Getting your kids to eat veggies is not as hard as it seems, and it starts with you!
At SaladPower, you will have no trouble convincing us to eat our veggies. We already find them delicious—just take a look at our ingredient list. And when you consider the broad spectrum of vital nutrients they offer, they are even more enjoyable and gratifying to consume.
Unfortunately, kids do not always feel that way. If you read our article on “How Early Childhood Dietary Habits Affect You The Rest of Your Life,” then you may recall the studies indicating that children often eat less vegetables and fruits as they grow older.[1]
In this article, we delve into some proven methods of curtailing this trend and ensuring your kids relish (excuse the pun!) eating vegetables into adulthood.
At the outset, we want to remind you that SaladPower is the most convenient way in the world to eat a variety of superfood vegetables in a single, delicious, all-organic smoothie. With SaladPower, you do not have to worry about rinsing off pesticides or preparing a vegetable dish, as all of the ingredients we use are pesticide-free and the smoothie is easily accessible with the twist of a cap.
Plus, kids love them, so we encourage you to try them (or re-supply) today!
Getting Kids to Love Veggies
Like many things in life, getting an early start will usually work to your advantage, and getting your kids to love vegetables is no different. As early as possible—after your doctor recommends giving them more than milk—you will want to introduce vegetables into their diet and start building their familiarity with the habit of eating a variety of vegetables every day.
Giving them vegetables is great, but they will also be paying attention to what you eat, so if you can continually expose them to your own habit of eating vegetables every meal and for snacks, then children are even more likely to maintain the habit of eating vegetables as they grow older.
Just as important as what you give them is what you do not give them. While more parents are feeding their children foods packed with energy but light on nutrients, such as chips and crackers, it will be critical to limit or phase out these eating habits. Instead of chips and dip, try carrots with hummus. Instead of traditional cookies, get creative and try cookies made with zucchini, carrot, and spinach.
Of course, not every meal is under your absolute control, especially as kids get older and start spending more time away from home. That is why it is important, while they are at home, to involve them in choosing and preparing meals. This helps kids develop the knowledge, confidence, and decision-making prowess to choose healthy options when you are not there to monitor their diet.
On this point, education is key. Rather than merely banning some foods and implementing vegetables into their diet, teaching children why vegetables are so good for them can be an excellent method for helping them make the independent choice to eat vegetables when parents are not around to police them.
Also, building healthy habits around beverages can be just as important as food habits. Rather than sugar-sweetened drinks like soda, encourage kids to drink water and fat-free or low-fat milk.
To further their love of vegetables, we also recommend stocking the refrigerator with juices made of 100% fruits and vegetables. There are tons of excellent, healthy options, but when it comes to all-organic smoothies, SaladPower is the best and most convenient on the market.
We hope these tips help you build the healthy habit of eating vegetables with your kids and as a family, a habit that will have lifelong benefits. And as a convenient, delicious means to reinforce this habit, we hope you continue incorporating our vegetable-packed, all-organic smoothies into your dietary routine!
[1] Anderson-Villaluz, D. (2021, March 30). Giving Children and Adolescents a Healthy Start Through Nutrition - News & Events | health.gov. Health.gov; OASH. https://health.gov/news/202103/giving-children-and-adolescents-healthy-start-through-nutrition