Children not getting recommended amount of vegatables...

[Parenting News]

According to this report, 90% of children in the U.S. are not getting the recommended amount of vegetables on a daily basis.

That is extremely high. What tricks or tips do you have for making sure we get our children enough fruits and veggies?

 

[mom2many]

My kids are garbage disposals and will eat anything, veggies are not a problem.

 

[tadamsmar]

Our approach was to lavish lots of praise on anyone at the table that ate fruits or veggies, and completely ignore all other eating behavior. That includes the adults, praise the adults. Act absolutely fascinated about anyone who eats fruits and veggies, discuss it with them endlessly.

You do this while you are establishing the habit. Less is needed after the habit is established.

If I kid says "I don't like spinach", then many adults will exclaim "You don't like spinach!" like it's the most facinating thing they ever heard. I think this is harmful. The statement "I don't like spinach" should be taken as a cue to praise someone else who eats spinach.

Also, you need to make sure each type of vegetable and fruit makes a good first impression. They need to be prepared so kids will like them. Don't worry too much about salt, sugar and fat at first. Salt reduces bitterness in veggies. Sugar can make a sour fruit sweeter, but just finding good sweet fruits is better, I guess. If you do this, then at least a kid will not come to reject a specific vegetable no matter how you prepare it. I have noticed that my grandkids all are willing to eat lettuce, I think that was because it had a good tasting dressing on it when it made it's first impression on them, because I don't think lettuce is better tasting than all the other veggies that they reject.

This worked with the 2 kids I helped raise from infantcy, but we practice this from day one. But, all my grandkids tend to be finicky eaters, and it does not seem to work particularly well or quickly in accomplishing a turnaround of an established finicky eaters.

 

[cybele]

Also, you need to make sure each type of vegetable and fruit makes a good first impression.

YES YES YES!

Oh if only I could show you guys the things my great aunt used to do to vegetables. Things I used to eat at home as a kid, one bite of them at her house and I would never want to see them again.

We are talking about a woman who would cook peas until they turned grey.



We grow a lot of our own fruits and veggies, and from a young age my kids have helped out with the growing and 'harvesting' and the cooking, and I think that has really influenced them to want to try them. We have also had the attitude, when they are playing outside and they go "I'm hungry" to just say "Why are you telling me? You're standing next to a strawberry bush, that's food isnt it?"

 

[IADad]

YES YES YES!

Oh if only I could show you guys the things my great aunt used to do to vegetables. Things I used to eat at home as a kid, one bite of them at her house and I would never want to see them again.

We are talking about a woman who would cook peas until they turned grey.



We grow a lot of our own fruits and veggies, and from a young age my kids have helped out with the growing and 'harvesting' and the cooking, and I think that has really influenced them to want to try them. We have also had the attitude, when they are playing outside and they go "I'm hungry" to just say "Why are you telling me? You're standing next to a strawberry bush, that's food isnt it?"

Your strawberries grow on bushes?

 

[IADad]

I agree with making vegetables appetizing.

I would bet that most of the children not eating vegetables are sitting at tables where adults are not eating vegetables.

We've found that by improving our own eating habits we are improving those of our kids.

The other thing is a societal thing. Living in "the meat belt" it's funny that there are a lot of misconceptions that serving Beef, Corn and Potatoes is a balanced meal, with plenty of vegetables...eeek.

 

[cybele]

Your strawberries grow on bushes?

We prune and wire them to make them look like bushes so they fit along the fence :laugh:

 

[katencam]

I have a child that moves between eating nothing at all and eating everything in sight and while he will eat any veggie placed in front of him, I have always been concerned with the current status of slaughter houses and animal treatment in our country. Therefore we eat a vegetarian diet. We are not vegan, I purchase eggs from local farmers and will actually eat meat from local producers that I am familiar with and comfortable with however this may be once every 3-4 months if that. We have not always done this but with available information of the way animals are bread and treated (even with reputable companies) I cannot imagine that the meat or produce can be healthy for his little growing body...so we stopped eating anything that I could not see grown or produced. i do have a concern with him receiving adequate amounts of protein and iron but with vitamins and careful consideration in diet I have yet to see an issue...

 

[akmom]

My kids like pot pie. That is often how they get their vegetables... drenched in gravy. I use the frozen mixed vegetables with peas, carrots, corn, green beans and lima beans. We don't use cheap fillers like potato, and only a little bit of diced chicken. It's a hit. I don't know that it's "healthy" per se, but it does get the vegetables in.

I also throw kale in their breakfast smoothies; it's a trick our pediatrician recommended. They don't even notice it.

My oldest loves to snack on fresh broccoli, cawliflower, carrots and celery dipped in Ranch dressing, but my 3-year-old still has to be bribed. I just serve it with a glass of milk, and as soon as they finish their vegetables, they get chocolate syrup added to their milk. Usually he's drunk most of the milk by the time he finishes his vegetables, so he only ends up with 1/4 cup of chocolate milk. My daughter has figured out to save the milk for last so she ends up with a whole glass of chocolate milk.

The baby is still on purees, and she'll eat whatever I give her.

 

[jack123]

Add vegetable in sandwiches as kids really like it for snacks. Also make vegetable fried rice with a variety of veggies in that. Kids even enjoy soups so thats an options. Ocassionally you could make vegetable noodles. These are a few tricks to add in the veggies in your kids meals.

 

[teenage_parent]

the only meat my daughter eats is fish.

i never introduced any other meat in her diet. her cousin gave her chicken from McDonald's she threw up and so hated the after taste in her mouth, she was literally grumpy the whole day. it took like two glasses of fruit shake to get the after taste out.

parents should hold off on introducing fastfood until much. children should just be fed home cooked meals.

 

[akmom]

Re: post #11

What do you feed yours when you're traveling?

I suppose you could pack a day cooler. I mean, we do that for camping trips, but we certainly don't stop and make a campfire every time we travel. I do keep a certain amount of calories and bottled water in the car at all times because of where we live, but if we leave for the week-end or have an all-day outing, we eat out. I'm not having granola bars for dinner unless we're stuck in a snow bank!

 

[cybele]

Akmom, there are so many yummy meals that don't involve meat that aren't granola bars, haha.

Were a vegetarian family and we have no issues eating when we are travelling.

 

[teenage_parent]

Re: post #11

What do you feed yours when you're traveling?

I suppose you could pack a day cooler. I mean, we do that for camping trips, but we certainly don't stop and make a campfire every time we travel. I do keep a certain amount of calories and bottled water in the car at all times because of where we live, but if we leave for the week-end or have an all-day outing, we eat out. I'm not having granola bars for dinner unless we're stuck in a snow bank!

Yes, i pack lots. well, you can't really store fruits and vegetables that long. so just enough for the fruits and vegetables to stay fresh when we eat it. by now, i know a lot already about how long vegetables and fruits last and how to properly store and pack them. it's a bit of an advantage for me because i've been a pescetarian for a while now and i'm an athlete. people are paid to make sure we know our nutrition.

it's not that hard, actually. we do a lot of preparation. then, it's pretty much grab and eat after that.

we still get to eat out but we choose a restaurant that serves salad or grilled fish (she doesn't like oil all that much). my daughter likes the outdoors so we also spend a lot of time on the road, camping, and stuff. she's active and she does sports so i have to make sure she's getting the required nutrition she needs.

we've been able to do it so far. you can too.

 

[akmom]

Cybele, I was only questioning the "home cooked meals" comment, not the wholesomeness of vegetarian entrees. I have a vegan sister and we've experimented with many hearty meals! At the end of the day, I do prefer a hot dinner, so if we're not home or at a campfire, we eat out. So do the kids.

Teenageparent, isn't your child one? I am curious what kind of sports a one-year-old can possibly do. Mine is currently mastering free-standing and "sports" seem a long way off for that age group.