Stop the Nagging about Eating Veggies

It is a good policy to have. I have never, ever tried to get my kids to eat stuff they don’t want to. I think it is because my mom would make me sit at the table for hours if I didn’t eat whatever it was she made. So I never make food a big issue with my own kids and honestly never have to think about veggies. Two days ago my kids had “lunch” in our garden. They ate tons of snow peas, sugar snap peas, and grape tomatoes, right off the plant. I think my 3 year old son probably had half a pound of snow peas and we had no dip, so it was just pure veggie goodness. My policy is to make it a non issue and then it really will be.

I suggest giving them some multivitamins/minerals while you pursue the no veges no arguments route.

We teach real food before junk food as a rule. We teach our 6 & 8 yr olds to cook, including veges, their choice as long as include all nutrition.

We teaching them the links between their grandparents & mothers long term dis-eases & lifestyle (blood pressure, diabetes, overweight, unable to play with them, can’t walk far, frequently sick, tired, insomniac, etc). My son knows has to be more careful to “be healthy” than other kids because his mum was sick when he was born (gestational diabetes).

They can talk in general about the frequency of calcium deficiency by cultural groups (tropical Asian vs cool Western where cows grow). They know about food volume versus exercise, and the historical decline in steps walked per day (ie exercise) in Western culture versus previous generations. They like the exercise built into their extracurricular classes (eg gymnastics, dance). They know about the GI index in relation to fast food versus fruit and vegetables.

My in-laws are staying with us, we both work, they help by cooking. The in-laws eat rice, meat, fried food, salted, 3 cooked meals a day, no raw food, no greens. Nice ppl, but terrible role models for a balanced diet. We accommodate exchange students from China, similar choice vege free diet at ~18-20 years old – and then they display an inability to swing on the monkey bars and run with the dog. Our kids are used to getting separate dishes particularly for us – ie the idea that it is okay to do differently when better.

We discuss with them why nice people do unhealthy things. Watch out for kids repeating such discussions, especially to their friends parents whom are smokers! We discuss why people buy MacDonalds, eg speed, cost, vs health, and what happens when you eat a lot of it (get sick).

You do have to make an issue of eating veges, its important. It is how you do it that matters. The keys are time, understanding and involvement.

I think this is a great idea. You still have the veggies around and the kids see that they are an enjoyable snack and with a little ranch dressing, why not? Ohh power struggles… I am going to have to remember this when I have kids.

Most kids don’t like veggies I think because most of the stuff from the supermarket is so blah and tasteless. It is bred to travel and look good, not to taste good. When kids eat veggies that have come fresh out of a garden, they can enjoy the real fantastic flavor. My 6-year-old son eats purslane, baby carrots, radishes, peas, straight from the garden. He will eat almost anything raw. My 14-year-old stepson told me he didn’t like peas…I said, you’ve never had a fresh one. He ate it and said, that is the first pea i’ve ever eaten and liked. I do make the kids try things occasionally, but it is amazing what they will eat when they observe it being enjoyed by others.