20. What Do You Do If Your Child Won’t Eat Fruits or Vegetables

10/16/2020

Does your child a fan of fruits and veggies? How can you make your child eat vegetables? Should you push your child for not eating enough in general? It can be hard to get your children to eat fruits and vegetables. You are not alone! Sometimes parents gets frustrated seen their children consistently refuse to eat fruits and veggies, so they start forcing them to eat it. Please remember forcing children to eat food they don’t enjoy could spark tension at mealtimes and damage the parent-child relationship, and will developed picking eating habits. Today we are going to talk about the tips to let your children eat more fruits and veggies.

Parents are constantly concerned that are their children are not eating enough or not eating enough of the “right foods”. If you serve nutritious foods in meal and snack, the children can’t go wrong in what they choose to eat.  Healthy children will decide which foods and how much of the foods offered they will eat. If you are introducing new food especially fruits or veggies, please keep in mind the child may need to see a new food offered 6-12 times before they will decide to try it.

Please remember, don’t remind your children the fact they are not a big fan of fruits and veggies, it will remind and encourage then to keep doing that. Instead, lead by example. If parents lead by example it will encourage the children to give it a try. Your children will want to eat fruits and veggies if they see others at the table eating them. When you make healthy food choices for yourself, you are teaching your children about healthy eating. You may also try to offer raw veggies with low fat, creamy salad dressing as a dip. The eating process will catch children’s interests. Keep fruit where your children can access for a quick snack.

Get your children involved, like take your children grocery shopping. Make eating vegetable and fruit a game of colors. Ask your children to find different colored fruits and veggies for snack for the week. Involve your children in the preparing lunch and dinner. Let them choose which fruit and veggie they want to packed, and make the food fun with your children. For instance, use toothpicks to make grape tomato snowman. Or transform slices of baked sweet potato into hearts by using a cookie cutter. Most important, don’t give up, try and try again.

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