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anti-veggie family
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zumbamama
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| So my husband is a carnivore and so are my kids. I'm not a full vegetarian, but have more taste for veggies than meat. so my plate is always the opposite of my family's. Problem is, my kids have refused since they were little, all my attempts to feed them veggies. They eat fruit, but not green veggies. The only veggie they will eat is corn and potatoes. My stepdaughter was like this as a child, but now that she's a teen, she eats salad, I guess cuz it's "cool" to eat veggies in high school. Anybody have this problem? I have to hide veggies under layers of meat and other foods, and I give them the Morning Star foods that look like meat but are really veggie. That worked on my step daughter until she was old enough to read. Any suggestions? |
Anonymous
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i haven't tried it myself as db is not at that age yet, but i've heard ppl have had success with those recipes where you blend the veggies into a puree and then hide it in other foods, i.e. spinach in brownies, carrots/squash in mac n cheese. i think there are two cookbooks that came out recently based on this idea - one is by jessica seinfeld (yes, jerry's wife) and might be called something like "deceptively delicious" - i forget exactly - and there is another one too that claims to be the original and that jessica "stole" her recipes from there...
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Anonymous
| I got the Jessica Seinfeld book for Christmas. I thumbed through it last night, and there are some good ideas in there. But they also sound like a lot of work. If you have time to cook and/or prepare the purees ahead, then it's probably worth a shot. I think I'll try something on a weekend. |
Anonymous
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Personally, I think if you hide veggies in the food, your kids may get nutrients but they won't learn to eat their veggies. ANd isn't that what you're trying to do: teach your kids healthy eating habits?
I think the only way to do it is to get your husband on board. You can't expect your kids to eat something that dad won't. If he needs meat (or meatlike product) at every meal, then work with it. Make the protein a bit smaller and include something green at every meal. Mix it up - asparagus, brocolli, peas, spinach. Kids dont' have to like everything, but they do have to try everything. And once they have a preference for some greens, respect their likes and serve those more often. I think adding cheese to your broccoli or hollandaise to your asparagus is a better way to serve than hiding the veggies. Curry sauce for peas. Be creative! Then once they accept the veggies, try with just a viniagrette or lemon juice every now adn then to cut out calories and fat. Also, maybe your kids don't like steamed veggies. Have you tried grilling your asparagus or roasting asparagus or broccoli? While not green, roasted carrots with olive oil and rosemary are delicious! Add in some other veggies while you're roasting. Some kids like their veggies overcooked and softer than adults do. And no seconds on their meat until they've had at least X bites of their veggies. I don't think the clean plate club instills healthy eating habits, but it makes perfect sense to eat a certain amount before you can have more of something else. If your kids are old enough, having them help you in the kitchen may also work. My DD prefers to eat things that she's "helped" with. She sits on the counter and tries bites of raw broccoli, adds a handful of salt the pan, etc. Good luck! |
Anonymous
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Looks like you have some good ideas from previous posters, so I won't repeat...
Perhaps whip up a chicken stir fry? That might be a good compromise (meat + veggies in a sauce). Plus, you could introduce "exotic" veggies such as baby corn and sliced water chestnuts. It is easy too. I've mastered it in 15 minutes (cut up green pepper, red pepper (if on sale b/c it's rather pricey), carrots, water chestnuts, baby corn and place in pan with some oil until hot -10minutes. Sprinkle with stir fry sauce. Just a thought. Good luck. |
zumbamama
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| those are all great ideas which I will try. My family is half Filipino, so there are always exotic meat/veggie dishes on the table...but they refuse any which way I try to present it to them. I gave up trying to vegify my stepdaughter's diet, after coaxing her from age 3-8, and just this year she is paying attention to what she eats...she never before would eat a spinach salad, but loves it now. Maybe the only thing I haven't done is try to get DH onboard with me. He loves to cook them, but will not eat them much. He was raised on a country carn & carb diet. |
HrCreuzi
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When I was growing up my parents had a "you must eat x number of pieces/bites" of our veggies. We were allowed to put pepper or seasonings on them (salt was monitored). If we didn't eat what was presented we had to find a substitute veggie to eat. If we wouldn't do that we didn't get dessert. It helped all of us to learn to like a wide variety of veggies.
Getting DH on board will most likely be the biggest key though. |
Anonymous
Definitely second the getting the kids involved in cooking. You could prepare mini pizzas and let them pick their own toppings (out of your pre-selection  usually they add things that they wouldn't eat if you made it.
Role models - not parents, but other kids are very effective (remembering my own childhood here). Have some of their friends over, there are bound to be some no-fuss veggie eaters. |
M2FH
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Okay, so this is going to make me sound like the meanest mom out there, but here's what I did...
My oldest daughter (4 at the time, now 5) was complaining about eating her veggies this past summer. We were members of a CSA so we had a TON of veggies that we needed to eat. My husband, the total carnivore of the family, would tend to cater to her and just let her eat the corn and potatoes. Well, with him overseas (and not around to complain) I decided that we'd be vegetarians for as long as it took for her to stop complaining about the vegetables. I made meals with tons of veggies, tofu and fruit. She'd devour the fruit and tofu but wouldn't touch the veggies. As per the rule in our house, no dessert or snacks of any kind unless you finish your meal. It took a few days but I think that she was desperate for ice cream and finally started eating her vegetables. I kept it up for a few days after that and ever since then whenever I get a cross word about dinner from her, I just simply ask if she'd like a week of vegetables. Sounds mean, I know, but it worked for us. (Plus, I actually lost two pounds that week - hmmmm maybe I should try that again... )
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Anonymous
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I am fairly lucky that my children will eat pretty much anything and everything. I do have a problem with my three year old from time to time though. He doesn't always like cooked, steamed, or roasted veggies, but he will eat them raw. When I notice that he is getting in one of his eating funks I will put out a veggie tray, and let him eat his heart out. I also bought big bags of the washed miniature carrots, and put them in the crisper drawer, which is a place the kids can just help themselves for a snack. Sometimes it is as if the ability to just go and help himself, makes him want the carrots, when a hot dog really sounds better to him. I also put in the miniature cucumbers in there too.
I have also found that going to the Korean market and picking up some things there has really helped. They love kim (gim, seaweed wrap) especially in the preseasoned packs, and are happy as clams eating that with just rice and some pickled radish (DH and I like that too, but with kimchi). They also love fern and seaweed salad as well. Fern is out of season, and all that they stores have now are brown, but come spring it will be fresh again. I personally don't think the entire hiding approach is the right way to go. I do make oatmeal with bananas, strawberries, blueberries, apples, and wheatgerm, all things my children know are there. While I don't think it is wrong to add some nutrients to brownies, I don't think that is the only way to get your child to eat them. They will never learn to grow up and like veggies, or think they grew up having to eat them, since they don't recall eating them. |
Anonymous
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Try adding more flavor. My husband is the same way but he loves terriyaki. They will all eat broccoli and mushrooms if they are cooked in terriyaki sauce. Making homemade pizza is another option. Use diced tomatoes, and green peppers cut in slivers to make smiley faces..
Cooked carrots with pot roast work also. I grew up in the midwest where vegetables are cooked beyond recognition and I hated them so make sure to avoid this. Dipping can be fun, just forget the hummus and go for light Ranch dressing. |
Anonymous
| Cheese sauce. That's how I learned to love broccoli.... |
Anonymous
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I haven't read through all of the posts, so apologies if I repeat anything, but I do have a couple of thoughts...
1. I do hide purees in food because I want them to get the nutrients...mine are 4.5 and 21 months. 2. BUT - I also put vegetables on their plate because the goal is to teach them to eat vegetables 3. probably most importantly - I have had many discussions with hubby about HIM eating everything placed in front of him (I don't know from your post if he is not eating them also??) Kids mimic their role models...so, HE needs to eat the vegetables, with lots of "yum yums". My hubby has gotten better and I try to make the veggies he prefers, but I do cook lots of different kinds. AND, I struggle with it, too, but the best I can do is teach my kids to eat healthy! ( I think we all know that one...) Shoot, I was probably 15 before I knew my father HATED broccoli and chicken, but believe me, he ate his fair share when we were kids! |
Anonymous
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Check out the Great Big Vegetable Challenge:
http://www.greatbigvegchallenge.blogspot.com/ Its the blog of a British mom who and her veggie hating son who are going through vegetables A-Z and trying them different ways. There may be some good ideas there, or recipes to try, since Freddie rates them all on a scale of 1-10. |