5 Tips to Get Kids to Eat Veggies

If you’re a parent, I’m sure you know the struggle of getting kids to eat veggies. Maybe you’re blessed with a good eater, or maybe you have at least one picky eater. I know I do. I’m sure you’ve tried it all to get them to eat healthy, and that means more veggies.

If you are struggling to get your kid(s) to eat veggies – like I do with one of mine – or if you don’t even know where to start, I have a couple of ideas. Here are some of the ways I try to sneak more veggies into my kids' meals.

1. Mix Veggies in Food

This can be one of the simplest ways to sneak more veggies into your kids' food. They are more likely to try it if they don’t know it’s in there. Try mixing veggies into smoothies, casseroles, etc. Anything to help hide that veggies are included.

2. Substitute Veggie Items for Others

Try swapping some regular food options out for vegetarian ones. Cauliflower wings instead of chicken wings, veggie pasta instead of regular pasta, veggie nuggets instead of chicken nuggets, etc. These are some of my favorite meal options, and most of my kids love them too!

3. Offer Veggies as Snacks

Start offering veggies as daily snacks. Once your kids get used to eating them, they’ll like them more. Think raw veggie trays or even raw/fresh green beans, sugar snap peas, etc.

4. Cover Veggies in Sauce

If your child has a favorite condiment or sauce, try covering veggies in that. When I was a kid, the only way I would eat meat (which I wasn’t a big fan of) was to drench it in BBQ sauce. My son is big on mayo, so we try to cover some veggies in that for him.

5. Add Something to the Veggies

Try jazzing up your veggies by adding something to them. Try eating it with cheese or a dip, or adding peanut butter, etc. 

Every child is different. My son still fights eating veggies even with these tricks, but I’m able to sneak some in other times. Hope these tips help make your feeding veggies to kids tasks easier!