How to get children who don't want to know about them to eat vegetables? Here are 8 useful tips to encourage children to appreciate a more balanced diet rich in vegetables
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousNot always the so-called "common places" they are wrong. Let's take for example two generic and rather widespread statements like these: 1) le vegetables they're right; 2) children don't like them. There may be some generalizations that are a bit trivial, but, in hindsight, there is nothing more true. Vegetables contain in fact Vitamins precious for the body and are among the essential components of ahealthy nutrition and balanced. Yet, most of the little ones tend not to like them, often seasoning their categorical refusal with some whim and, in some circumstances, even with tears. How to intervene in these cases?
Here you go 8 small tricks that you can take to try to push children to a more balanced diet and more rich in vegetables:
Grow a little one garden.
The best idea for introducing your children to vegetables is show them how they are born and grow, perhaps growing a few different types at home and getting help from them in the care of the plants and in the harvest. Rest assured, it is not necessary to have hectares and hectares of land available: it is enough a small corner of the terrace or the garden of the house. If, on the other hand, the space you have available is really very small, you can be satisfied with a few pots to keep on the balcony or a mini-greenhouse. The point is that it is not necessary to do things big: just try to do them well, putting care and attention and striving, with your own gestures, to be an example for the little ones.
Involve the children in food preparation.
A second trick to bring your children closer to vegetables could be to involve them not only in their cultivation, but also in their preparation. Get help while you peel them, shred them, grilled them, blanch them, season them or sauté them. Maybe, watching you work and acting as assistants and assistant cooks, your children will end up curious and passionate. And why not, between one snack and another, they may also discover that vegetables are not so "bad".
Serve them raw.
Children enjoy munching on food. Bet on this little passion: cut different types of vegetables in small pieces, put everything in a nice serving dish and let the children serve themselves with their hands, as if they were in front of snacks or fries. You will see that they will eat with more taste and less whims.
Prepare rich, colorful and imaginative salads.
Another possibility is focus on inspiration and color, of the qualities that have always fascinated and intrigued children. Prepare hearty salads using different greens and vegetables and adding unusual ingredients, such as pine nuts, croutons, citrus fruits and everything else that can make your little one's meal more pleasant and tasty.
Focus on grilled vegetables and battered vegetables.
As we have already mentioned, children love to nibble. So, you just have to prepare your vegetables in the tastiest way possible, grilling them with a very light dressing of oil and parsley or frying them in batter, so as to serve them golden and crunchy and that eating them, for your children, can be not only pleasant but also very, very fun.
Choose the right shape or seasoning.
Vegetables can become the main ingredients of omelettes, hot or cold pasta or tasty messes and savory pies, perhaps together with eggs, bechamel or ricotta (in this regard, we refer you to the recipe for baked vegetable pie). Or again, vegetables can be made more appetizing if combined with a particular seasoning: for example, they can be sautéed with ham, or with cheese or mozzarella, which will make them stringy and, therefore, more pleasant to eat. The smallest.
Add small pieces of vegetables to your favorite dishes.
If, despite all your efforts, your children still do not want to know, you will have to play with cunning and "hide" the vegetables in their favorite dishes, blending them or cutting them into small pieces and mixing them with doughs, sauces and sauces.
Set a good example.
Finally, you cannot expect your children to eat vegetables if you do not eat them yourself. Keep in mind that the little ones love to imitate the grown-ups, and this general rule also applies to eating habits: in short, if they see you enjoying a nice plate of spinach with pleasure, they will be more likely to try. And who knows they don't like it ...
One last recommendation: always try to choose seasonal vegetables and possibly at zero kilometer. And if you want to meet your children's tastes with healthy, enjoyable and fun ideas and recipes based on vegetables, take a look at the section Eat of our site: you will discover some beautiful ones!
