Number One: Don’t Limit Kids Eating Favourites
I understand that sometimes it may seem insane for your child to eat three apples and a plate full of strawberries in one afternoon, but is saying no to the healthy food really doing you any good? Most kids will go through phases of what foods they are interested in and by limiting what they are allowed to eat you may actually be limiting their balanced diets. Obviously, use your own discretion, but I have never had a problem with allowing my children to eat as many fruits and vegetables as they want.
Number Two: Hide Those Veggies Inside Things
This may seem absolutely insane but I actually hide vegetables in my children’s food. Yes, that’s right, I’m that mom. I figure out ways to sneak vegetables into pasta sauce, smoothies, soup, and even juice! They usually love whatever I have snuck the vegetables into which makes me wonder if they don’t actually dislike the vegetables they just dislike the idea of eating them… Or maybe I’ve just finally lost my mind.
Number Three: Put Fruit On EVERYTHING
Okay, maybe putting fruit on everything is a little extreme but you can totally put it on a lot of different things! You can add fruit to the top of your yogurt, cereal, or oatmeal. When you’re having a treat for dessert you can add fruit to your ice cream or cake. You can even add fruit on top of things like toast or pancakes to make them a little more exciting. Add some whipped cream or honey and your kids are sure to love their deliciously sweet breakfast!
Number Four: Make A Smoothie
No, seriously, if you add a bunch of fruit and vegetables to a blender and smoosh it all up kids go absolutely nuts for it! My children beg for smoothies, they think it’s a great treat and I’m totally okay with them having a treat like that every day so it keeps us all happy. A smoothie can be something as simple as a banana, strawberries, and almond milk. Or it can be something extravagant that also includes some vegetables. My kids have always been happy with either, they don’t even notice the vegetables that I put in!
Number Five: Make Fruits And Veggies Fun
This may seem a bit over the top but it honestly works. If you are constantly relating something to fun times that thing will eventually seem fun. We always have fruits and vegetables when we meet up with our friends. Cut up veggie sticks and berries can be a really simple snack for kids who are busy playing. Plus, they are super easy to take with you to the park or on a field trip! My biggest tip to make fruits and veggies fun is to cut them up and add dip! You can use a super simple ranch for the veggies and a yogurt/whipped cream dip for the fruit and kids will love it even more!
Yes! These are all great suggestions! Thank you for a very practical post! Besides all that, I would say don’t let them fill up on starches. I know my kids can eat 5 toasts, but when I serve meat and veggies, they are never “hungry”! lol So, I try to limit starchy snacks to make sure they fill up on veggies instead.
Thank you! That is such a great tip! I was finding the same thing at breakfast with cereal, that’s why I started adding fruit on top of everything, haha!