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Best Veggies For Kids (Even Those Picky Eaters!)
Some of the best veggies for kids, even the picky eaters, are often crunchy ones because they are predictable, fun to eat, and are sensory-satisfying.
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Seaweed sheets (surprisingly SO many picky eaters love these!)
- Mini sweet peppers/Bell peppers
- Roasted broccoli
- Steamed corn on the cob (crisp, not soggy)
- Snap peas
- Radishes
However, some young children might find crunchy veggies hard to chew, so a nice soft steamed version might be a better bet.
Some soft veggies many children, even picky ones, enjoy are:
- Steamed sweet potato (maybe with a sprinkle of cinnamon?)
- Steamed broccoli
- Steamed carrots
- Pan fried asparagus
- Zoodles (zucchini noodles, boiled or steamed until soft)
For the crunchy veggies, add some dips in there for them to experiment with, or serve it with their favorite dip, and oh my! Yum!
- Hummus
- Tzatziki
- Ranch
- Edamame-mole (like guacamole, but made with edamame. SO good!)
- Guacamole
- Ketchup
- Barbecue
- Honey Mustard
- Cheesey Dip
Once you know what veggies your child likes best, and how they like them cooked best, you will be able to serve their favorites and feel relief and joy as they gobble them up!
How Do You Make Vegetables Kids Will Eat?
I do a bunch of different things (that I will share with you!) and I see what speaks to each individual child, because helping young children eat a wholesome diet is very important to me as a caregiver of 0-5 year olds.
See, I’m the owner of a Montessori-inspired playschool, so babies, toddlers, and preschoolers spend a lot of time eating with me.
And listen, I can tell you right now that 90% of families that I have worked with have told me that they struggle with ‘picky eating’ and vegetable intake.
Yes.
90%.
Almost everyone.
So, if you are part of that group, you are certainly not alone.
That said, I am here to tell you that those same kids, end up discovering and enjoying lots of different veggies while in my care.
What?
Lies!
No, I’m serious.
How?
Well, I saw that there was a problem parents and children were struggling with.
I observed the children.
I learned about root causes.
I read about strategies.
I tested out some new things and, bam!
I found out what really works well, first-hand, with getting all kinds of picky eaters to try and LIKE different veggies. (And it’s not just about how you cook them. It’s about how you eat too, how you introduce veggies, how you talk to your child about eating them…)
Here’s how you can prepare vegetables to make them more appealing to kids and picky eaters:
- Spiralize carrots and let them help! Carrot curls! Carrot strings!
- Give them the whole, big carrot! (So many kids think this is funny and love it!)
- Use tiny cookie cutters to cut bell peppers and cucumbers into cute shapes, and let them help!
- Crinkle cut radishes or carrots, and let your child help! Dip those bad boys!
- Make a cute face or design with the veggies, like a happy face with cucumber eyes, curly carrot hair, broccoli ears, and an asparagus smile!
- Grate some carrots, steam them, and sprinkle them on top of pasta or soup!
- Make shapes like triangles or squares with asparagus, maybe with a steamed carrot cookie-cut into a heart in the middle? Cute!
- Pull off parts of the broccoli flower/crown and sprinkle that on top of pasta or eggs, and let your child help!
Is It Ok To Do Hidden Veggies?
- Tell your child you will be adding XYZ into a sauce or smoothie and that it will taste just like their favorite (make sure it tastes the same if you say this!)
- Tell them they can try it and let you know if it does taste the same
- You try it first and hype up how it tastes the same, ‘so sweet’, so ‘creamy’, etc
- Leave the food on the table, don’t pressure them to try it. Just invite them to check it out when they are ready
- Invite your child to help you put the ingredients into the blender and blend, or wash/cut/break the produce/fruits
- Explain to your child what vegetables provide our bodies and that you two need to discover some that they love, in a fun, playful way that is easy for them (see this blog post filled with tips on how to do this!)
- Keep exposing them to new foods, flavors, and textures through activities, food prep, and reading/talking about foods and what nutrition our bodies need
- Set and stick to mealtime rules and consequences
What Happens If A Child Never Eats Vegetables?
If a child never eats vegetables, and isn’t eating fruits, this can lead to nutrition deficiencies, constipation, digestive issues, obesity, and more, as they age.
All of which can hinder their growth and development, and overall well-being.
A 2023 study by the CDC actually showed that 49.1% of children did not eat a daily vegetable and 32.1% of children did not eat a daily fruit.
Experts say, that if a child is not eating daily vegetables, but is eating a balanced diet of other whole foods like fruits, dairy, grains, beans, fish and meat, is getting outdoors, exercise, and lots of sleep, they are still considered to be leading a healthy lifestyle.
I look at helping picky eaters to eat more vegetables a top priority in my job because of the long-lasting, negative effects it can create for them in life.
I also know how tricky and challenging it can be for parents to navigate.
If you are not sure how to get your child to eat more vegetables, be sure to read through my blog post – A Starter Guide To Overcoming Picky Eating.
And, don’t hesitate to ask your pediatrician for support, too. There are some great options available for picky eaters that can help make your life less stressful and theirs more nutrition-filled!
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Should I Punish My Child For Not Eating Vegetables?
No. Do this instead…
Studies continue to show us that punishments actually do the opposite of what we want and make behaviors worse.
Instead, we must find logical consequences, and follow through with them, regularly.
Many family therapists will tell you that majority of families they meet with are lacking clear rules and consequences at home.
House rules and fair, logical consequences, are an important part of a healthy home.
So, instead of punishing your child for not eating vegetables, here is what I want you to do:
- Educate your child – read them books and materials that talk about what veggies do for our bodies and how our bodies work, watch shows about foods, farms, our bodies…
- Take a family outing to a farm, maybe a u-pick farm, if possible
- Set rules around mealtime – “we must find some vegetable foods that we all love because they give us important nutrients that our body needs to grow, run, poop.”
- Take them shopping – have them choose 5 cool-looking veggies they want to play with, dip, try
- Get them hands on in a playful way – bring a bowl of veggies with you to story time and let them grab at them while you read (This is one of the strategies that has worked so well with all my picky eaters)
- Serve a fruit and veggie with every snack
- Fill 50% of their meal plates with fruits and veggies (A study by Penn State found that a child’s consumption of fruits and veggies increased by 24% when their plates were filled this way)
- Use fair, logical consequences to not eating vegetables – “if you cannot eat some vegetables or fruits with your meal, I cannot let you have the cookie. We need to eat all the foods, balanced meals. Some veggies, some fruits, some proteins, and some cookie. You can find veggies you love and eat those with your meals. There’s lots of colorful veggies to choose from with all different flavors, different ways to cook them, and dips to dip them in!”
- Do some ‘taste tests’ together as a fun game to find veggies they enjoy and how they liked them cooked – “Ok, let’s cook the sweet potato 3 different ways and see which is your favorite!” (try steamed plain, mashed with butter, and cubed with cinnamon)
Final Thoughts On Veggies For Kids
With time and tweaking to your current approach, you can absolutely have a child who enjoys a few, or more, vegetables.
Understand root causes of food refusal, like food neophobia.
Never force your child to eat veggies.
Educate them on why bodies need veggies, where veggies come from, and how the body works.
Get them hands-on with all different kinds of veggies in a no-pressure setting, like grocery shopping, washing, food prepping, and playing.
Here are 6 ideas for exposure ‘food play’ activities that can get a child more comfortable and eventually open to trying veggies, happily.
Be patient.
Typically, a child will take 1-4 weeks to change their eating habits when you start using some of these new techniques I’ve shared.
Stick to it.
Learning and becoming comfortable takes time for anyone.
Use affirmations and lots of positive praise to reinforce new behaviors around food like, “I am learning about foods! I can eat a rainbow!” and “You are learning so much about taking care of your body! I’m so proud of you! You are taking such great care of your body!”
Don’t punish.
Instead, set clear house rules and consequences around mealtime and food.
See this blog post for ideas on how.
Always serve 1-2 foods your child knows and loves with 1-2 new foods.
This will make them feel safe, comfortable, get them eating, and make them far more likely to nibble on the new food.
If it’s all just new food, they may refuse or freeze.
With snacks, serve a fruit and a veggie, too!
For example, if your child loves goldfish, take them out of the bag and serve them in a bowl or container with cucumber and strawberries, too!
They are 100% more likely to eat the fruit and veggie if you serve it to them, rather than if you don’t!
And finally, aim to fill their plates with 50% fruits and veggies at every meal!
Half proteins, grains, etc and half fruits and veggies.
Some examples would be:
- Half of the plate – mac and cheese, half – watermelon + carrots with ranch dip
- Half of the plate – cheeseburger, half – blueberries + air-fryer sweet potato fries
- Half of the plate – bagel and cream cheese, half- raspberries + corn on the cob
- Half of the plate – roasted chicken, half – apple + air-fryer zucchini sticks with ketchup
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