Growing Food and Kids

While kids who help grow vegetables are generally more interested in eating them (according to several studies described here), it doesn’t always happen that way. Tonight at supper, for instance, my two-year-old ate only meat and didn’t touch his squash, okra or green beans. My four-year-old only ate his green beans because I made him do it. Some days are better than others.

But there are ways to get kids more interested in eating vegetables. You just have to keep in mind that the strategy that worked last week (or last night) may not work tonight. But the goal (developing healthy eating habits) is important enough to keep trying.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Naming rights. In the July issue of Relish, Serena Ball, RD, writes about a Cornell University study that showed preschoolers eat more veggies when the good stuff is introduced with a fun name. Think Zorro Zucchini or Strongman Squash. “Whatever sparks their imagination seems to spark their appetite,” researcher Colin Payne told ScienceDaily.
• Game-playing. It’s simple, but it works. If two-year-old Sam isn’t interested in his broccoli, we’ll say, “Let’s all eat one bite of broccoli together.” Each person at the table will stab some broccoli with his or her fork and hold it up, poised to take a bite. Almost always, Sam will want to join in the game (and be the one to say, “On your mark, get set, go!”).
• Spoonfed. When four-year-old Whitt is stubbornly refusing to eat his veggies, we sometimes tell him about what a good eater he was as a baby, how he loved his green beans, sweet potatoes and squash. It might not work with all kids, but because he sometimes gets tired of being the big boy, Whitt loves this baby talk. At times, my husband will even scoot his chair close and feed veggies to our big boy, bite by bite. Hey, he’s only four. Whatever works, right?
• Shameless bribery. When all else fails, most kids respond to bribery of the “you can’t have dessert until you eat your peas” variety. (Or the more ominous “you won’t get big/run fast/jump high if you don’t eat this.) While I don’t encourage this strategy, as it does little to develop a lifelong habit of healthy eating, I won’t pretend that I haven’t used it myself (and it has worked).

So what works for your family? I’d love to hear your ideas for getting kids and vegetables together.

Photo credit: Nagy-Bagoly Ilona via 123RF.com