Help your child explore new flavors and learn to love their vegetables with these few simple tips!
- Increase Exposure
• Increase exposure to different vegetables at meals and snacks multiple times a day
• It can take 10-15 times trying a food before learning if you like it, so don’t get discouraged and stay persistent
• Start with very small portions of new vegetables at first
• Be a role model for your kids and eat your vegetables at meals and talk about how good they taste - Get your kids involved
• Ask your kids what vegetables they want to try or give them a choice between two vegetables
• Have your kids pick the sauces, spices, or herbs for the dish
• Have your kids describe the flavors and textures of the vegetables they try - Experiment with cooking techniques
• Try roasting vegetables to bring out their natural sweetness and make them crisp
• Sauté or stir-fry vegetables to soften them and add a sauce or seasoning for extra flavor
• Grilling can caramelize natural sugars in vegetables and add a smoky flavor
• Try steaming to make the texture softer while keeping the natural flavor
• Keep vegetables raw for a crisp, fresh taste - Experiment with flavors
• Add fresh or dried herbs like cilantro, dill, parsley, mint, rosemary, chives, sage, thyme, oregano, basil to vegetables for extra flavor
• Add different spices to create new flavors, if your child likes pizza try Italian seasoning or garlic powder, if they like spicy foods try chili powder or red pepper flakes, cinnamon or apple pie spice can be great to add sweetness, and sesame seeds can add a nutty flavor.
• Add a squeeze of lemon or lime to balance out the bitter flavor in vegetables and give a fresh taste - Serve vegetables with a favorite dip or try a new vegetable filled dip
• Celery, carrots, snap peas, bell peppers, and cucumber taste great with hummus, tzatziki, or ranch.
• Try making a sweet or savory Greek yogurt dip. Mix in peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, cinnamon, paprika, or ranch packets with nonfat plain Greek yogurt for a fun dip to try with any vegetable
• Make a vegetable packed dip to eat with tortilla chips, whole wheat crackers, or whole wheat pita. Try black bean dip, salsa, hummus, pico de gallo, cowboy caviar, or spinach artichoke dip.
• Try cooking with different sauces like teriyaki, barbeque, chipotle, peanut sauce, pesto, or balsamic vinegar.
