Getting Your Children to Love Vegetables

By Donna Stark

Good things come to those who wait, right? Well, maybe for some things that statement is true, but if you want to improve your children's overall health and wellness, there really shouldn't be a "waiting period" at all. Now, that doesn't mean some improvements won't take time. If you want your children to eat their vegetables without making a face, you may need to invest years of patience and creativity, but eventually, all of your hard work will pay off. The key is to simply not wait for that magic day to happen but to start early. In fact, you want to start as soon as your children can eat solid food.

Turning Your Child Into a Vegetable-Lover

If you have ever had to deal with a picky eater, you know how difficult mealtimes can be. The pressed lips, the scrunched-up nose, the utter defiance ... don't our children understand how much love that goes into the nutritious meals we make? Fortunately, there are some tips you can follow that will help bring your children over to the healthy side. Take a look.

• Start with baby food - It's important to introduce many different types of vegetables to your children as soon as they can start eating solid food. Think about how you can expose your little ones to the rainbow. Orange, yellow, and especially green vegetables are the perfect way to introduce nutrient-dense foods into their diet. And if you can't find enough of a variety on the shelves, make your own!
• Build from the ground up - Very few kids go from nothing to everything in a short amount of time, so take baby steps and appreciate the little gains they actually do make. For example, if you want them to appreciate a spinach and kale salad when they are older, start them off with iceberg, and then slowly mix the darker greens in with each salad you provide. Or, introduce new vegetables slowly by incorporating them into things they love, such as spaghetti sauce or chili.
• Keep your shopping cart "green" - Leave those bags of chips and sweet goodies on the shelves and buy plenty of vegetables for your children to snack on. Carrot and celery sticks, sliced peppers and cucumbers, or if your children are really adventurous, a handful of homemade kale chips are great options for afternoon nibbles!

Don't Give Up!

There are so many ways in which you can sway your children to try vegetables, so don't give up! Like I said above, some things may take time to achieve, but the end result is definitely worth the effort!

To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Denver, Colo.