kids and vegetables?

[Phyrebrand]

I'm just curious since there's a large vegetarian population here, if you keep your kids on the same diet, raw even? If so, how do you get them to like it? I'm still amongst omnivores, and my kids leans towards carbs big time (every parents complaint I think). I thought this might be a community with a different take on this.

Also, do any of you know good resources on using herbs and/or spices properly?

I look forward to your responses. Thanks.

[Lisa McGregor]

Interesting question. I doubt if my son (10yrs) would thrive on a vegan diet, and definitely not a raw diet. Basically the only cooked vegetables he will eat are carrots with maple syrup and cinnamon, zuchini with garlic butter and broccoli with garlic butter. The only raw vegetables he will eat are onions, radish and cucumber. Spinach and lettuce are an absolute no-no, as are raw tomato and avocado. The only fruit I can get him to eat are apple and raspberries. He would eat pizza and pasta till it's coming out of his ears if I gave him the opportunity. He loves fish and chips and KFC. (not that he gets it very often).

I would love some advice on how to get him to eat more vegetables and fruit. I'm tired of giving him the same stuff over and over again. Funny enough he loves sushi and enjoys the seaweed around the maki rolls.

Love Lisa

[cinnabar]

My 3 1/2 year old daughter LOVES just about any vegetable she can get her hands on. My 2 year old son, not so much. But, what they both love, are green smoothies. Doesn't seem to matter which green leafy vegetable I put in the blender... the bananas and other fruits make it palatable. They'll slurp down cup after cup. Minimum effort, maximum nutrition.

[Brutha]

In general it's very strange for children to not like healthy food if you look at from the frame of evolution.
Evolution tries to give children the ability taste which foods are good for them. For that purpose it created a mechanism that allows kids to learn which food to eat.

Parents everywhere teach children that vegetables are bad.

There multiple ways parents do that teaching.

The most well known is to give unhealthy food as a reward for good behavior.

One way is giving a child some food while showing to the child that one is susceptible about food-child (unconscious learning happens on that level).
If that child rejects the food it's brain forms a stronger taste against the food for the future.
Some parents repeat that progress to really install a strong dislike in their children against that food.

I think this is a case where you should never ask a question where you don't know the answer and the answer might be that the child rejects the food (especially if the child tastes the food) or forces himself to eat the food.
Both actions on part of the child increase the childrens dislike of the food.

I also think that the blender is the solution against the problem.
Use the blender to mix an amount of vegetables into the childs food where the child still likes his food. That trains the childs taste to accept the vegetables as "good food".

I haven't tried that approach myself, but I think it's a lot more likely to succeed than the things parents usually try.

[supertom]

meat is seen as a safe food to them, i think they like white foods, but its interesting that early on them seem to love veges and not like meat that much.

Dont forget Tv ads, so bright and happy

[funchy]

They did a great radio show interviewing someone who wrote about this topic (sorry I can't remember her name!) She looked into it and found that vegetables are an acquired taste. If a woman eats a lot of veggies during pregnancy and when the baby begins to nurse, the child is more likely to accept small amounts of veggies when they start on eating food.

They also found by pureeing broccoli or other foods most kids seem to hate, and then hiding small amounts in kids' food, they acquire a taste to eat veggies with less resistance. It might sound sneaky to do it, but it sets the child up for wanting to eat better foods.

One personal rant: the stuff I see passed off as "kids meals" is crap. Why do restaurants serve us adults a balanced entree but a "kids meal" is a greasy hot dog and some processed mac-and-cheese? Frozen "kids" dinners are old processed bits of chicken meat, breaded & deep fried, with a side of brownie. Where I work my co-worker is able to bring in her 1 yr old infant; his lunch every day is fast-food burger or hotdog for lunch (no bun/vegetables, just greasy meat) and a jar of Gerber's processed something-or-other.

[appifanie]

my daughter is 2 and she's vegan (like me). she is VERY healthy (knock on wood) and she is the size of a 3 year old (in a tall and perfectly proportioned weight way). she loves fruits and veggies because i love fruits and veggies. lots of parents eat crap and treat healthy food as a chore - this is not the way.

[Chris Cade]

Originally Posted by funchy

They also found by pureeing broccoli or other foods most kids seem to hate, and then hiding small amounts in kids' food, they acquire a taste to eat veggies with less resistance. It might sound sneaky to do it, but it sets the child up for wanting to eat better foods.

This is the approach of the "Full Tank" organic kids meals. Great concept, just needs to come a little further holistically ( for example they use white breads instead of whole grains for the 'pocket' with their cheesy mashed potatoes)

[Lauxa]

My kids requested and ate a vegetable this morning!

We found it in a kids cookbook, basically you take 3 or 4 baby carrots and cut them into about 1 inch pieces and then glue the pieces together with cream cheese. It looks like a little worm, and you stick on raisins for eyes at the "head". It reminded me of Elmo's pet worm.

I figured they just liked the idea of the carrot worm, but they both ate the whole thing! My daughter is having a bug-themed birthday party and I'm definitely making carrot worms for snacks!

I'm not sure if there's any raw vegan substance that could be substituted for the cream cheese...

[Fullcrum]

I'm 17, so I know a thing or two about children's taste.

#1 - Get your kids off TV if they take that drug. They may experience some withdrawal, and the be the happier for it. Enough advertising for their minds!

#2 - Get organic. I can't tell you how I despise conventional carrots because it tastes like a hard piece of nothing...but organic is a whole different story. Those flavors are rich and complex, rivaling gourmet food.

#3 - Make green smoothies. They're sweet, better for you than eating salads because the cell walls on the greens are ruptured, and taste awesome. They provide great energy, fiber, and more. In fact, the majority of my diet is green smoothies of various sorts. It's filling, too.

#4 - Love vegetables yourself. If you do not, they will take the cues from YOU! The truth is, children raised raw and vegan love vegetables because 1. They lack the stimulation of tons of cooked food 2. Parents did not reward god behavior with junk food.

Never reward good behavior with junk food. I can't stand the practice and it seems like a stupid waste of money and time. Reward good behavior with more green smoothies. Or avocados. Or nuts. Or a little honey.

Your kid does not like avocados? Maybe the organic ones will appeal more. I know for me, organic tastes infinitely better for everything, but especially berries, roots, greens, and citrus. Bananas, maybe less of a difference. That's just me being honest .

Remove food from their lives as a method of emotional stimulation. It should be for satiating hunger and for the pleasure and enjoyment of eating. Other stuff is secondary.

Associate positives to fruits and vegetables. Talk to them how these foods contain life force that will give them greater energy and vitality. It really depends on the kid. You know their sources of motivation, so use them!