Tips to Get Kids to Eat Veggies

Last week I had the honor of speaking about nutrition to a new chapter of the Holistic Moms Network in Rogers, Arkansas. We spend a lot of time talking about ways to get children to eat healthier, especially how to get them to eat more veggies and fruits. Getting children to enjoy healthy foods when they are young is vital for helping them to grow up to be health adults who continue to make better food choices. So I wanted to share some tips all of you too.

• Keep cut up veggies and fruits ready to go
• Put veggies out first before meals
• Make a game of eating a rainbow of veggies
• Make a face with veggies on their plate
• Add pureed veggies to soups
• Add minced veggies to their favorite foods
• Mix grated carrots with grated cheese
• Add sweet or tender veggies to smoothies
• Healthy “dips” for veggies: hummus, yogurt, nut butters
• Sprinkle veggies with freshly grated parmesan or sesame seeds
• Add a small portion to every meal and snack
• Give them a choice between 2 healthy thing
• Honor the process of food exploration; Let them play with their food
• Keep healthy choices on hand and offer it consistently

Additionally, here are some tips for healthy snacks.

• Have a healthy snack shelf in your refrigerator
• Let children choose from that shelf
• Examples of healthy snacks:
  • Sliced hard-boiled eggs
  • Nut butters and fruit
  • Hummus and veggies
  • Yogurts without coloring or added sugar, add fresh, frozen or dried fruit

If you want to view my full presentation, go to Nutrition for the Whole Family.

To learn more about the new local chapter of the Holistic Moms Network.

And don’t miss their next lecture on June 4^th at 6:30 pm on how to keep your children healthy by Dr. Tara Hickman, NMD, my partner in my private practice at Northwest Arkansas Natural Health.