# How to Get Kids To Eat More Vegetable dishes?



## Elaine.T (Mar 3, 2010)

Hi,
I am actually seeing my kids are eating more meat than vegetables these days. They seems like prefer meat over vegetables. Even I try to mix the vegetables and meat together for some stir fry Chinese style dish, they kind of only eating the meat and left all the vegetable aside. I am more worried rather than annoying as in longer term it is not good for the health of my kids. 
I give them some supplements that can cover the lack of vegetables intake, but this is not ultimate solution. I am looking for any good recommendation recommendation here? Perhaps you too have the same problems and you already got the solution that can share with me and the rest.
Thanks in advance.


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## GrillingFool (Mar 3, 2010)

You could use my parents' method: No veggies? No TV later.
Course in this era you might have to use cell phone....

I ate my veggies, LOL!


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## Andy M. (Mar 3, 2010)

I was never given the option to not eat my veggies.  I couldn't leave the table until I cleaned my plate.

My kids ate their veggies so it wasn't an issue we really had to deal with.


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## mexican mama (Mar 3, 2010)

WHat i try to do it make tacos..with a greater ratio of the veggies like tomatoes, cabbage than the meat..also grilling veggies can help like kebabing them..


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## velochic (Mar 3, 2010)

I will preface this by saying that I have a very adventurous eater and don't have this problem in my 8yo dd, but I have nieces and nephews that I have to fool.

I don't believe in coercion or manipulating at all... especially when it comes to food.  There are so many issues surrounding food that I think the best thing you can do it to teach a healthy relationship with food.

Perhaps you can start by simply talking more about how vegetables fuel your body and how some have special "powers" (like carrots helping you see at night... this was one that was a favorite of dd's when she was younger).  Lots of discussion about their importance in our diets can be a good persuader.

You can also get them involved in the cooking - when they have their hands in them, they are more likely to eat them because the know exactly where they are coming from.

Vegetable gardening - my dd has always loved helping me with the garden.  She is actually now in charge of the herb garden and I let her do it all from planting to weeding to harvesting.  She feels a real sense of ownership having a key role in the actual nourishment of her own body because she has learned what the whole cycle means.

Casseroles are a good way to have lots of veg that may get simply overlooked by the kids.

Hiding in sauces - another sneaky way using pureed vegetables.

Soups are also a good way to get vegetables in.  Some "creamy" soups are actually just pureed vegetables that thicken the soup (such as butternut squash soup).

Finally... make eating healthy the only choice in the house.  Get rid of the processed junk if you are buying it and they are used to it and buy lots of veg instead.  We always have clean, trimmed, raw vegetables in the fridge.  When dd wants a snack, she knows that her options are what is cleaned and ready in the fridge (this includes fruit as well as veg) or nothing.  Vegetables don't necessarily have to be consumed at a meal... they can be eaten as snacks instead.  If they become the norm, then healthy habits are formed.  Sure we also eat treats, but I make them only rarely and once they're gone they're gone.  (We rarely purchase treats except for chocolate.)

HTH in some way.


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## JamesS (Mar 3, 2010)

I'd just make a couple of vegetarian meals a week and starve them into eating.  If there's nothing else to eat, I'm confident they'll choose vegetables over being hungry. Probably why I'm not a parent!


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## larry_stewart (Mar 3, 2010)

I usually have already cut up carrot and celery sticks on the counter when the kids come home from school.  I dont say anything, but they seem to go throughout the afternoon.  The unpeeled carrots could sit in the refrigerator forever,  but once i peel them and have them ready to go, the kids just snack on them ( because they are too lazy to peel and cut them by themselves)


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## GB (Mar 3, 2010)

Have them help with the preparation and cooking of the veggies. Kids love to help with that stuff and I have yet to see a kid not want to eat what he/she has spend time preparing.

Try buying dried veggies. We buy dried string beans from Trader Joes. They are crunchy with a little natural sweetness. We eat them like we would eat potato chips. The kids love them.

Try pureeing veggies and mixing them into sauces or make sauces from them. Serving spaghetti? Blend up some carrots or other veggies and mix the puree right into the sauce. They will be eating their veggies without even realizing it.


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## TheNoodleIncident (Mar 3, 2010)

alton brown actually did at least one episode on this topic - disguising veggies in dishes that kids will like....ive attached the link below, which includes a transcript, the recipes and some other info....it uses alot of parsnips, and there may be other episodes where he focuses on other veggies.....fun reading, if nothing else

EA1305: Undercover Veggies


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## BeachChick (Mar 3, 2010)

*Hi.  How old are your kids?  I have twin 3 year old girls.  About a year ago, I got them to start eating raw vegetables by making kind of a game of it.  I'd say, "Do you want to eat some crunchy red pepper?"  Then I'd say, "Listen to how crunchy it is."  I'd get close to their ears and crunch it and they'd giggle and want to try it.  (How shocked was I that it worked?!)  I later did that with celery, carrots, cucumbers, etc.  Of course, if your kids are older, this won't work.  For broccoli, I'd show them how the broccoli kind of looks like little trees. Then I'd joke and say, "Eat your trees!"  They thought it was hilarious.  Even now, a year later, when they don't seem to be eating their broccoli (some days they just aren't in the mood), I'll say, "Eat your trees" and they laugh and take a bite.  

I was a terrible eater as a child.  I wouldn't try anything and there were very few vegetables that I would eat.  My parents always used to say I needed to eat the meat, the rest didn't matter.  Now we know more about nutrition and we know the opposite is true.

I put a little bit of everything on the girls' plates and when they finish their favorite things and ask for more, I tell them that it is important to eat a well-balanced diet so they will be strong and healthy.  I tell them they can have more pasta or meat, but they need to eat some vegetables, too.  I never force them to eat food, but I do press the issue when I know it's not something they dislike.  For instance, if we are having pasta, meatballs, broccoli and carrots, they might eat all of the pasta and ask for more.  I'll tell them they need to eat some meat and some vegetables first, then they can have more pasta.   

There are some things they just won't eat and I don't force the issue, mainly because they are pretty good when it comes to veggies.  Believe it or not, on Christmas Eve when I was making a plate of snacks for Santa (cookies) and the reindeer (carrots and celery), the kids were grabbing the carrots and celery off the plate and eating it.  I had to cut up more.  Nobody reached for a cookie!!  Lol - I have pictures to prove it! 

 I struggle to get my kids to eat meat.  I think the main problem is that they didn't have any teeth until they were 12 months old, so they ate a lot of ground meat:  turkey meatballs, beef meatballs, pork meatballs, meatloaf, etc.  (They never liked the Gerber meats as babies.  Yuck!  I couldn't blame them!  And I tried to make my own and they didn't like that either.)   I still can't get them to eat steak.  One of them will eat pork tenderloin and chicken...it's a battle with the other one.  (But she'll eat asparagus, broccoli, peas, carrots, yellow squash, spinach, etc.  And she won't eat cupcakes, cake, pie, ice cream....refuses to try them!)

It sounds like your kids don't necessarily dislike the vegetables, but just prefer the meat more.  If that is the case, I'd recommend just stressing the importance of a well-balanced, healthy diet.  I find that my kids need to be reminded to eat vegetables.  

If I give them a plate of Wheat Thins, string cheese, strawberries and carrot sticks for lunch, they will usually eat the strawberries and crackers first, then ask for more.  I tell them they can have more after they eat some carrots and some cheese.  They will eat some and I will dole out another cracker or two.  Then when they eat more, I give them some more strawberries.  I just kind of force the balanced diet on them a bit. I know that if they won't eat the carrots to get a few more crackers, then they really aren't that hungry.  (Again, I only do this with things I know they don't truly dislike.)  

We just got back from vacation.  When we ate at resturants, they both wanted chicken fingers and grilled cheese.  Every time.  (Lately they won't even eat hamburgers!)  So I would order those items, but ask for broccoli (or another veg) and fruit as sides instead of fries.  If my husband or I had fries, we'd give the kids a few and then when they asked for more, we'd tell them they have to eat some of the vegetables, too.  Fruit is never and issue.  Fruit is usually the first thing they eat.  (And we'd only give them a portion of the chicken and grilled cheese to start, otherwise they'd fill up on those things and then say they are full.) 

There are lots of ways to "hide" veggies in foods, but I didn't want to do that unless I absolutely had to.  I didn't start "liking broccoli" until I was about 20 years old.  It's better to work to find ways to convince them that it's not so bad, otherwise, they will grow up thinking they don't need to eat vegetables (because they don't even realize they are eating them if they are hidden).  Plus, you want them to make healthy choices outside of the home, too.  Take it from me, I had chocolate chip cookies and chocolate milk for lunch every day throughout all 4 years of high school because I was so picky.  In grammar school, I always threw my sandwich away and ate only the fruit and the dessert my mom packed for me.  (A pack of Yodels and an apple were enough calories for me to survive.) 

Good luck.  
*


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## Elaine.T (Mar 3, 2010)

Thanks for the great sharing from you all!!!  Now a days really not easy to be a good mum. Very challenging. Agree on the proper education on the healthy diet for the good of long term benefits to the kids. 
But I do like the ideas on playing some tricks with them, since it is fun too.
Thanks again for the great ideas!


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## babetoo (Mar 3, 2010)

when i was a young my mom serve a variety of veggies at every meal ( from the garden) a small serving of protein, and milk. there were never any arguments, we knew we had to at least eat a small bite of everything. no ifs ands or buts. my parents were into healthy eating before it was popular. not much dessert, couldn't afford it. and limited bread. it does help if the parents are eating what they are touting to the kids. i eat most anything. only five that i will not touch. 

stay on top of guys , it is important now and in the long haul for healthy eating.


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## CharlieD (Mar 4, 2010)

I have 5 kids, every one is different, I have couple that eat all the vegies, I have couple that eat some, I have one that doesn't eat but few things, one of those thing is cucumbers, and you can't make her eat anything else period. 

Ususally I try to chop vegies, like into a soup or something else i cook) so fine that she would not know that they are there, but I wonder if the nutrition value is still there?


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## GrillingFool (Mar 4, 2010)

I get the feeling that "eat it because I said so" isn't valid in parenting these days.
Interesting. Not surprising, but interesting.

(Course, I was good at sneaking icky veggies to the dog, if she'd eat them. One time, I
put nasty boiled potatoes in my pocket and forgot to flush them later. Boy was Mom mad when she later checked the pockets in those pants before laundry. Moldy tater hand, EWWW)


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## BeachChick (Mar 4, 2010)

GrillingFool, you are correct. The pediatricians now say you should never force a child to eat anything. I have twin 3 year olds and one loved every spoonful of babyfood (except the meat...yuck!) we put into her mouth. The other grimaced at everything. I was sure who would be the "good eater", but I was so wrong. "The good eater" suddenly became very picky and refused to try anything. ("The Grimacer" now tries almost everything!) I asked the doctor what to do and she said to just be sure we keep introducing new foods, but only one new thing at a time. She said to make sure we always serve at least one food each child would will eat. 

Most of the time, that's only veggies. She doesn't even take a bite of most meat and won't eat rice anymore. She will eat sweet potato cubes, but not mashed sweet potatoes. She will eat mashed white potatoes, but not a baked potatoes (or cubes). She eats bread (whole wheat) and pasta, but I don't want to serve them as side dishes every night. 

One night, we got really frustrated because she refused to try baked beans. We basically told her she HAD to try ONE BEAN. Just one. I promised her she would like it. She cried and cried and cried. We didn't give in. After about 20 minutes, she finally ate the bean. It was cold by then, of course. She made a face as soon as she put it in her mouth and rolled it around on her tongue. She gagged a little. (She likes to do that when she doesn't like something!! Drama.) She chewed it for what seemed like an eternity and then finally swallowed it. She didn't move for about a minute and then she picked up her spoon and started SHOVELING baked beans into her mouth as if she were starving to death. She ate seconds and thirds! She loves them now, but would never have tried them if we didn't force her. She doesn't like many meats so it's nice to have baked beans (B&M Boston's Best) as a side dish (for protein). 

The doctor insists that we should not do that. I am really struggling with how to handle this. She won't eat any of the "normal kid foods" (hotdogs, hamburgers, mac n cheese, etc). I know that isn't a bad thing. She eats a lot of vegetables, but, as I said, will only eat pasta, bread and sweet potatoes. Once in a while...maybe once every few months...we have Tater Tots. She loves those. She'll eat french fries, but these are junk food as far as I'm concerned. I'd rather let her eat wheat bread than those things. She won't eat eggs, she won't eat any sandwiches except pb&j and grilled cheese. She won't eat any cold cuts. (Probably my fault as they are foreign to her...we don't eat them much at all.) 

It's really frustrating when the doctor tells me not to force her when I've seen first hand that being somewhat stubborn pays off. She loves baked beans now. They are a great source of protein, although they do have a lot of sugar, but since she doesn't eat sweets, I guess it's not that bad. 

Milk is a struggle now, too. (She won't drink chocolate milk, just white.) When she was a baby (bottle fed) she was consuming almost 40oz of milk per day. She LOVED it. I was concerned that was too much. She was insatiable. The doctor told me she was growing and if she wanted it, that was fine. Eventually, she was down to four 8oz bottles per day (which was more normal). Then we started introducing food. When we switched from bottles to sippy cups, she started drinking less. When when we switched to regular cups, she drank even less. I struggle to get 16oz of dairy into her every day. I've just started being firm at mealtimes. I tell her she can't leave the table until she finishes her milk. 

She has never taken a bite of ice cream or cake. She just won't taste it. I laugh and tell her she doesn't know what she is missing. Again, probably my fault. When the girls were babies, I refused to feed them any of the "baby food desserts". They were babies and they'd eat plenty of junk in their lifetimes. I didn't think I needed to help them acquire a taste for peach cobbler at such a young age! My MIL criticized me for this, and maybe I've created a bit of a monster (lol), but I am proud when we have (extended) family dinners and I don't have to cook a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese because that's all they'll eat. What I DO have to do is cook my own fresh veggies though. My MIL serves canned peas and canned green beans and my kids won't eat them. If you are used to fresh green beans, canned ones are pretty gross!! They don't look like green beans, they don't smell like them, the texture is all wrong... But I guess if my kid would choose broccoli over a cupcake, I must be doing something right!!

I should add:

My dad never forced me to eat anything.  My mom used to just say, "Try it.  If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it, but I want you to try it."  I'd say no, refuse to try it and then my dad would make something else for me.  (Guess who was Daddy's Little Girl?!)  Boy did my parents fight about that!  My mom used tell him he was doing me more harm than good, etc.  He wouldn't listen.  I was a terrible eater because of this until I became an adult.  I now find myself struggling with which approach I should take.


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## Shole (Mar 4, 2010)

Tehnicly I am still a kid (17) but i know t o prepare a lot of food  and i suggest you to try to make a meal that has a lot of veegetabels and a bit of meat but try to hid the vegetabels.... Well it always works for my bro XD.
But you could also use potatoes a lot since its prefered by kids, just try to make a meal that looks good and tastes good and if the kids like it they will ask more (you could also like that its a meat of a sea creature :p make it more iteresting for them or tell him some story while their eat they will be distracted (like my mom did to me when i was younger he just told me a part of the story and said if you dont  eat that up you wont hear the rest of the story)
Hope i helped you


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## GB (Mar 4, 2010)

Shole said:


> (like my mom did to me when i was younger he just told me a part of the story and said if you dont  eat that up you wont hear the rest of the story)


Oh I really like that idea! Welcome to the site by the way.


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## Shole (Mar 4, 2010)

thanks 
And glad that you like it i hope it helped


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 5, 2010)

larry_stewart said:


> I usually have already cut up carrot and celery sticks on the counter when the kids come home from school.  I dont say anything, but they seem to go throughout the afternoon.  The unpeeled carrots could sit in the refrigerator forever,  but once i peel them and have them ready to go, the kids just snack on them ( because they are too lazy to peel and cut them by themselves)


Wow very nice practice eating for you kids its a carrot for snack ? great!. Usually I notice some of the parent feed thier child as for snack is the fast food theres a parent also allowed thier kids having a snack with junk foods , so scary practices .


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## kadesma (Mar 5, 2010)

My grand kids are use to my way...They know the plates of carrots,celery,broccoli,cucumber,jicama,snap peas that I set out with a little dip is for them to munch on, they also love the plate of apple,banana, strawberries,blueberries, any fruit in season is also for them and they make the most of it. I hold the fruit juices and soda's are a special treat maybe once a week on Sunday..Most of the time they can have  ice water, or plain milk...They are now being allowed to help make their sandwich, or get the mac and cheese ready..theypick and choose what veggie to go with Ethan is in love with grape tomatoes and would eat a carton full at one meal...I'm lucky with 2 of them they eat everything with enjoyment..The other Two i have to work at it...They both know they have to eat a bite of anything new and if the like it fine..if not pick another to eat..it was hard at first for them, but I stood fast and now we are getting there It takes work, and I love you, and either or at times. But they get the message...
kadesma


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## Clienta (Mar 5, 2010)

My son (4 1/2) helps me prepare dinner.   He likes to cut (with a butter knife) all the veggies.  Of course, he insists on trying everything as he does it & then is excited for the end result because he helped mommy make it.  My vegetables aren't necessarily pretty or evenly chopped but he thinks they taste good.

Another way he will never pass up something (& he eats like a bird) is if he thinks his little sister is eating it to grow tall or get strong.  He'll wolf down that spinach if she's eating it because he does not want his little sister to be bigger than him.


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## kamp (Mar 6, 2010)

I love the recipes from this books: The Sneaky Chef: Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Mar 6, 2010)

Two surfire methods to get kids to eat veggies, the medieval way:

1. Threaten wit the guillotine
2. stick a tube down their throat and pour in warm, liquified vegies until their bellies are full.  Mooohwahahaha

Just kidding.  Let them help pick out the evening menu, and, let them help cook the veggies.  They are likely to take ownership and eat them.  For some veggies, like sweet potatoes, or winter squashes, you can change them by making into a custard (pumpkin pie filling) and serve it up warm in a bowl with vanilla ice cream.  You can hide carrots and zuchini in quickbreads (carrot cake, zuchini bread) or add them to pancakes, waffles, and such.  Veggies can often be hidden with fruit in smothies and home made juice blends.

Hope this helps.  And don't try options 1 or 2, no matter how tempted you are.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## schoolgirl (Mar 7, 2010)

I agree with the sneaky chef. I'm doing the purees now and tried the breakfast cookies today. They were very good except I think the temp. was too high at 400 degrees. Next time will cook at lower temp. I'm anxious to try the recipes that she has in the book. The reviews were very good on her book I'm doing this for me and hubby!! Healthy Eating!!!


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 7, 2010)

Andy M. said:


> I was never given the option to not eat my veggies.  I couldn't leave the table until I cleaned my plate.
> 
> My kids ate their veggies so it wasn't an issue we really had to deal with.


wow very nice practice for your kids , It is very hard to let the kids eat veggies . I appreciate you being a parent..


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## BeachChick (Mar 8, 2010)

kadesma:  

So you always enforce the "you have to have a taste" rule?  Please tell me more!!

My mom used to always tell me to try things, if I didn't like them, I didn't have to eat them, but she wanted me to try them. Then my dad would say I didn't have to....boy did they fight about that!  I was a terrible eater because of it.  My mom tried to tell my dad that he wasn't helping me, he was hurting me, but he wouldn't hear it.  And, of course, I thought he was the greatest because he never made me eat anything I didn't want (can't say "anything I didn't like" because I wouldn't try anything).  If I didn't like what was for dinner, he'd cook me something else.

I am now struggling with one of my kids.  The pediatrican and all of the books say "don't force them", sometimes a child has to be exposed to a food 20 or 30 times before they will taste it, etc.  One of my girls (I have twin 3 year olds) will try almost everything, and usually likes it.  The other one is SO picky.  She eats a lot of veggies (carrots, broccoli, broccolini, asparagus, peppers, squash, peas, tomatoes, celery, etc.), but refuses to try anything new for about the last 4 or 5 months.  

Last night (after my horrible yellow squash incident - did you read about that?), I ended up serving a frozen mix (emergency back-up, I rarely serve frozen veggies, but always have a few on hand) of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  The girls had never tried cauliflower before.  She refused.  It became a battle that lasted over an hour.  She wouldn't eat it.  She was in tears.  (The other child ate it, liked it and asked for more.)  

I'm worried that if I don't start pushing the issue, she won't try anything new - ever.  

She won't eat chicken unless it's breaded.  She won't eat steak, any kind of roast, hamburgers, any kind of ground meat mixed in with pasta, non tacos, fish, shellfish.  She won't eat any beans except baked beans.  She won't taste anything.  She picks the meat out of stir-frys and is now (lately) against eating rice, too.

She used to eat tacos (with ground beef or ground turkey/chicken), now she dumps the meat out and won't eat it......she says "just the taco shell please".  I can mound meat, tomatoes, lettuce and cheese on her plate and she'll eat it, but not in a taco shell.  She won't eat the meat at all...but she did when she was 18 months old. (And it's not because the meat is spicy....she won't eat ground beef in pasta sauce or anything like that eater. She picks it out.  I make a taco for her every time we have them, but she dumps the filling and eats the shell.  She'll eat the other fillings and whatever other veggies I serve, but no meat.

I'm finding it hard to follow the advice of the books and the doctors, saying "don't force it".  As I said, it wasn't forced on me...thanks to my dad...and I was a terrible eater until I became "older and wiser" (probably my late 20s or early 30s).

Lately, she hasn't been wanting to drink her milk.  We tell her she can't leave table until she does.  Plain and simple.  And guess what?  She drinks it.    We got new vitamins in January (chewable ones prescribed by the doctor; they used to take drops) and it took about a week to get her to eat the vitamin without gagging and crying.  Now she takes it daily without issue.  Why?  Because we didn't give her a choice.  We told her she HAD to eat it.  She put up a good fight, but when she realized we wouldn't back down, she gave in.  No problem now.  She takes it daily.  Even asks about it in the morning.  I'm starting to think we need to do that with most foods...


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## kadesma (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm now dealing with grand kids..Same rule applies I insist one  bite take your time and enjoy it. When I fix their dishes I put small amounts and find they will ask for more if it tastes good to them. If it were me and my child wanted to eat the taco shell plain that is how I'd plate it but the filling would be right next to it and it would be a half to eat at least half of it or else, if I knew they liked it...One tablespoon of each thing would be on the plate and a taste of each is required. 
Example my 5 year old hates potatoes, yesterday  I got him to eat some by fixing his plate like his brother, I gave him a custard cup with gravy to dunk his buttered bread in, once he did I said Carson can i dunk my potatoes in your gravy..Yep, then when he saw his cousin do it he just had to try it so she wouldn't get it..Works magic if he thinks someone else might get it. But, I do insist they have a bite of each ting on the plate,if not, it's bed with out anything else til morning.If they are hungry they eat...It seems harsh I know, but they learn mommy is mommy and they are our babies...Carson pulled that I won't eat on his mom, everyone was done, had left the kitchen, lights were off and there he sat...She called me, and I said what did I do with your brother? She then went in , got Carson, took him in and put him to bed, the next morning, he tore through breakfast and he now tried things when told to..  I've also instituted a "you're my taste tester with Cade and Ethan,,,Sunday's they taste the different things I'm making and give me thumbs up or down, know what? I get a lot of thumbs up  You can do this if insisting do so..She has to taste and let her eat tacos her way but filling has to be eaten  no question, just eat it.

You might consider if you kids are old enough, letting them fill their own plates, it makes them feel important, one rule, what you take you must eat and seconds are allowed if each thing is tasted.
kadesma


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 9, 2010)

They are many way to let your children love to eat vegetables as what i have eat in health n\in Home . First to do , expose you child to vegetable discuss them the good things about vegetables  Kids' taste buds are far more sensitive than adults, and many kids have  a very strong negative reaction to bitter flavors, making foods like  spinach, brussels sprouts, and asparagus really unpalatable.   .


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## bigdaddy3k (Mar 9, 2010)

When I make the meat for tacos, I add a whole bag of frozen mixed veggies to the meat when its just been browned. Stir it around a bit then drain the fat. Continue on with the directions on the taco seasoning package (if you are taking that route) and you end up with a nice ratio of meat to veggies. Serve them in the taco and there is no way to pick around the veggies. My kids actually request this meal now.

I add a variety of root veggies and squash to my mashed potatoes. Sometimes it changes the colors (beets make everything magenta) but they like the added flavor in the mash.


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## BeachChick (Mar 9, 2010)

bigdaddy3k - Interesting idea.  One of my girls would eat that no problem.  The other would pick it apart.  She has to examine everything before she puts it in her mouth.  I may try it just for the added nutritional value.  My guess is that she wouldn't eat it, especially since she dumps everything out of the shell and examines it!!  She would never take a whole spoonful of veggies and put them in her mouth. She'd pick up one piece at a time and look at it before she puts it in her mouth.  Oh, and I do make my own taco seasoning!!


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## bigdaddy3k (Mar 9, 2010)

BeachChick said:


> Oh, and I do make my own taco seasoning!!


 

I do too, but there is nothing wrong with it for the time pressed masses of the world.

Veggies were almost destroyed for me when I was a kid. My Mom couldn't cook to save her life. All of our veggies came out of a can. Have you ever eaten a canned carrot?! It has to be one of the most horrible flavors on the planet. 

As an adult I knew I had to eat veggies and I noticed that I loved the raw veggie platters at parties so I worked to try to cook but stay as close to the raw state as possible. Steaming works wonders!

My own children have reaped the benefits of my veggie phobias. They now enjoy most veggies. Brocolli, aspergas(sp), squash, brussel sprouts... They have come to appreciate the subtle flavors.

How old are your youngsters?


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## BeachChick (Mar 9, 2010)

kadesma:  

I love hearing about your experiences with your grandchildren!  And I truly appreciate your advice.  My mom passed away in 2007.  I don't have her to turn to.  (And with food, my friends and relatives just let their kids eat whatever they want so I can't really seek their advice!)

I have seen so many bad examples of parenting over the years.  I am trying so hard to do all the right things:  my children always say please and thank you, they always ask if they may be excused from the table, etc.  If they walk in front of somebody in the store (mainly because they aren't paying attention to what they are doing), I make them stop, turn around and say, "Excuse me please."  (That's how they learn!!)  

With food, I tried to make the right decisions.  I didn't push sweet foods on them as babies ("dessert baby food", ice cream, sweet cookies, cake, donuts).  They have their whole life for that.  To them, a fresh fruit salad is a huge treat!  They love it.  The non-picky-eater daughter does like chocolate and I let her have some chocolate covered pretzels or chocolate covered raisins occasionally.  (She didn't even taste chocolate until she was 2.5 years old.)  I make cupcakes as a treat once in a while (every three or four months).  We have a few Dunkin Munchkins once in a while - only after a healthy breakfast (usually just when on vacation).  

I encouraged veggies and fruits and didn't give them deli meat or hotdogs.  I have friends whose kids will only eat hotdogs, boxed mac & cheese, french fries and junk food.  The parents tell me, "Johnny will only drink soda!"  Really?  Why does Johnny (age 4) even know what soda tastes like?!  I had a friend whose child would eat only McDonalds french fries.  So they would pick up a bag of fries whenever they went anywhere for dinner and bring along fries for the child.  Kids LEARN those habits from their parents.

I can handle every other aspect of parenting.  My kids are polite.  They help clean the table.  They have "responsibility charts" and daily chores.  They make messes, but they help clean them up, too.  They very rarely throw fits or refuse to do things we tell them to do...they know who is in charge.   We take a very non-nonsense approach with them.  But I really struggle with demanding that my daughter try things.  She cries and cries.  We insist and she'll eventually try it, but it makes dinner very trumatic....and she usually ends up with a negative opinion of the food because of the stressful situation.  My other daughter ends up in tears because she gets so upset from listening to an hour of crying during the meal.     

"Tricks" work on my other daughter!!  Sometimes she'll say she doesn't want something simply to raise some controversy.  She'll say she doesn't want to eat something that I made for her.  Without missing a beat, I'll just say, "Oh great.  I'm starving!"  I pick up the plate and start to walk away and she'll cry and say she wants it.   Or if she won't eat something on her plate, I say, "Okay, I'll eat it" and I get a spoon and start reaching for it.  She immediately starts to eat it.  Works like a charm.   

The other one couldn't care less!!  Sometimes I'll put food in front of her and she won't even take one bite.  She'll just say, "I'm all done, Mommy."  I could clear her plate and she'll leave the table (or sit there until we are finished if I tell her she has to)...she doesn't care that she didn't eat.  The next morning, she eats enough to feed a football team though.  She just doesn't care.  

My boss (he is in his 50s and has a college-aged daughter) told me to just keep serving food she won't try.  She'll eventually eat something.  For instance, serve steak and baked potatoes for dinner (she won't taste either one), then serve eggs and oatmeal for breakfast (she won't taste those either), then a burger for lunch (she stopped eating those about 8 months ago)....he said she'll have to eat something.  He said is daughter would never eat hambugers until they went someplace once that only served hamburgers.  She was starving so she ate one...and continued to eat them since.      

Your comment was interesting:  "one rule, what you take you must eat and seconds are allowed if each thing is tasted".  I never thought of that!!  

The doctor said to just make sure there is always at least one thing on their plates that they like.  My concern with that is that my daughter won't feel the need to try anything if there is always something she likes.  If I serve pasta, chicken and broccoli for dinner, my daughter will eat the pasta and broccoli and ignore the chicken.  She'll keep eating seconds of the pasta and broccoli until she is full.  So how will she ever develop a taste for "new things" if she won't taste them and she has the option to fill up on foods that she likes?!  I love your idea!

So if I give her one serving of each thing and then she eats the ones she likes and refuses to taste the meat (or whatever), I'll tell her she has to try the one thing before she has seconds of the others.  But what do you think I should do if she cries repeatedly at the table and refuses to try it?  Should I end the meal and ask her to leave the table (rather than allow her to make the meal unpleasant for the whole family)?


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## BeachChick (Mar 9, 2010)

bigdaddy3k:

I agree.  Packaged seasoning is okay when time-pressed.  I try to get the non-MSG kind in that case. 

I'm not sure that I've ever eaten canned carrots.  I think canned green beans and canned peas are the WORST.  My MIL serves both of those EVERY TIME she cooks for us.  Thankfully, she lives far away and only cooks for us once per year!  My kids won't eat them.  Last year, she said, "I thought you said your children love vegetables?  I've served two that you say they like and they haven't touched them."  I tried to think of a way to say "these are not vegetables" without sounding like a snob. I couldn't come up with anything.  

My kids didn't know what they were.  The canned variety doesn't even resemble the fresh version.  Well, actually, I haven't made fresh peas for them yet.  But the only non-fresh peas I will eat are Green Giant Baby Sweet Peas (boxed in a steamer package).  It has to be the baby ones.  I don't care for the others.  

I may buy some canned carrots just to taste them!!

Can you teach me how to cook a "non-vile burssel sprout"?!    I just cannot eat them.   Truthfully though, I've never tried to cook fresh ones.  Maybe I should try...  My husband and I both didn't care for brussel sprouts growing up.  We bought some frozen ones about 10 years ago, determined to give them another shot.  We threw them away. 

My daughters are 3 (twins).  They turned 3 in December just before Christmas.  They were my Christmas miracle.  I brought them home from the hospital on Christmas Eve 3 years ago.


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## kadesma (Mar 9, 2010)

If she balks at the chicken, I'd tell her to leave the table, that you are not going to let her rule every one, that you are her mother and know what is good for her, Tell her her sister has feelings as do daddy and mommy, that she is making all of you very uncomfortable and it isn't fair. And you are not going to let her do this anymore...As for breakfast the next day, ask her how she would like the chicken for breakfast..My dad did that to me one time and I had to eat it so I could go to school, believe me I never did that again, I ate!!!I'll tell you one thing I realized, my youngest son had a thing about me, germs and food. He would not touch or eat anything I made for him, he had ditching places all over...So I just handed him the bread said meats,cheeses are in the refrigerator, if he wanted tuna, his dad opened the can and little Mikey made his own lunches, supper time he was busy playing so didn't notice me cooking then DH served him we solved that one that way til he got older..Stand fast, and if she needs to eat separated from the family til we can all eat in harmony, so be it..I know it's harsh but she needs to learn  how to be thoughtful of others and of you..Lots of love, your good food, a child won't starve and if all she wants one day is bananas, so be it, smile and hand her a banana
kades


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## BeachChick (Mar 10, 2010)

kadesma:

BIG NEWS:  She actually ate a hamburger last night!  I still can't believe it.  

The last time she ate a hamburger was sometime between April and May of 2009.  I remember her eating them when we were on vacation in late March, but then by late spring, she would no longer eat them.  Whenever we'd make them, she'd just eat the bread and leave the meat.

So last night, anticipating that warm weather will be coming soon and that burgers are a good base meal for lazy summer days, we decided to make them for dinner.

I cut a burger (whole wheat roll) into 4 quarters and gave 2 to each child.  We had lots of cut up raw veggies on the side.  When she finished all of the veggies on her plate, she started to disassemble the hamburger. I said, "Honey, take a bite of the whole thing. Don't take it apart." She started crying.  

I told her that she had to take one bite of it.  If she didn't like it, she didn't have to eat it, but I wanted her to taste it.  She cried some more (just a bit, not too bad).  She again attempted to remove the top portion of the roll and my husband told her not to take it apart...to eat it like a sandwich.  She said she didn't want to.  She had some milk and then tried again to take the bread only.  He said no.  So we gave her the speech about how you need to try things to see if you like them, etc.  I told her that until she took a bite, she couldn't have anymore vegetables.  

She likes ketchup (a lot) so I squirted a blob of it on my plate and showed her how I can dip my burger into it to get even MORE ketchup.  (Not exactly 5-star-restaurant dining etiquette...I was ready for my mom to zap me with a lightning bolt from the heavens, but desperate times call for desperate measures!)  Then I tried to get her to do it.  She said no.  Then, out of the blue, she said, "I want to try Daddy's."  I honestly don't know where this came from because we've tried this tactic unsuccessfully many times before.  So he gave her a bite of his and she chewed it for about 30 seconds, then started eating hers (dipping it in ketchup).  We couldn't believe it.  After we establish a pattern, we'll clean up the manners a bit!  

I am assuming she was hungry and realized that she wasn't going to get anything else until she tried it, so she tried it, but in a way that she could partially control.  And she liked it.   She ended up eating the whole piece (1/4) then I gave her more veggies.  She ate those.  Then she ate her other (1/4).  I'm still in shock!!  (I think I'm going to serve hamburgers again tomorrow or Friday night before she forgets that she likes them!!)

I will follow your advice.  I have nothing to lose.  "Not forcing the issue" (advice of doctor and books) has just made things worse.  A friend told me today that his son was a bad eater until he was 11 years old.  He said "they out grow it".  (But what about the poor kid who had bad nutrition for the first 11 years of his life?!  Of course I didn't say that...)

What was with your son and the germs?  Was it because you were a girl (girl germs)?!  Interesting...


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## CookLikeJulia (Mar 12, 2010)

GB said:


> Have them help with the preparation and cooking of the veggies. Kids love to help with that stuff and I have yet to see a kid not want to eat what he/she has spend time preparing.
> 
> Try buying dried veggies. We buy dried string beans from Trader Joes. They are crunchy with a little natural sweetness. We eat them like we would eat potato chips. The kids love them.
> 
> Try pureeing veggies and mixing them into sauces or make sauces from them. Serving spaghetti? Blend up some carrots or other veggies and mix the puree right into the sauce. They will be eating their veggies without even realizing it.


Great thats good . veggies is best for the children .


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## ChrisUk (Mar 12, 2010)

My children only eat some vegetables but not others. My daughter hates tomatoes, onion and a lot of the green vegetables apart from broccoli. But she does eat everything she grows herself, so she'll eat chives and cress.

The one big thing I came across was that my children just don't like a lot of the vegetables cooked. They'll eat raw mushrooms, peppers, most vegetables but won't touch them when they are cooked.


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