Please help me get my son to eat vegetables!

[carang]

actually, many vegetables are BETTER for you after they've been cooked. i was watching a thing the other day about carrots. if you grate carrots and put them in the fridge for a day or two they are more nutritious as the good stuff gets "released" by the grating... also read somewhere that cooked tomatoes are better for you than raw tomatoes...

 

[ozmerc]

Also we use a juicer at home and that is a good way of squeezing lots of fresh fruit and veg into one glass. If he likes juice, maybe try that? Start with the sweeter, more kid friendly fruit like apple and orange and then add in some carrot, celery and the likes later down the track if he accepts it.

I've seen TV programs where they have ADULTS who won't eat fruit or veg, and they take a very slowly slowly approach rather than introducing a whole bunch of new stuff at once, which freaks them out. They did one thing at a time and when that was accepted they tried another. A few months down the track they were eating most things. I've heard with small children it can take something like 10 or more tries before the new food is accepted...sounds like you are on the right track anyhow.

 

[thanka2]

actually, many vegetables are BETTER for you after they've been cooked. i was watching a thing the other day about carrots. if you grate carrots and put them in the fridge for a day or two they are more nutritious as the good stuff gets "released" by the grating... also read somewhere that cooked tomatoes are better for you than raw tomatoes...

Yes, but cooking and freezing and re-cooking again?

 

[thanka2]

Also we use a juicer at home and that is a good way of squeezing lots of fresh fruit and veg into one glass. If he likes juice, maybe try that? Start with the sweeter, more kid friendly fruit like apple and orange and then add in some carrot, celery and the likes later down the track if he accepts it.

I've seen TV programs where they have ADULTS who won't eat fruit or veg, and they take a very slowly slowly approach rather than introducing a whole bunch of new stuff at once, which freaks them out. They did one thing at a time and when that was accepted they tried another. A few months down the track they were eating most things. I've heard with small children it can take something like 10 or more tries before the new food is accepted...sounds like you are on the right track anyhow.

Nope, doesn't like juice--not even apple or orange juice. Only likes water and milk and we don't give him soft drinks or other sweet drinks. I used to make a green drink for him that had apples, celery, spinach, ginger and cucumber and he used to love it up until he was about 2-years-old and now he won't touch it.

We've been trying bit by bit for a long time it seems.

 

[carang]

surely, any veg is better than none? even if it has been frozen and reheated, that's better than what he's eating now...nothing?

i can only say that my first was exactly the same. and her cookbook was a godsend for us. once he realised we were sneaking veg in, i started offering him a choice. he always gets 2 to choose from. and he always chooses. i don't make him eat a whole bowl, rather 3 or 4 pieces. that way, i'm winning the argument and he's getting used to eating some of the veg. he now loves: carrots, corn (in sauces, fried rice, on the cob, as a side), mushrooms. will tolerate: peas, long green beans, romaine lettuce, choi sum, bak choi...

fruit: strawberries, bananas, apples, grapes, watermelon (but only the juice in sago), dried mango (not fresh mango)...

 

[lesliefu]

would have to agree with carang...some is better than none. my niece is the same - she LOVES her meat but not her veg...seems like she's on the Atkin's diet herself! she eats apples / carrots only - but whenever she wants MORE meat, she has to eat 1 piece of veg first....her choice!

and yes...cooked tomatoes are more nutritous than raw ones - can't remember why though, but definitely true.

and the japanese sesame sauce someone mentioned works wonders for my niece who hates her veg...she will eat cucumbers dipped in that.

i tried steaming veggies for my 10mth old and she won't touch them! she will eat the same veggies mixed in with her bolognese sauce / other sauces..she'll even eat onions and leek! ha-ha! maybe hiding them for now just for the sake of getting the veggie intake and then slowly develop more of an "interest"

 

[lesliefu]

you can also try veggie with rice (shanghainese style) - they eat veggies without really knowing.

 

[shwetakhanna]

thanka2.. do let us know how you find a solution to this.. Our 3yo is exactly the same, she hates fruits and vegetables, and if she sees veges in somebody else's plate she'll tell them also "no,no, don't eat vegetables". Tired of trying now.
Good luck.

 

[southside852]

Some suggestions:

1) insert the veggies in whatever his favorite food / style of food is: Our 3 year old loves congee, stir fry and noodles. Whenever we introduce a new type of food it's usually through one of those ways of cooking as he isn't focused on what's in it, but what it looks like. He's familiar with what it looks like so he's not scared to try it.

2) eat your dinner with your child: i know many kids eat earlier. My son eats at 5:30-ish and we actually eat at 7pm, but I usally eat a small portion of dinner with him so he sees me eating the same foods he is. Usually my son will want to try and eat what i am eating so I also make sure everything on my plate can be eaten by him too or it's just a smaller portion of his actual dinner.

3) Loves what daddy eats: For some reason my son loves whatever my husband eats....if we want him to try something new, we sometimes introduce it when his daddy eats it as a snack. My husband plays like it's his food and pays no attention to my son until he actually comes up and asks for a bite. For example we wanted to teach my son how to eat an apple not in slices, but as a whole and with skin on. My husband at it in the afternoon, my son watched, then asked for a bite....now we don't have to go around cutting those darn apples for him when we travel.

Perhaps your child often displays some of these behavior and you can use them to your advantage too!