Tips And Tricks To Get Your Child To Eat More Veggies!

Getting your kids excited about vegetables, let alone eating them, can be a challenging task if you don't know where to start.  As a mother of four young girls, I have definitely had my fair share of the veggie battle!  Here are ten tips and tricks to getting your child to eat more vegetables.

1.  Take your child grocery shopping with you!  Letting your child have a say so on what veggies him/her would like to try gets them excited about the process and makes the chance of them eating them greater!
2.   Try a different vegetable color group a week!  Make each week a colored theme such as yellow which would include squash, yellow bell pepper, etc.  It's a creative way to make food fun!
3.   Cook with your kids!  The odds are that your child would love to help you out in meal preparation and that makes them feel excited to try their own creations.  Not only will they most likely eat their veggie dishes, they will be thankful to get some cooking tips!
4.   Start a backyard garden!  Growing your own veggies in your own backyard offers a fun environment for kids to participate in.  You can make a habit of going to water the garden and try a little bite of your blossoming array!
5.   Try jazzing up veggies with healthy dips and sauces!  My kiddos love to snack on vegetables dipped in low fat ranch dressing.  It's a great way to enjoy your veggies!
6. Set a good example for your kids!  If you show a love for vegetables, your kids will be more likely to want to at least try them for themselves.  It's all about setting a good example!
7. Don't push them to finish what's on their plate!  Encourage your child to at least try a bite before dismissing the vegetable but don't force your child to eat it.  This tactic will only bring on behavior that will give them a negative outlook on food.
8. Work your dinners around trying new veggies!  For example, have a make your own pizza night with a healthy variety of choices, or put together you own salad night!  Make it fun because it works!
9. Decorate up your veggies as you would see in a bento box!  Make faces or designs out of some different veggies and watch your child have fun with their food!
10. Don't hide the vegetables!  While some have tried this tactic, it almost never turns out to be successful.  If your child discovers what you have done, they might develop some trust issues with you, and it also will almost surely backfire on the whole "liking" vegetables idea. 

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Peas and Thank You blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.