4 Year Old Not Eating Allot of Veggies and Picky

My five year old was the same way and she was also sick every month until I got her on a product called JuicePlus+. JuicePlus+ is 17 RAW fruits and vegetables in capsule form and chewables for children. It is a "whole food", not a vitamin and very affordable. It is also backed by extensive scientific research. I was a chemist for 19 years and the research is what sold me.
My daughter has been on the product for over one year and does not get sick like she use to. She also likes veggies more. I give her a variety of fruits and veggies for her snacks and have eliminated sugary snacks from her diet. It was a challenge because you are competing with what the kids see on TV.
We will continue to take the JuicePlus+ because I feel good knowing that my family is getting the "baseline nutrition" we need. Please call me and I can get you more information. My number is 866-311-1490. You can also go to www.driley4juiceplus.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Try Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. My FAMILY eats most of what I've cooked and enjoy it.

Hi L.,

I have encountered the same problem at times with my children. While reading up on what to do, the best bit of advice I learned was to always continue to serve the vegetables, even if you are only serving 1 tbsp, It is important that she see that vegetables are a part of a healthy meal and she is expected to at least try a bite. She may suprize you and start eating them again without any convincing. Also, I found that I can add vegetables to things the children like and they are none the wiser, for example you can add butternut squash to spaghetti sauce, mac and cheese or add some butter and cinnamon and they will eat it. You could do the above with almost all of the squash family. So with that in mind you can disguise califlower in mashed potatos, steamed carrots in any orange or red colored dishes. And if all the disguises fail, you can juice veggies with fruit and she could drink her veggies in a "smoothie". I hope this helps.

Take her shopping. Try having her choose veggies that look interesting in the store. She can help you prepare them. You can look up online different ways to prepare them that might make it interesting for her. EX: zuccinni, I make fried zucc, zucc bread, steamed zucc, grilled with breading and marinera with cheese in top, get creative. Once she tries it one way, in time she may like it in its natural form. My kids hated broccoil. I spent a week preparing it different ways each day. I do one new veggie a week. Spagetti Squash is a favorite because it is fun. Artichokes are a fun food to eat too. Try a variety of dipping sauces for it that are a litte more healthy than butter or mayo. Presentation has a lot to do with what kids like too. make it fun or cute and kids will usually be willing to try it.

The rule in our house is that you have to try 2 small bites of something new before you turn your nose up at it.

I have a vitamix and I can sneak veggies into a smoothie with out them even knowing. This is a great invention. The make great margaritas too!!!!!

Hi L., my advice to you about your daughter not wanting to eat a variety of vegatables, is to leave her alone and not force her to eat foods she doesnt like. We as adults dont eat the foods we dislike, so children shouldnt be forced to eat foods they dislike.

My 5 yo is the same. She is so picky it's a wonder she grows at all. She likes broccoli, cucumber and carrots. Sometimes avocado. She will rarely try a new food, she says she doesn't like new foods even though she hasn't tried it. I've learned that letting her help me find new recipes and helping me to actually make a new dish is fun and she will actually try it. Usually she doesn't like the new food, but sometimes she does. The best new food she just loves is matzoh ball soup. She can't get enough. She loves rolling the mix in her hands and forming the balls. kids love to help. Have fun.
M

I have the same problem with my almost two year old. I bought that book "the sneaky chef" and have made a few of their recipes. My son LOVES them and they have all different kinds of vegetables in them. Also, I have started giving my son fruit smoothies (banana, strawberries, frozen blueberries, mangos, yogurt, a little juice and sometimes ice) and I put pureed carrots in them (boil carrots first then puree so they are smooth) or avocados. Since carrots are sweet anyway, he doesn't even know he is drinking them. Anyway the book is GREAT! Take care.

many children do not like cooked vegetables and the same for cooked. Experiment with small portion/slices of both at the same time and allow your child to choose. Let your child help with the preperation and even with shapes.
Good luck. V. ( a Grandma)

There are so many ways to sneak in veggies. Most of them require steaming and pureeing. However, this isn't the goal. The goal is to not have to sneak them in. So here is a plan. Sneak in as much as you can. (Jessica Seinfeld's book is one recipe book you can use.) Additionally you can use tools that involve your daughter and get her excited about food. Try different textures and different colors. Go to a farm and see where food comes from. Have her help with the grocery shopping. Have her help make the meals.

Have her help make spaghetti. You can grate zuchinni into the sauce and/or the meat. You can also grate carrots into the sauce. Cut the top of the broccoli off and put it in the sauce if you can't get her to try the others. Then add spaghetti squash as a substitute for the noodles.

Most kids like sheperd's pie too. I like to make it with corn, carrots, peas, onion and green beans. I doubt you'll find a recipe that has all of these veggies. I just impovised using frozen peas, corn and grean beans.

There is also a great Pampered Chef recipe that is Garden Veggie Pizza. I bet you could find the recipe online or by contacting a representitive through their website.

Good luck!

A few weeks ago I saw a book out from Jerry Seinfeld's wife, on cooking for kids. She places things like chopped leaf spinach inside brownies & other good veggies inside other sweet treats & the kids never notice. I am sure you could try things like that without having to buy the book - or buy it & try her recipes. Good luck & God Bless You!

L., Have you thought of puree! Try to puree steamed veggies and hide them in almost everything she eats. I love putting cauliflower puree in my kids mac and cheese. There are lot of cookbooks you can try also. Good luck!

Hi L.,

The fact that she's eating broccoli is great. At least she isn't totally against veggies. Four year olds are notoriously picky eaters. There are a lot of ways you can disguise the veggies. Let them dip them in humus or something, melt cheese on them, cut them in creative ways, etc.

V.

Dr. William Sears (pediatrician, author of over 36 books & health editor for "Parenting" & "Baby Talk" magazine) has a website (www.askdrsears.com) that is a great resource for parents to go to for advice & tips. My passion is educating families on the importance good nutrition has in preventing disease & keeping the body's immune system in balance. I have been to many seminars & listened to many doctors speak about this & Dr. Sears has been one of them. He says that it takes anywhere from 5-7 exposures to any food for a child to readily eat it, due to the development of their tastebuds. He also recommends a product that me & my family have taken for 7 yrs. called Juice Plus+ (17 vine-ripened fruits, veggies & whole grains). It is the most researched "whole food" nutritional product in the world today & has been published in 12 medical journals, so far. You can check the product, research & doctors recommending it at: www.juiceplus.com/+sc57599. The cells in your body have "memory", so if you feed it certain foods it will begin to "crave" those foods even more (example: eat sugar & the body wants more). So far, this product has helped many children & teenagers change their eating patterns (healthier). Just to let you know, I still believe that we should be eating "whole foods", but for the people who need to "bridge the gap" in their nutritional status (WHO now says we should eat 7-13 servings of fruits & veggies every day) this is a great product! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me ###-###-####. Good luck!

S.

Hi L.,
Check out Despetively Delicious by Jerry Seinfeld's wife. (Ok, spelling not my strong point and I know, how bad is it that I don't know her name. I think it's Jessica.)

Anyhow, love the recipes. I had my in-laws over and made the chicken nuggets and the mac-n-cheese recipe. No one knew. Since my test was successful, I served the mac-n-cheese at my daughter's first b-day party and no one knew.

The recipes call for pureed veggies and fruit. Which will be perfect for you. Your 7 month can eat the puree and the 4 year old won't question why you are blending up veggies in the blender.

I haven't made any of the other recipes so let me know how it goes.

A.

my kids love The Green Machine juice by Naked Juice.

Try Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious, it's awesome!!!!

I am a mother of 4 and have very picky eaters due in part to food allergies. I keep trying and try a lot of new food. My 4 year old loves frozen peas, edamame, blueberries, garbanzo beans....Keep trying...they say a child needs to be exposed to a new food like 20 times to see if they like it. Also, a friend told me there is a new book out about hiding healty foods in others....I put a jar of organic baby squash or carrots in spaghetti sauce...they never know...you can puree califlower and put in maccaroni etc....It works...I dont have a lot of time so the organic jars on hand to add works great! Good luck!

My first question would have to be, how often does the rest of the family eat other veggies? Usually if they see others eating them often enough they'll eventually try them.

I think the best advice I ever heard was from a nutritionist on TV. She said if you can find at least 3 veggies that they'll eat, there's nothing wrong with having green beans, carrots and brocolli every night. It's better that you serve what they like and have them eat, than have them not eat veggies at all.

I have seen some really stubborn eaters and the only thing mom could do to get them to eat veggies was hide them. I've heard sneaky chef is a pretty good book it they flat out refuse to eat veggies.

Hi L.,
First of all, if your 4 yr old is eating broccoli, count your blessings! At least it's green, and it's a healthy vegetable. Many kids will only eat the sweet, starchy ones like corn!

Here are a few things that have worked for me with my son:
Trying new foods: We have a rule about just taking one bite, and then deciding if he likes it or not. I make a big deal to really acknowledge him for being wise enough to at least give things a try. Regardles of whether it get s thumbs up or thumbs down, I celebrate that he gave it a try. There have been many times wher he has surprised himself by admitting that he liked something.

At the market, I will tell him, "okay, I'll let you pick out one of the vegetables. You can pick the one you want to eat."

Raw vegetables - Try veggies with dip. Vegetables are most nutritionally valuable raw to begin with. As far as the dip, it can be as simple as ranch dressing, or you can make your own healthy dipping sauce. That got me through a lot! I used to give it to him with his own tiny little cup for the dip, and he liked that.

My pediatrician once gave me a tip to help with my sanity. He said to evaluate the food in terms of a one week period, rather than daily. Kids eat foods in spurts, so don't make yourself crazy insisting on different food groups at every meal.

Use snack time for veggies - I will use snack time to give my son the food that I think he needs more of (in a fun way). I try to give them when he is hungrier, and with fewer options in front of him. At dinner time, if he's got something he likes better, it's much harder to get him to choose the veggies, for example. I do also make some "rules" about needing to eat his growing foods first. We talk a lot about what growing foods are, and how important it is to take care of our bodies first. He did get a pretty good concept about the difference between growing foods and others. I don't know if you give desert or not, but you could make a rule about growing foods before desert.
One other tip I found, was to give the veggies in small portions (during dinner). That way he didn't feel overwhelmed about how much he had to eat, and it was doable. Sense of accomplishment can go a long way!

And of course, there all the fabulous sneak 'em in puree options. Spaghetti sauce can be a great friend for sneaking veggies! So can can pizza. Trader Joe's sells a frozen spinach pizza. I will often get that and add a layer of spinach, and then add another layer of shredded cheese. My son loves it!

I hope that helps. I know what a challenge food can be. I've personally reached my wit's end sometimes trying to come up with creative new ideas for food. I just decided that if there is a healthy food that he likes, I just say thank you to God, and let him eat it!
God bless the moms!
M.

I would try gardening with her! My father really had a green thumb and we spent hours snacking on fresh fruit and veggies straight from the garden. He also prepared fresh blended snacks for us such as apples, raspberries, pears, carrots, and whatever else he grew. Also, have her pick from the grocery store and tell her how it will make her grow-that seems to help!!

I recently purchased a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld ( Jerry Seinfeld's wife) called Deceptively Delicious. It has all the regular things that kids like to eat like chicken nuggets, mac n cheese, pancakes, muffins, and even brownies, and alot more with fruit and veggies pureed inside that they won't even notice. It's a great way to give your kids what they need without having to worry about the battle of trying to get them to eat veggies. They don't even have to know your doing it! I hope this helps. Good luck!
A.

Just a quick note...Your daughter can benifit from Raw veggies.So often,boiling takes away from the nutritional value. If she likes to snack,how about getting her those teeny fresh carrots from the store. Kids love things that are small and appear to be made for them alone instead of (big) for adults. Let her dip them in a little dish of peanut butter or ranch dressing which ever she prefers. same with celery...You can cut them in thin pieces,and she can dip those as well.corn is always more fun to eat off a cob. : )and yams always taste great,with a little crushed pinapple,and miniature marshmellows! Best of luck to you L.

Hi L.,
I just recently bought the cook book by J. Steinfield, " Desperately Delicious". I puree a whole bunch of veggies and mix them in their food. ie.. Yellow squash in the mac n cheese, carrot puree in the spagehetti sauce, try it, I know it helps me a lot! There are some really tastey, kid friendly recipes.

Good Luck,
K.

My son is the same age and both my husband and son work out for fun (crazy it's a chore for me). We make a big deal about how big our muscles are because we eat or vegies and he seems to take to it. It is typical (according to our pediatrician) that at this age they are picky. Another thing, if your child likes condiments like ranch, butter or ketchup...there is nothing bad about lathering vegies to get them down. It's a means to an end. Ultimately they will eat what you make them eat but it's a struggle. Wish you luck.

Dear L. - perhaps you should take a closer look at your daughter's mouth. We had the same thing with our daughter, only liked soft foods or foods she could eat while holding on by hand, and didn't loke things that had to be chewed. Turned out her jaw was out of alignment, she had a cross-bite, which means that her teeth only met at one point, the rest of the jaw din't come together so the teeth could mesh, and she could chew. A dental check could help eliminate that possibility. She is not too young for that already, and if she has seen a dentist, perhaps he could tell you if everything is ok.

Hi L.! You are doing great by encouraging her to eat the broccoli and the rest will come in time. The puree recipes in Deceptively Delicious are wonderful and supplementation is also a good idea if you'd like to be sure you are 'filling in the nutritional gap'. Shaklee offers a vitamin powder for kids called Vita-Lea Infant mix. It is derived from organic food sources and my kids have no idea it's in the ketchup (or whatever I mix it in!) You can look up additional information on my website www.shaklee.net/mclemore . Best of luck!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you are the parent and you need to decide and make her do what's best.
I always keep in mind that if I lived in another part of the world where we had no chips, pasta, grilled cheese sandwiches, drive-thrus, etc. What would you be eating?
Give fewer options and make the few options healthy ones: any oven-roasted vegetable with a little olive oil and salt is always a winner in my home. My 4 year old son actually requests cauliflower, cooked in that fashion, regularly. He's not fond of tomatoes, but I compel him to eat a small amount when they are part of a meal. I am responsible for his health, I am his parent, I decide. Period.
Just this morning I was eating a pumelo and I made him take a little bite. I said, "You have to eat a little piece and no more if you don't like it." As expected, he didn't like it, but he tried it and that's what counts. Every time I eat a fruit/vegetable, he must have a bite, even if he didn't like it before.
"They" say it can take 15-20 tastes before acquiring a taste for something, so don't ever give up and keep eating those foods yourself. You are the best model.
Good luck