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We all know that vegetables are good for us and we all want our kids to love veggies. However, we all struggle to convince them how yummy veggies are. Maybe you think I am a superpower veggie Mom when you see my son loving, eating and cooking vegetables. But I can assure I am not, and this is why?
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/tatiana_lages/
I know many parents have difficulty getting their kids to eat veggies, but this was not a problem for me. We all know that vegetables are good for us, and it is not easy to convince our kids to eat them, but in our family, everything came naturally. Without putting any pressure on Filip, he became a veggie-lover. I know it sounds unrealistic, but it really did work for us.
How did you get Filip to love veggies?
My friends often ask me, “How did you get Filip to love veggies?”. All the time, I try to find a reasonable, realistic and simple answer for them.
However, I didn’t find anything unique about Filip eating veggies. I didn’t really notice that Filip loved veggies until two years ago when at a Community BBQ Day at school, a teacher came to me very impressed, and told me that Filip is the only kid she ever knew that asked for a hotdog with lettuce. I was not surprised because I myself eat pizza with a big green salad, or, I eat a big green salad with pizza!
Filip has a balanced diet with a veggie-loving Mom and a meat-loving Dad.
Filip always finds options on the dining table, both vegan and meat dishes. We never pushed him to eat special meals or avoid treats. Filip eats what he sees on our table and he has loved vegetables since the beginning without forcing him.
My husband and I love spending time in the kitchen, exploring recipes and cooking together. Filip grows up in the kitchen with us, washing veggies, making his smoothie, asking questions, mixing or seasoning something, chopping or playing with veggies, making salads with me or cooking steak with Dad. Because we involve him in the kitchen and often ask for his help with seasoning potatoes, washing a tomato, or cutting a cucumber, he learnt about veggies, spices and ingredients without any effort from our side.
I know, I am a super lucky Mom, and I feel like I have the perfect son when I hear Filip asking for a whole green salad for his dinner or asking me to cook steamed broccoli with garlic, spicy chinese cabbage or baked tofu!
I don’t have a strategy. I do it with ease, smoothness and naturally. I never hide veggies in Filip’s smoothies or soup. We try as much as possible to avoid junk food by preparing a lot of food at home which is very important for Filip. Also, Filip’s school lunch is wholly plant-based twice a week and he is aware of it. We are also discussing with Filip what we should cook for lunch or dinner at home, we never avoid veggies from our options.
It is essential to educate our kids to eat vegetables. Eating nutritious foods helps our kids start a healthy habit at a young age. The important thing is not to put pressure on them to eat veggies. Instead, I’ve noticed that when we pressure our kids into something, they will hate those foods, and they will likely not eat them, forever. They need to take it naturally.
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/cottonbro/
My tips on how I got Filip to love veggies
We serve veggies throughout the day. Filip sees us eating and enjoying a wide range of fruits and vegetables. We eat them naturally without making any discussion around them. Just simply saying, “I love this carrot soup, I can eat it every day!”.
Let Filip choose. Being part of the decision helps Filip feel in control and more excited about what is being served, so he is more likely to eat what’s on his plate.
We go to the supermarket together and ask him to help us with the grocery shopping. It is an easy way for him to learn more about veggies.
We enjoy the experience of cooking veggies together. Filip is excited about cooking, and we let him help us. Filip can help out in the kitchen by peeling and washing veggies and squeezing citrus, cutting and even preparing some dishes without slowing us down. It's also an excellent opportunity to teach him about different foods.
We don’t sneak the veggies. It is not an effective way to get Filip to like vegetables if he doesn't even know what he is eating.
You don’t need to be a Supermom to make your kid eat veggies. You just need to like veggies and you will be surprised one day when your kid asks about a hotdog with lettuce!
Photo Credit: https://www.instagram.com/tatiana_lages/