your kids eat kale?!

Yes, my kids do eat kale and other vegetables, most of the time. Although lately P has been on strike from greens for whatever reason (she did turn 2), while T is eating them up. Earlier it was the opposite. I often am asked how we do it, getting them to eat and even like veggies, so I thought I'd write down the things that have worked for us in case it might help someone else (and also for my own reference!).

So here are my family's tips, tricks, thoughts, and policies that seem to encourage our kids to eat more veggies:

-We don't assume our kids will not like something. Instead, we assume that they will like it and are [outwardly] surprised if they don't. "You don't like broccoli? Really? Hm, I sure do. I like this about it."

-We talk about how we love different vegetables and why: the color, the flavor, the vitamins, how they make us feel good, give us energy and help us stay healthy.

(If you don't love veggies, your kids won't either. However, if they see you eating a big plate of salad as a random snack, it will likely spark some interest at some point.)

-We celebrate the times they do eat well. My girls love to pose with their plates so I can take a picture and brag about how they love their veggies. We also let them know what a good decision they're making and talk about how big/strong/healthy they're getting because of it. This approach has made the biggest impact on T, I think.

-If they show interest in a particular vegetable (or other healthy food), ride that wave! For example recently I told T that I was going to make noodles with veggies for lunch. "What vegetables? I want noodles with kale and asparagus." Ok! So off we went to the grocery store to buy asparagus. She loved that we made the special trip to fulfill her request, and she ended up cleaning her plate and asking for more of everything. (I should point out that we have pasta about once a month, maybe twice, so she was also excited about it bc she loves pasta.)

-We teach them to eat in order of nutritional value, beginning with greens and other brightly colored vegetables (see Dr Furhman's guide). Here's how that often pans out: "Too full for veggies? That's ok! We'll save the your plate for your snack later (or for breakfast, if it's dinnertime). Oh, you're not really full and just want to eat the bread (or what-have-you)? Then you need to eat at least this many big bites of veggies first." Another example is that P does really well with eating her soup and bread together (and she usually finishes her whole bowl), so she gets a regular piece of bread right away with her meal. Meanwhile, T rarely eats even half her bowl of soup and would fill up on bread alone if she could. So, she gets a bite-sized piece of bread with her meal, and then she can earn additional small pieces as she eats her soup.

-Fruit is our dessert. They like candy and such, but they love fruit and can be convinced to finish their salad just so they can have it for dessert.

-I try to let them help prepare food, even if it's just letting them spin the washed greens in the salad spinner. We just bought them each a wavy chopper so they can help me cut veggies, and they LOVE it. My hope is that no matter what they think about zucchini (T is not a fan), they will grow up with good memories of preparing it and other vegetables, and hopefully these memories will influence them in years to come.

-I'm not at all a fan of condiments as they are pretty much all processed junk, plus they cause us (not only kids) to want a salad more for the taste of the condiment (salt and/or oil, mostly) than for the salad itself (or whatever the dish). They cover up the natural taste, so kids don't even have a chance to develop a "taste" for the veggies. BUT every so often a squirt of ketchup, for example, will make the difference between a full meal of veggies being eaten versus nothing at all. Sometimes you have to make an exception. It's a hard one, though, bc they are quick to try to make the exception the new rule. Use with discretion, is my advice :) My kids seem to love nutritional yeast. They use it on veggies like other kids use ranch or ketchup, but it is a healthier alternative.

-Make it fun! We found out that eating a wad of dark greens turns one's tongue quite green--an amazing discovery! Also, green smoothie mustaches are so much fun: you can laugh at each other, look in the mirror and take pictures!

-After a while, if they eat vegetables every day, their smart little bodies will crave what's good for them and tell them to eat it. Randomly they'll eat a ton of salad, drink a big smoothie or ask for a specific vegetable, especially if they've been on strike for a while. This is when you know that the hard work and consistency is paying off! It's also one of those times to reinforce their great eating :)

When talking to various parents, it seems to me that the main reason why many kids are not eating vegetables is that it is simply not important enough to the parents, and the kids know it and follow suit. It takes consistency, teaching and parenting. We are regularly adapting our approach (or at least trying) to the girls' ever-changing developmental stages, and their diet is not always ideal. Overall, though, it is working and it feels so good to know that they are receiving innumerable benefits from eating a whole food, plant-based diet!