How to make your kids love eating vegetables



[Photo courtesy of Dreamstime. (C) Andrei Zdetovetchi]

Most kids don't like to eat vegetables because they associate them with bitter taste. This is one of the most persistent problems that mommies have to deal with, at least until our kids grow old enough to weigh the pros (i.e., good health, glowing skin, better bowel movement, etc.) and cons (i.e., bitter or undesirable taste) of eating vegetables. The problem is, we usually carry what we usually dislike to eat during childhood to adulthood. That's why it is important that we teach our children to eat -- no, to love eating -- vegetables.

 

Here are some tips to help mommies succeed in this challenge:

1. Use sauces and dressing. A delicious sauce or dressing is immensely helpful in creating an irresistible vegetable dish. To make basic salad dressing, mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. You may also add crushed garlic, herbs, and a bit of pureed raspberries, leaving it to marinate in the fridge as you use it, for a richer flavor. If you want to go for a rich and creamy dressing without dairy, puree some avocado with water, a pinch of salt, and whatever seasonings you like. If you like Asian flavors, a dressing of rice vinegar, soy sauce, and a touch of toasted sesame oil is wonderful.
2. Choose mild-flavored vegetables. The stems of broccoli, for example, has less bite than the florets and red and yellow peppers are sweeter than the green variety. Young vegetables also have softer flavor so baby spinach, zucchini, and others can be helpful in introducing and helping the kids develop a taste for the fully-grown ones. You can also mix vegetables and root crops that have more sugar or have sweet underlying taste like squash, butternut, sweet potatoes, carrots, and beets with other varieties to make them easier to eat.
3. Camouflage. If all else fails, camouflage the vegetables by blending them into soups; hiding them in a dip; and grinding and mixing them in meatballs, pies, or smoothies. For example, you can add a few leaves of lettuce to a banana-peach smoothie and see if you can get away with it.
4. Marinate. Some of the bitter vegetables can be marinated before cooking to reduce their bitterness. Vegetables like eggplant, broccoli, and turnip are particularly bitter and are much more appealing when you rub them with some salt and let sit for 15 minutes before cooking. You can also add soy sauce to the marinade to give them savory flavor and to neutralize the bitterness. Balsamic vinegar and other flavorful sauces are also excellent marinades.
5. Choose your cooking method. Some vegetables like broccoli are better blanched while some are better roasted so do some research before preparing your dish. Also, avoid overcooking. Some vegetables, especially those that belong to the cabbage family, become more bitter when overcooked.
6. Make it look fun. Put some love in your presentation! Make a colorful bento or arrange the vegetables on their plate so that they will be encouraged to use their imagination and create stories while enjoying them.
7. Teach by example. Let them see you eat vegetables -- make it evident that you are enjoying them while you're at it -- during family meal time. When you go to the supermarket to buy groceries, tell them fun trivia about the vegetable that you're buying. That will help them appreciate vegetables more. :)