How Do You Get Your Kids to Eat That?

A mom I very much admire asked me this question recently.  She had been looking at this blog and asked, "How do you get your kids to eat all that stuff?"  This is my reply.  It is a combination of things:

1. Start them super young on real food.  We started with our kids super young.  They often help us cook the meal.  Any kid can dump the ingredients into a bowl or stir.  It's unlikely any kid will need a tourniquet for using a butter knife to slice bananas. 

We provide them with several opportunities to try a given food but we may present it in a variety of ways. We act excited about our food and talk about what we like about a given dish or how a given ingredient benefits our body. We model eating healthy foods and talk about how we feel good and have energy.

2. The kids' only option is to eat what we are eating.  We have a rule that you must at least try it.  We are not above bribing. They are NOT excused from the table as soon as they try it.  They can sit with the family and chat while we eat our meals.  If they are hungry we leave out the meal for a while and suggest that they can eat more if they want.  About two hours before meal time, we cut off our kids from snacks.  They can have water.

3. We try our best to provide healthy snacks (namely fruits) so they don't get too accustomed to sugary, carb-loaded, chemical-loaded "food-like" snacks.  If they eat these regularly their bodies are going to demand the garbage rather than the nutrition they deserve.  That's my belief from personal experience.

Healthy snack might be:

Fruit
Granola bars - watch out for sugar
Cheese sticks
Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried fruit)
Roasted Edamame or Chickpeas
Apple Nachos
Kale Chips
Seriously Healthy Ice Cream


4. Give it a "fancy" or "magical" name.  If you are excited to drink "Lucky Leprechaun Juice" (green smoothie), they will be too. Other examples: Mashed "Florets" for mashed cauliflower, "The Easter Bunny's Favorite muffin/pancake/oatmeal" for anything with carrots mixed in, "Monster Guts Sandwiches" for tuna salad sandwiches with tons of finely chopped veggies in them.  Find what works for your kid.

5. Most importantly, we practice nutritional stealth!  We are sneaky so our kids are getting veggies and nutrients packed into almost every bite.  Here's some ideas:

I put veggies in a ton of stuff. 

• grated carrots, zucchini, kale, spinach in baked goods. 
• canned pumpkin in pumpkin "pie" oatmeal, smoothies, and pancakes and in pasta sauce.  
• finely shredded spinach, celery, grated carrot, finely chopped green onions, grated radish, in tuna, chicken, or egg salad sandwiches and then top with lettuce, arugula, spinach, tomato, etc.
• finely shredded spinach, chard, or kale in scrambled eggs along with other more traditional veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, etc.
• spinach, kale, chard, romaine, mint in "green" smoothies.  Our green smoothies have fruit in them to balance out the "green" taste.  I call them "lucky leprechaun" smoothies and the kids think it is very special.
• bean purees in baked goods and some smoothies.
• finely or coarsely chopped veggies and herbs can be added to create your own signature spaghetti sauce and no crappy sugar or corn syrup will be in there. Our sauce is almost more "other" veggies than tomato sauce.  Use mushrooms, zucchini, carrot, onion, peppers, finely shredded kale or spinach, eggplant, fresh or dried basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.
• lots of herbs in homemade dressings
• finely chopped veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green onion, etc.) and herbs (rosemary, parsley, sage, etc.) in mashed potatoes
• pureed squash in sauces like butternut mac and cheese
• pureed sweet potatoes in baked goods or oatmeal

I basically try to very finely chop or puree veggies and herbs and put them into something the kids like and that they can't pick the veggies out of easily-oatmeal, pancakes, mashed potatoes, chili, baked beans, soup, scrambled eggs, quesadillas, smoothies, sauces, muffins, turkey burgers or meatloaf--you get the idea. 

These muffins are loaded with kale and carrots.  Loaded!

This way I know they are getting the nutrition they need from veggies (and fruit) and getting numerous opportunities to get used to their tastes.

I can also say, "You liked it in whatever dish they liked, so tell me what you think about it in this dish(where it plays a more recognizable or substantial part)."

I also add nutrition with a variety of beans, nuts, seeds (ground and whole), and spices.  Nuts and beans can be added to baked goods, salads, and pastas.  Seeds are great in oatmeal, granola, salads, and on veggie sides.  Spices are a great way to pack in flavor and they have their own benefits: ginger (anti-inflammatory), cinnamon (helps process sugar slower), etc. 

I sweeten with the least processed sugar we can afford.  But I am trying to use other sweeteners in place of demerara and raw sugar, when it is needed.  I use fruit (fresh and dried), molasses (high in manganese, copper, iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium), agave syrup/nectar, honey (local and unfiltered, may help fight airborne allergies), and real maple syrup.  I also find I get away with a lot less sweetener than is usually called for in traditional recipes.

Recipes that you can practice nutritional stealth with are:

Apple and Kale Spice Muffins
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Fresh Corn Pancakes
Heather's Vegetarian Chili
Egg Casserole - put whatever veggies you want in this
Chocolate Chip Blondies

Hope this helps you find new ways to introduce increased nutrition to your children and have fun while doing it.  Some of the things we do may not be for your family.  You will find what works best for you.  We are not perfect at all the ideas listed above but we have become rather consistent and found that this approach has worked for us.