Why won't they eat their vegetables?

If there is one common complaint from parents about their child's eating habits, it is that they do not eat their vegetables! Nutritionally, vegetables are an integral part of a well-balanced diet, as they contain few calories; provide a significant proportion of our dietary fibre as well as a number of important vitamins and minerals. Children need one to two cups of vegetables or salad every single day in order to get these vital nutrients.

The most important thing for parents to remember when they are dealing with a vegetables refuser, is that the more you beg, cajole and request your child to eat the food they are refusing, the less likely it is that they will eat it. The best thing for parents to do in this instance is to indirectly ignore their child's refusal of the food. Simply acknowledge the refusal offhandedly, before changing the direction of the conversation. For example, when a child says "I hate broccoli, I'm not eating it", redirecting the conversation to, "That's fine; you don't have to eat it. Why don't you have some more of the chicken instead, you love that?" This diverts the negative energy away from the offensive broccoli and diffuses the potential argument. For this scenario to work, having a range of foods served on a child's plate, some of which you know your child likes is the key to success.

Another option is to actively involve your child in the food preparation process and ask for their input when choosing vegetables, but within limits. For example, asking your child which one, out of two or three vegetable choices they would like, works well. If they answer your question of, "Would you like beans, peas or carrots tonight?" with, "None of them, I hate them all", simply say, "Well if you don't pick one, I will and that may not be the one you like best". In this example, getting angry at the child would have only strengthened his or her resistance, as opposed to negotiation, where you both stand to gain.

Finally, making sure that the vegetables or salads are served to your child's taste and appeal is a key component of making vegetables and salads child-friendly. Soggy, boiled broccoli is not appealing to anyone so it is no wonder kids refuse it! Add light cheese sauce to broccoli and cauliflower, honey to carrots, dry bake pumpkin and serve with light sour cream or simply serve vegetables raw to make them an appealing part of the meal.

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