How to Get the Most Out of Your Vegetables for Your Kids’ Sake

Half of your children’s plate during mealtime should be vegetables. However, if your child is a picky eater, then he might not even know the difference between a squash and a head of broccoli. Would you like your precious kid lagging behind other children and growing up sickly?

Knowing how to get the most out of your vegetables is your easy way out.  Here’s how.

Tickle Their Curiosity

Children like seeing new things.  Take advantage of that curiosity by letting them help you cook your dinner. Have them work on peeling and cutting the vegetables. Not only will they get a sense of accomplishment just by helping you prepare your meals, but they will also appreciate vegetables because they prepared them themselves.

Winter is coming!!  It is a good time to pack vegetables without using a freezer. Fermented food is not only a good way to preserve veggies, it is super beneficial for your health too.

ALSO READ: Top 5 Health Benefits of Fermented Foods

Make Funny Veggie Shapes

This works particularly well for very young children to help them get veggies from plate to mouth. Make funny faces with cut-up vegetables, cauliflower brains or sheep, or broccoli trees. Your options are endless so let your creativity rule.

Unusual Organic Bread

Another way on how to get the most out of your vegetables is to use them to make bread for your family.  If you want to teach your child the value of eating lots of vegetables, this is one of the easiest ways to do just that.

A long time ago, when people were parting away with using animal lard in making bread, bread types such as zucchini bread, olive bread, pumpkin bread, sundried tomato bread and pumpernickel bread started popping up. If your children at least know these vegetables, they will appreciate seeing these healthy alternatives at their breakfast or snack table.

Good-tasting Green Shakes

If you cannot make your kids eat their vegetables, then have them drink their vegetables instead.  Green smoothies can tickle your child’s appetite to such a degree that they’d brag about them to their playmates.

Wait until you hear them telling their friends they’ve got an incredible mom who can come up with things in their home kitchen what can only be heard in fabulous restaurants. If you run out of ideas, there’s more.

ALSO READ: 10 Green Smoothie Tips & Tricks For Picky Kids (Kid-Friendly Recipes Included)

Best Ways to Cook Vegetables

Turning to the harder stuff, make children look beyond appearances.  As they grow older, teach them how they can make the best use of the nutrients in vegetables by cooking them in different ways. For instance, do not cook your cauliflower or broccoli in the microwave because 50% of its antioxidants evaporate into nowhere.

Baking vegetables is the best method for cooking bell peppers, broccoli, asparagus, and artichokes.  On the other hand, keep garlic, beets, celery, beans, onions, zucchini, leeks, cauliflower and carrots away from your oven whenever possible.  The first group retains their nutrient value while the other group loses it when baked. Frying isn’t preferred for any of these vegetables or for all vegetables.  It increases fat content and makes vegetables lose nutrient value by as much as 50%.

Eventually, your kids will find out for themselves that vegetables are not as bad tasting as they thought they were. For now, you can use the techniques mentioned here to “trick” your kids into eating their vegetables.

If you are serious about living a healthy lifestyle while eating delicious meals and losing or maintaining weight the healthy way, CLCIK HERE!