If you’ve read anything health-related in the past 10 years, you know there have been all sorts of trends when it comes to acceptable eating. Dairy, soy, eggs and bacon — all have seen their time to shine — until a new study or super food hits the scene. But some things never change.
Your mother was right: You should eat your veggies.
While dietitians and nutrition experts vary in their opinions about different aspects of food, they all agree on how vital fruits and vegetables are to good health. But convincing children that eating vegetables is a good thing is a challenge that mothers have faced since the dawn of time….
For suggestions on how to get your kids to “veg out,” read the rest of my article at Piedmont Parent.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I loved the article! I have been incorporating pureed fruits and veggies in my baking for quite sometime. Although, my husband doesn’t care for it much, my 3 year old doesn’t know the difference!
Great article Jessica! I have to sneak veggies in on my husband. He’s the “picky-one” in our family
I puree spinach and add it to spaghetti sauce to use in lasagna, ziti, spaghetti, tomato-based soups, etc…and he’s none the wiser!
I love hiding veggies in cupcakes:-)
I have been making meatballs lately with coconut flour, strained tomatoes, fresh onions and garlic, and shredded zucchini. It’s great for veggies!
But I still love my eggs and bacon.
Oh my goodness, Jess….I live in the Piedmont and these magazines are in every office I enter.
@Jen@Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, So, I’m like a celebrity in your neighborhood?
“If you’re excited about good healthy food, eventually your kids will catch your enthusiasm.” This statement in your article is so true. I am a dietitian and it used to frustrate me to no end that I couldn’t get my kids to eat their veggies. I started making green smoothies for breakfast for myself everyday. Within a week my 7 year old started asking for them too. Had I forced her to try them, she would have resisted. But I simply presented it as an option and stressed how yummy it was. Eventually she chose to try it on her own. She has some every morning now. Score one for mom!
Loved the article. For us, we have just always eaten a lot of veggie/fruits and made them available for our kids, too. We have our moments of junk food madness, but usually we at in a healthful manner.
I grew up in the south and have such a love for my southern food heritage. Yet, I have realized that I need to make-over some of the foods of my youth to be more healthy for my family.
For instance, take today: I made spaghetti and meat sauce. Instead of making it how my mom did, I put a twist on it. I used super-lean beef that I cook, rinse/drain and freeze for quick meals. Along with one can of low-sugar spaghetti sauce, I used freshly roasted tomatoes, which my kids helped roast.
To sneak in even more veggies, I buy coleslaw mix at my market. It contains matchsticks of cabbage (green and purple), carrots, and broccoli. The kids know that it’s in there, as I used to call it the ‘secret ingredient’, which they were only allowed to put in for me. When we have a garden, I grate zucchini and add to the sauce, too. This makes the sauce go further, too. To add even more fiber to our diets, I serve the sauce over whole wheat pasta, which is really all my kids have ever had, due to the fact that my dh and I made the switch when they were babies.
On my blog I have re-created some of my Southern favorites to be a bit more healthy, too. (www.foodfunfamily.wordpress.com)
I really enjoy your blog! Thanks for posting your article, too!
~Jada
oh my gosh! i have been reading your blog for awhile and I had no idea you were from my area!!
Growing up, my parents would regularly just serve veggies for dinner – spinach, squash, zucchini, potatoes, carrots, peas, beans, oh yum my mouth is watering now thinking about this. Cantaloupe or peaches for dessert.
We didn’t have a choice of eating veggies or not, we just got to choose which ones we ate. Mmm, brussels sprouts…
thanks for including food with kid appeal in the website resources roundup!