10 Tips To Encourage Your Kids To Eat More Veggies

Many parents come to me and ask me how they can get their kids to eat more fruits and veggies.  My son Devin has always been eager to try new foods. He loves fruits and veggies and we’ve ensured we’ve instilled healthy eating habits from an early age.  I know I’ve been blessed but here are some strategies from our experience that seem to really have worked for us.

1. First and foremost we role model and eat lots of fruits and veggies on a daily basis. We can't tell him to eat them if we're not eating them ourselves.
2. We introduced Devin to fruits and veggies and only whole foods (some grains and legumes) for the first two years of his life.
3. We always have a salad or some sort of vegetable with our dinner. He eats what we eat and there is no exception to this.
4. We keep things simple - I've found that many kids don't like to "mix" too many things and don't like when their food gets overcomplicated. He is more than ok with eating his veggies raw and doesn't need any fancy salad dressing on them. He loves raw best or having them with some lemon and salt.
5. We incorporate leafy greens into smoothies and often times turn those smoothies into homemade popsicles.
6. We make raw soups with our blender. Just throw in some veggies or your choice, avocado, lemon and salt into the blender with warm water and serve.  Recipe here: http://drpatelsdiet.com/recipes/1379/
7. Keep in mind that tastebuds change more frequently then we think so it's a great idea to re-try a food with your kids 4-6 weeks from when they first tried it to see if they've changed their mind.
8. We’ve taught Devin the importance of staying healthy and treating his body with respect. We always educated Devin on the importance of eating fruits and veggies and how they benefit him (ie: You'll be strong and have big muscles like the Hulk).
9. His snacks at school are always 2 fruits and a big serving of veggies. (No packaged food or processed food).
10. We took Devin grocery shopping with us at a very young age and still do and educated him on how to shop and what to look for in the grocery store. Whenever he wanted to try a new fruit or veggie, we openly encouraged it.
11. We educated him on reading labels and reading the sugar content in processed foods.

If you try all of the above strategies and your kids still don't have as broad of a palette when it comes to fruits and vegetables than meet them where they are. Show them compassion instead of frustration.  Focus on what they are eating instead of what they aren't.  And remember, their taste buds change over time!

PS: The green stuff is Devin's kale soup moustache. (http://drpatelsdiet.com/recipes/raw-asian-ginger-soup/)