The last thing your toddler wants is to eat vegetables in their meals. Do not worry as yours is not the only child. Almost every parent these days goes through the same scenario. One of the easiest ways to make your child like vegetables is by showing them that even you love eating them too.
Kids have this tendency to copy things they see. So, if you want your tiny copycat to start eating veggies, then the most effective way is to eat your vegetables with gusto. This will motivate your baby to at least take a bite.
You may get discouraged if, at first, they don’t get the message. Keep up the efforts, and your child will eat their vegetables in no time.
If you are still worried about your child’s health and feel that she’s missing major nutrients, then all you have to do is to use smoke and mirrors to add veggies into their diet.
Contents
Vegetables For Your Toddler
Which vegetables are considered the best for your child? The one which is chock-full of minerals, antioxidants, fibers, and vitamins. Most kids are picky so what follows is a list of some vegetables which do not have a strong flavor and at the same time contain all the essential nutrients. These are carrots, broccoli, celery, cauliflower, squash, cucumber, sweet potato, sweet peppers, tomatoes, etc.
Some Healthy Recipes
All the parents in the present time and age are concerned regarding their children’s health and well-being as they do not prefer vegetables at all. Here are some fantastic and delicious meal ideas, packed with vegetables, for your very own picky-eater
Cucumber Snakes
This recipe is all about an amazing appearance. Take three slices of cucumber, cut them in half such that all of the six pieces look like a half-moon. Take a plate and arrange these pieces so that it looks like a snake.
Veggie Pizzas
You can make this by using cauliflower as the crust of the pizza. Top with tomato sauce, and for added taste, sprinkle shredded cheese as well. Also, some other additions could be mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, or broccoli.
Ants On A Log
This is one of the simplest recipes ever and attractive at the same time. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter to a stick of celery, and top with raisins.
Potato Face
Your work here is only to bake a potato or a sweet potato. Let your child decorate it with their favorite vegetables and make a face on it. Make lips with cherry tomatoes, eyes with olives, earrings out of broccoli, and hair can be done with shredded cheese.
Veggy Caterpillars
Use different kinds of colorful veggies- cucumber, squash, bell peppers, and zucchini. Put them in a row to make them appear as a caterpillar. Adding purple beets and cherry tomato hunks gives a rainbow effect to your caterpillar.
Veggie Quesadillas
Take a tortilla and pile half of it with bell peppers, carrots, shredded cheese, and cooked black beans. Pan fry each side until they are crusty and brown.
Make Your Child Eat Vegetables
It is observed in surveys many times that whatever activity we perform for several days, our brain automatically increases our interest in that particular activity. Build your child’s interest in vegetables by involving them in all the steps involved with their consumption. Have them help you pick them out at the store, and involve them in cleaning and cooking them.
Do not try to make them eat vegetables in raw form. Shred or dice them into small pieces and add them to your child’s favorite cuisine. This way, your child won’t even notice them.
Also, change your food’s look. Present the veggies in such a way that your child doesn’t notice how healthy his meal truly is and just can’t control himself.
Conclusion
Ralph Waldo Emerson said that “The first wealth is health.” Without good health, life’s meaningless. Now the question arises of how to keep your health in good condition. We all know that children do not eat vegetables as readily as adults. So I brought up a few fruit-bearing tips to help you make your child start eating vegetables. I hope you will find this article helpful and enlightening.
