not eating veggies

jlpev · April 2014

Ds is 3 & wont eat them. I can fix a green smoothie & he eats that but not on his plate or even with ranch. Any suggestions? Or how do your kids eat veggies? He used to love steamed broccali.

nonoemily · April 2014

Well, I'm no help, but I just keep putting them on his plate, and he keeps not eating them. DS will eat yam in the form of oven fries, cucumber, baby carrots, peas and beets. In the summer when we have a garden he will eat the tomatoes, shelled peas and beans, and anything else he helped grow.

barnwife · April 2014

Well, our kids love veggies and fruit. In fact, sometimes that's the only part of the meal they will eat!

My strategy (if you can call it that) is that I put them on their plate. And they can take it or leave it. I don't coax/encourage them other than what follows.

DH and I eat the veggie and talk about how wonderful it is. We ask if the kiddos agree. If they haven't tried any we might say something like "oh, you haven't had a chance to try it and find out yet." And sometimes we will say something is so delicious it should be reserved only for grown-ups. We might even throw a "it's okay if you don't eat it. It really is a grown-up food."

Also, we repeatedly say things like "it's okay not to eat XXX." And we let them know there are foods we don't like. Bananas are one of those foods for me. I won't touch them individually or in something. I think they smell horrendously. J. and A. know this. They think it's funny. They also think it's funny that I didn't like tomatoes or olives as a kid because they love them

I think knowing that it's okay to not like everything makes it safer (is that the right word?) for them to try new things or things they didn't like before.

joyfullyfound · April 2014

DD eats most vegetables. We grow a lot of them, and she loves helping me take care of the plants, pick the veggies, and prepare them. She has a few plants that I tell her are hers and she's very proud of them. Also, watching Veggie Tales has been unexpectedly useful that way... she didn't like tomatoes until watching that show, haha. She still calls tomatoes "Bobs" and cucumbers "Larrys".

The #1 way she likes eating them are just raw, dipped in hummus. Not a fan of ranch. She loves veggie sandwiches (just bread with ham, cheese, and sliced cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, sprouts and lettuce with hummus or mayo), and salads with olive oil & balsamic dressing. She really eats them any way... roasted root vegetables are a HUGE hit. Ideas for you: Green beans with bread crumbs. Steamed broccoli or cauliflower with cheese sauce. Pita filled with chicken and greek salad.

LoriLee14 · April 2014

little man only eats broccoli and zucchini plain. I just keep putting them on his plate and hope they get in there. I casseroles and pot pies that are visible veggies and he eats those. I also have no problem cutting them up really small and hiding them into other foods like meatloafs and soups

jlpev · April 2014

Thanks ladies. He used to eat veggies but recently got picky. Ill keep offering them to him & will try some of your suggestions. We garden & he loves helping with that. Maybe this summer he will try again.

catycate · April 2014

I did a bit of both hiding and just putting it on his plate. I wanted to make sure he at least got some while I was exposing him to trying. I would also not give seconds of a portion do the meal he really liked until he at leas tried everything on his plate. Frozen peas for the win in our house too.

zbeesma86 · April 2014

I feel you! Z hardly eats veggies. She's a fruit baby.

We do smoothies- green ones, with spinach, kale, pineapple, and OJ or we will do squash and zucchini with the same fruit and OJ.

I also will prepare one veggie and see if she will at least try it. I feel like texture plays a big part in why she spits it out. She hardly tastes it half the time. It's so frustrating but I keep working at it.

She's hit and miss on hummus. We get the coin carrots and she will eat those with almond butter (weird I know, but oddly good).

caybeh · April 2014

DS is in the same boat. He'll eat fruit, it not veggies. I just keep offering them. Maybe someday, he'll eat them. I've also tried letting him dip them in Ranch as he loves Ranch. He'll just suck the Ranch off.

Chapter79 · April 2014

jlpev said:

Thanks ladies. He used to eat veggies but recently got picky. Ill keep offering them to him & will try some of your suggestions. We garden & he loves helping with that. Maybe this summer he will try again.

Probably a stage. Kids go through a trillion of eating stages. Mine did, anyway. Loved veggies, hated.. loved corn, hated corn. Loved broccoli, hated broccoli. 3 and 4 was a crappy veggie stage for us. Before that, she would eat anything. 3-4 she was more picky and at 5 she opened up more. Now she's a veggie champ.

I would keep giving smoothies and hide them that way, if it's the only way he'll do. BUT I would certainly try on a daily basis to give some on his plate. I offered every single night, I wanted them available to her. She didn't always eat them, but I tried. Eventually she did.

Want a personalized experience?

not eating veggies

Re: not eating veggies

Choose Another Board

Search Boards