Children Vs Vegetables. How To Win The Battle?

Regular consumption of vegetables reduces mortality from all causes, in both children and adults.

Let’s be honest, as children we also had problems with some particular foods, especially with the dreaded, hated and despised vegetables. Now that we are adults, mature and have become mothers, we continue to have the same problem, but with our children. 

Believe it or not, there are simple strategies for you to make your little one, although he will not love them, at least he will ingest them more easily.

Vegetables provide a host of nutrients, from vitamins like A and C, to minerals and fiber. They also provide antioxidants, important components in any eating plan, according to an article published in the “European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry”.

The consumption of vegetables significantly reduces the risk of suffering diseases in the medium term. For this reason, it is essential to educate our children so that they consume them regularly. In the event that they feel aversion towards them, it is necessary to find some way to camouflage or hide the taste of these foods to include them in the diet on a daily basis.

When eating becomes a war

The table is set, you spent a long time preparing a succulent dish. You combined a protein, some carbohydrates, and a tasty salad! Oh no, the alarms go off, there’s a problem in sight.

Your child hates vegetables and you just want him to eat a little. The war starts and in the end one of the two will win the battle.

Tantrums, scolding come and go. The act of serving vegetables to your child becomes a hostile moment and for your child the call to lunch is the worst of the day.

The truth is, it doesn’t have to be that way for either of you. Eating should not only be a mere act of survival, eating should also be a pleasant and gratifying experience.

When the children vs vegetables scenario is presented, the only way to win that battle, but in favor of the well-being and growth of your child, is with patience and ingenuity, super important elements on this path.

Tips for children to eat vegetables

Here is a set of tips for your children to eat the vital food:

• Start by setting an example. Eating vegetables is not something only for children, it is a habit that should be sought among all members of the family. The consumption of vegetables is associated with a lower risk of mortality from all causes, according to a study published in 2017. For this reason, you also have to consume them regularly.
• Presentation is important. If you are going to serve some vegetables without dressings or sauces, arrange them on the plate in an attractive, showy way. “Draw” some figures on the plate, take advantage of the colors of the vegetables for that.

• Not all at once. During the process of getting used to vegetables, you may not eat the entire portion at once. Don’t force him to do it, give him some time.
• Cook with them. Let them cook with you and include vegetables among the ingredients to use in preparing the menu, a healthier pizza can be a good option.
• Don’t use dessert as a reward. If at lunchtime you tell your little one that only if he eats all the vegetables will you give him dessert, you are making a serious mistake  because he will see it as an obligation or a punishment.
• Explain to him the good that vegetables do to his body. You can talk with your child and list all the benefits of vegetables, the advantages that eating them represent for their physical and intellectual development. If you tell him that he should eat them just “just because” you will only create a deep rejection.
• On many occasions, vegetable purees or creams are better accepted than salads. Try different culinary preparations.

Vegetables are a fundamental part of the diet

Surely your mother has told you that your attitude towards vegetables was the same or worse than that of your children. Nowadays that has changed, you devour your vegetables with just a little oil or salt.

With children it is difficult for that to happen, creativity will be your best ally to turn any food into a delicious dish.

Combining food is a technique that at some point we must apply, the idea is not to “disguise” or trick children into eating them, but we can make vegetables more pleasant for their inexperienced palate.

Some spinach or chard with some type of cheese can be the perfect filling for an empanada or cake. Turn the kitchen into your own laboratory, play to try textures and flavors, your child will thank you one day.