I bet you’ve tried lots of ways to “sell” your kids some veggies.
Covered them in cheese? Hidden some in stews? Fried a few into chips? Begged? Pleaded? Bribed? And threatened? We’ve all done it. But have you ever thought about whether these strategies can backfire? They can, and, it’s sad to say, that’s how so many of us inadvertently end up teaching our kids to be leery – not to love – veggies.
It’s fantastic that Michelle Obama has made it her mission to fight childhood obesity, and I have to say that I love that she has planted a vegetable garden at the White House.
There’s a lot to admire about our fine First Lady – and I really hope her efforts work — but any mom who has tried to get her kids to eat veggies knows that it can take a lot more than time spent mucking around in the soil to make it happen.
10 ways kids learn to hate veggies
1) We make kids eat their peas before their pie, repeatedly proving that dessert rocks and veggies s_ _ ck.
2) We tell kids to eat their broccoli because it’s healthy, not because it tastes good. In other words, eat it but don’t expect to like it.
3) We hide cauliflower in mashed potatoes and mac ‘n cheese. It must be horrible if it has to be hidden.
4) We reward (some might say bribe) good behavior with candy. Ever done that with carrots?
5) No one ever gives their kids the excited, happy “cake” look when serving up Brussels sprouts.
6) You don’t see many vegetables on the Children’s Menus — unless you count French fries.
7) We only serve vegetables once a day. If we really liked them, wouldn’t we serve them more frequently?
8) Our kids rarely see us pound down spinach, even though we claim to love Popeye.
9) Veggie Booty. Enough said.
10) We serve kids bland, over-cooked, tasteless, limp, soggy, (sometimes salty), sorry excuses for vegetables instead of stuff that actually tastes good. And we serve it to them again and again.
What kids think about food determines what they eat. Change the message and change their habits.
~ Changing the conversation from nutrition to habits.~
