving children's acceptance of vegetables. You can have a look at this study here. Increasing children's acceptance of vegetables

Always place vegetables of some sort on the child's plate. It does not matter if they do not engage with these vegetables, the important part is that the child is being exposed to them. They will be using all of their other senses in this exposure. They will see the vegetable, smell the vegetable and touch it if they want. This process builds up trust and confidence which will lead to tasting. The first taste may be a lick or a tiny bite which over time will lead to them eating a small amount. 

7. Vegetables into other foods 

If all else fails, you can add vegetables into other foods. For example, you could blend vegetables into a smoothie, or you could add vegetables to a pasta sauce. This way, your child will be getting the nutrients they need without even knowing they are eating vegetables. Try not to 'sneak' this will cause your child to 'mistrust' YOU and FOOD. Bring them into the kitchen and show them what you are making and get them involved in the cooking process so that they see for themselves what is in the food. 

8. Read books with vegetables characters in the books

Books like "Eating the Alphabet"- by Lois Ehiert, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"-  by Judi Barrett and "Tales for Picky Eaters"- by Josh Scheider, educate children on all the different types of vegetables and the importance of vegetables in a fun and imaginative way. Have a look at this blog for more book to read for your fussy eater who will not eat vegetables. 

9. Get your children involved in growing their own veg

Involving your children in growing their own vegetables can encourage them to be more open minded to trying vegetables as it gives them an understanding of where the vegetables are coming from. Growing their own vegetables can also feel like a big achievement, which will have a positive impact on their self-esteem.  

If you would like some support to help you grow your own vegetables with your child you should look up a fantastic scheme called 'The Little Foodies Club'  which is little purple boxes filled with seasonal fruit and veg fun delivered straight through your letter box once per month. Little Foodies Club has very kindly provided you with a 20% off discount code MONKEY20. These boxes come in 3, 6 or 12 month subscriptions. 

In conclusion, getting your child to eat vegetables can be a challenge, but there are plenty of ways to make them more appealing to children. By making them fun , getting them involved in the process, being creative with preparation, leading by example, adding vegetables into other foods, and much more, you can help your child develop a taste for vegetables and keep them healthy and active.

Overcoming Fussy Eating Masterclass 

If you you are concerned about your child's eating habits and find meal times a battle, have a look at my Pre-recorded Overcoming Fussy Eating Masterclass' which is 60 minutes of strategies you can easily implement to help improve mealtimes and your child's nutritional intake. Also includes BONUS food plans and email support 1 week after purchase. Or alternatively for more one to one support have a look at my appointment packages here 

To come along to my next LIVE Fussy Eating Masterclass click here.