Mom and Grandmother Has the Universal Vegetable Question.

E.
I am a vegetarian-had 7lb 2oz girl
Healthy-gaining weight-never sick at 20 months.
She eats what I eat.
We have minimal white beige foods in the house.
She eats plenty of vegis even drinks V8.
I let her try everything when out even meat.
She prefers vegis.
They do what you do!!
Good Luck.
Until they see mom cruching on greens they will not be inclined to eat them.
J.

Try doing fried veggies like fried zucchini, fried pickles, fried green tomatoes, fried sweet potatoes. Another thought is putting cheese sauce on the veggies. Salads with Rasberry vinegrette is a sweet dressing

Hi, E.! Well, there is no one answer for every age group and every situation. Nor is there one answer for every vegetable.

I am a true vegetable lover, so I actually have a hard time understanding why everyone doesn't love them. Some things that work well are making sure that the veggies aren't too bland. You can put some spice on them such as Mrs. Dash or other herb blends. Margarine or butter, of course, is good on things like green beans, squash, etc. If they don't like mushy things, try steaming the veggies instead. Try cutting them into different shapes. Try using cheese melted on top. Sometimes this helps kids eat things like broccolli. Cauliflower can be cooked soft and mashed like mashed potatoes. With a little butter, salt, and some spices, they might eat it if it is similar enough to mashed potatoes.

Alternatively, there is the meatloaf mystery mix. You can puree certain kinds of veggies and mix them well into the meatloaf, then serve it up with ketchup or whatever, and do not breathe a word of your secret invention. You can make smoothies with fruit & certain kinds of veggies -- sort of like V8 Fusion or whatever it's called, but watch out because some of those blends have artificial sweetner in them, and they can make some people sick (I'm desperately allergic to ALL artificial sweetners).

You can try them on things like carrot-orange juice or carrot-apple juice. Don't tell them that there's carrot juice in the stuff, and they won't know the difference. Give it to them when they're really thirsty so they won't be too concerned with what's in it, and then if you absolutely have to tell them, tell them after they've sucked down the entire glass. Yes, for stubborn kids who would rather starve than eat an unfashionable vegetabble, juices might be the best way to go.

Understand, though, that kids don't have to eat a whole lot of veggies all the time. They can get minerals from milk and fruits. They can get vitamins the same way.

Peace and good health,
Syl

Hi E.! Well, those darn veggies can sure be a problem! I have been going through the same thing with my 2 1/2 year old...so I know she is much younger than 2 of your grandkids...but I just KEEP offering the veggies to her. I have read that it can take 25 times for a child to want to try something. She also went through an opposition to green veggies...and then boom, last week she started scarfing up salad...and eating her edamame. (both of those items were plated and uneaten probably a few dozen times). My angle has just been repition, and letting her see us enjoy them. Sometimes we do enforce a "try one bite" before you get up from the table...but we really just don't hound her, b/c I am confident this is a phase. Now, your grandkids are older..so you are in a different position, but for the little one, you can also try making it "cute". My daughter used to scarf up apples all the time..then she just stopped. I still would put them on her plate..but no luck..until I made a flower out of 5 thin slices with raisins in the center. She ate that right up, and now is back on apples. I would definitely make sure that all of the kids are getting a good multi-vitamin to make up for all the minerals they are missing from lack of veggies. I think the 6 and 8 year olds might need a little more firmness. If they can get away with not eating them, why would they? I do have the book, "the sneaky chef" by Missy Lapine...and there are some ideas in there to "sneak" in the veggies. After reading the book, I am not a major fan, because it requires sneaking veggies into a lot of sweet foods...and to me the trade off of all that sugar is not sensible. They have suggested pureeing sweet potato, and putting it in mac and cheese...and doing the same with white beans. You can also put a thin layer of either on the cheese of a grilled cheese. My daughter doesn't pause to eat either foods prepared that way. Also, what about a big pot of homemade minestrone, with lots of really small veggie pieces? That is on our menu this week. I hope any of this helps. I would definitely not give up, or give into the older kids...good nutrition is vital to healthy bodies!
A. :)

HI E.,
My sister in law has the same issue. She is very picky and hence so is her son. Texture is a BIG deal. Her son just has to get it down. They give him something he likes but can touch it until he eats a little vegies first. It can be an hour long ordeal and he's 8 years old. All I can say is that our kids learn from us first so your daughter may have to expand her vegie horizon first and make it appear wonderful. It is a tough battle. I didn't have this issue with my son. he would eat broccoli for breakfast. Unusual I know :)
I hear cheese is a good old standby. I also hear that some people make pretend mash potatoes out of cauliflower. Look for unique recipes on line.

We all know this problem well. My kids love muffins so I use a banana bread recipe and substitute other vegies for the bananas. Squash, zuchinni, pumpkin, and other fruits work great. I've found after eating the muffins a few times they are more likely to eat them when they're put on their dinner plate. I guess they kinda get use to the taste. Hope this helps you.

I recall as a child "nothing could touch" and my sons inherited my DNA...Can't eat soup because "too many things floating around"
However, we have all since outgrown this.
One way I got them to eat fruit was to put it in the blender. They still love a smoothie. Add protein powder and they are good for the morning til their next meal.

Veggies? I love them but still can't eat them raw. But my boys love them raw.
texture is probably more important to a child than flavor. Try something my middle son calls "food on food"
Peas go well hidden in a scoop of mashed potatoes; a piece of chicken goes on a cracker; a carrot can be dipped in a yummy salad dressing...same with broccoli or green beans, raw or slightly steamed.
Every kid loves fries, because of the salt and the crunchy texture. However, I slice them and bake with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, and they are a hit with the kids.
"Ants on a log" are popular: celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins...if allergic to peanuts, use almond or another butter.
Bottom line: food is a game for kids. That's why adults get frustrated and say "stop playing with your food" !!!
Good luck, enjoy the game and let them be kids. You may find a few new foods you didn't try before either...
Blessings, S.

I know you weren't necessarily looking for a book suggestion but "Deceptively Delicious" is wonderful!! I've only just started using it in the past month for my 3 year old and 1 year old. I wish I had the book 2 years ago! I think I can avoid the problems with my baby that I had with my older one.

What a kid can't have a kid wants. at dinner raave on how good the vegies are, but sorry kid you can have any until you're an adult. If you have any left overs call I'll eat anthing but fish and liver.

E..

My son would rather eat the fruits and vegetables than eating meat. I guess because we started him since the beginning. But you might want to try a little bit of dressing to give it some flavor as some of the vegetables are blend on flavor.

Good Luck

i really don't have this problem with my kids. they will at least try what i put in front of them. i started when they were younger with letting them try everything that i wouldn't eat myself. (i want them to eat better than i do myself:) ). anyway, there are books out there that have you "hide" the vegetables in other food. you know, put pureed carrots or spinach into spaghetti sauce. that type of thing. I want to say that Jessica Seinfeld has one. This is the only thing that I can think of to help, unless you just keep offering it to them. The experts say that it can take up to 10 times of offering something before a child might like it or try it.

I started with an unusual position. I truly believe we have so many weight issues in this world because we are forced to eat what we don't want to eat; forced to clean our plates, forced to ignore our palates and eat because someone says it is good for us. My boys eat fruits and vegetables that they like. My boys will eat cantaloupe, apples, grapes, carrots, corn, celery, sometimes peas, and salad. So that is what they get. I don't push anything else. I make creamed spinach,asparagus, broccoli,zucchini, and beans for my husband and me. I ask them to try one bite. When they do, I say "fine, thanks for trying it." and leave it at that. My older ones, now 12 and 10, will actually eat other vegetables now. Obviously they all get supplemental vitamins. I also don't force dinner on them...if they don't like what we are having they are allowed to make themselves a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. So I think it is all a matter of control really, how much are you willing to give up?

Baked vegetables into cookies and breads. Zucchini works great.

Tell them that broccoli is little trees and asparagus are tall trees.

Bribery also works! "No dessert if you don't eat your vegetables"

When they are not looking -- make a milk shake with a vege in it. It works as long as the milk shake is not vanilla (they will see the color change).

But in the long run -- as long as they take their vitamins -- don't worry -- they will outgrow "hating vegetables"

Hide them in their foods. I still grind up veggies with a food mill and "sneak" them into other foods. It's called the "hide and seek" method. It works for me.

If all else fails, there is a book out there called "Deceptively Delicious." The author's last name is Seinfeld. It teaches you how to sneak pureed veggies into all kinds of popular kids' foods without them even knowing. Good luck!

I have a picky eater too. I puree up veggies and add them to foods like mac n cheese,mashed potatoes,spaghetti sause, etc. Get the book"Deceptively Delicious" By Jessica Seinfeld. It is great. Brownies with spinach? They love them and they don't know. My kids have always had wheat bread so they don't even know about white bread.

In addition to all the other great suggestions, I just wanted to add that I give my kids V8/V8 Splash as their juice. They don't know its good for them and what's in it, but it lessens my worry of making sure that they eat their veggies -- they can drink it instead.

E.,
What my friends have done is to puree the veggies & hide them in the foods, so at least her kids are getting them. SHe should also offer the veggies on the plate in full form, so the kids are still seeing them.
Jerry Seinfelds wife wrote a recipe book on how to hide the veggies in their foods. I have heard there are yummy recipes in there. I hope that helps.
H.

I put cheese on many things such as: broccoli and spinach. My youngest daughter(grown)still cannot eat broccoli without cheese. I also made a favorite desert when I wanted them to eat something new or one they liked less. No veggie--no desert. Good luck

Here's an idea. Hide cauliflower in mac and cheese.

I like the idea of getting the veggies in them by hiding them in stuff. But I think it's still important to offer them the vegetable as it is. Otherwise you'll have an adult who won't eat veggies unless they have several hundred extra calories in Ranch or cheese on top.

I simply serve veggies or salad at dinner every night. Our rule is that they have to eat one bite of everything on their plate, then if they don't want more they don't have to eat it. Over time, my older two started eating veggies and my oldest eats salad. The other two still only eat their one bite, but I'm just going to keep trying. They do tend to eat their veggies when they are mixed into pot pie and casseroles at least. Sometimes a good incentive helps. I give them a smaller serving of something they like, say cheese potatoes, then they can have more if they will eat half their veggies. I also suggest eating a few veggies with bites of the food they like even when it's something like spaghetti. I personally don't like green beans, but I show them that they aren't so bad if I eat a green bean with my bite of my other food. And things like peas and carrots are especially easy to eat with other food and not be noticed so much. If all else fails, I have been known to puree veggies and hide them completely in some things. My kids all take a daily vitamin, so I figure that makes up for what they won't eat.

No tricks to the trade here. I just offer my kids veggies every night. If they don't clean their plate they DON'T get dessert or ANYTHING else. Giving in just shows that if they wait long enough they will get what they want.

HTH

S.

I make a daily glass of BUG GUTS!

I use one scoop of this:http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/greens.dhtml

1 scoop of this:
http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isafruits.dhtml

1 scoop of this:http://liveitdontdiet.isagenix.com/us/en/isaleanshake.dhtml

Blend with water and ice.

I have made this for kids of all ages from 4 months to 13 years. They all LOVE it is it sweet, purple and not only gives a full daily serving of veggies, it serves up all the fruit AND vitamins and minderals too.

B.
Family Food Coach

Hi there,
As a person in school for holistic nutrition and currently being trained to teach nutritional parenting classes for Dr William Sears, I could write a lot.

I will start by saying that we are a culture that is deficient in whole foods especially fruits and veggies. Our children don't get even close to the amount that they should be eating. The research is there...fruits and veggies especially dark leafy green ones help keep the immune system strong. The phyto nutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals found in F&V cannot be duplicated in a synthetic supplement. These nutrients found in F&V lower our risk for disease.

I have 2 little ones so I get that it is difficult, but I sneak them into what ever I can...Smoothies, sauces, meatballs etc. and I never stop offering. I also don’t keep junk around.

The only supplement I give my children other than an omega 3 is JUICE PLUS. It is the concentrate from 17 different fruits, veggies and 2 grains. It is a whole food with the water removed. It bridges the gap between what we should be eating and what we are. It is the most widely researched nutraceutical in the world and is recommended by 35,000 doctors in 21 countries. The research is written in peer reviewed scientific journals. It gives the body what it needs at a cellular level so that it can fight illness and disease. You can read about it at www.wejuiceplus.com or you can email me and I can talk to you further. It is reasonably priced at about $5-6 a week for children.

What typically happens in children is something called metabolic programming. When the body starts to get the nutrients it needs from F&V the body will eventually begin to crave more of them. So a kid who doesn't eat any, but takes JP will hopefully begin to eat more F&V over time. Having said that, the parents need to keep offering as well as clean the junk out of the house.

Have a wholesome day!
C~

PS there is a lecture in Boca this Friday night called:
The State of The Union Address on Children's Health
given by Dr. Paul Stricker. www.drpaulstricker.com It will be very educational. Email me if you would like to go and I'll send you directions