When your child will not eat vegetables, what should you do? As much as you want to, you can’t force spinach down their digestive systems. Or then again, maybe you can without them knowing? Although you want your kids to know what they’re eating and the benefits of healthy foods, sometimes they’re just not that easy to train. Sometimes you gotta sneak the greens in.
So here are three tips to sneak veggies in without your kids knowing. If they don’t complain of any strange tastes, you can later reveal what kind of veggies were in their meal, so they realize that veggie-eating doesn’t have to be so painful.
How to Make Your Child Eat Vegetables
Smoothies: This one is always a winner. Kids love fruit, so when you make them a smoothie, you’re sure to get some smiles. Instead of using kale which tends to be gritty, throw in a few leaves of raw spinach and beets. Fruits like bananas and berries tend to drown out the taste of the spinach and beets. You can even add a splash of apple juice to cover up any strange veggie flavors.
Sandwiches: Although cheese isn’t the healthiest thing to eat, you have to let your kids live a little. Afterall, cheese is the perfect ingredient to tone down the taste of vegetables. Take some shredded cheddar cheese and raw spinach and throw them together in a food grinder. Then place it on sandwich bread with whatever deli meat you want. Grill the sandwich on a skillet—like you would with a grilled cheese—to bind the cheese and spinach together. And voila! Your kids won’t even know that there are vegetables in their sandwich.
Pasta: Marinara sauce is another great way to hide different kinds of vegetables. Chop up raw carrots, spinach, and bell pepper into small shreds in a food grinder. That way, your kids won’t find huge chunks in their spaghetti and say, “Ewwww.” The good news about cooking the veggies directly in the sauce is that any lost vitamins and nutrients from cooking will flow right into your sauce.
See just how much food can impact your health by visiting Hospitality Health ER’s blog about Immune System Boosters or Childhood Obesity.
