What should your kids be eating?

A balanced diet ensures kids can fuel their bodies with nutrients to grow and to learn. Eating well also sets children up for a lifetime of healthy behaviours. But as we all know, getting enough veggies into the kids can feel like a bit of a battle, so we’ve developed these eight easy tactics to help you beat fussy eating – and they are all backed up by clinical research.

Phases of fussy eating are a totally normal part of childhood (especially for toddlers), and all parents struggle sometimes. For kids, fussy eating is a part of the development process. It’s a way of exploring their environment and asserting their independence. And it’s also linked to their appetite, which goes up and down depending on how much they’re growing and how active they are.

Hiding veggies in meals that kids love (like grated veggies in a pasta sauce or muffins) is a great way to up your children’s vegetable intake. Whether you’re doing this already (awesome work!) or want to try it, here are a few hidden veggie recipes they might like.

Although this approach is fantastic for getting veggies into your kids, it shouldn’t be the only way they eat them. If children aren’t aware that they are eating vegetables they won’t change their attitude towards them. To do that, your kids are going to need to try the different tastes and textures of unblended veggies. A good way to do this is by pureeing the veggies less and less over time.

If you can get your kids interested in and curious about vegetables, they are much more likely to try them, and to like them (hooray!). So it’s great to build up small positive experiences that help kids fall in love with healthy eating. And that will make mealtimes much easier. Oh yeah.

It’s unlikely a fussy eater will eat a full plate of veggies. A big plate of food can be overwhelming for any kid, especially if it’s made up of vegetables they’re not sure about. Giving them a small portion turns it into a bite sized battle that they can win. Start small, and aim for a couple of bites of carrot, or a cherry tomato, and consider that a win. Then work your way up.

For younger kids, having food pre-cut into bite size pieces can also help. In the early days of falling in love with healthy eating, the less work they need to do the better.

It’s not unusual for kids to refuse to eat veggies. When this happens try not to make a big deal about it; instead try again another time.

Punishment and rewards are really common tactics for parents. And while it works for some things, when it comes to food, it can lead to unhealthy attitudes and behaviours, such as overeating and negative feelings towards healthy eating.

It’s a good idea to not use food as a bribe. It can make kids more interested in treats than healthy foods, and means they see healthy eating as hard work.

Kids learn their behaviours and attitudes towards healthy lifestyles from their parents. As a parent, it’s important to be a good role model; your child learns about food choices from you, so the best way to encourage your child to eat vegetables is to let your child see you enjoying them yourself.

We know it’s not always possible, but when you can, try to eat at the same time as your kids, make mealtimes regular and consistent, and include veggies in different meals throughout the day, including snacks.