My 10 year old HATES veggies....

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Kayla_292to165
Kayla_292to165 Posts: 249 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I took my daughter to the doctor today and she wants her to start eating better and exercising more. My daughter is within the healthy BMI for her age but she hates pretty much all veggies except potatoes. Any advice on how to incorporate more veggies in her diet?!?
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Replies

  • kavanaghev
    kavanaghev Posts: 75 Member
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    Often times it is not that a child hates veggies, they just don't like them the way you prepare them (not trying to be mean). I would try lightly steaming and giving her a vinaigrette to dip them in! Cauliflower is good steamed with cheddar cheese on it. Snap peas are a good way to start and you can pack them fresh in school lunches. Cucumber slices in ranch is always yummy. Carrots steamed with a little bit of melted butter on them are delicious?
  • JohnnyCashMoney
    JohnnyCashMoney Posts: 142
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    two words: military school...
  • Kayla_292to165
    Kayla_292to165 Posts: 249 Member
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    two words: military school...

    ^^we've considered this :laugh:

    But seriously, thanks for the suggestions! She will eat carrots occasionally. I'm doing cucumbers for dinner so I'll have her try it with a little ranch!
  • gingersnaps828
    gingersnaps828 Posts: 86
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    I hear you. My 9 yr old doesn't like veggies either, but I think he gets that from his mother. LOL. Although, the veggies I do eat he won't eat either. He's all about the fruits though!!! :)
  • Wuffles70
    Wuffles70 Posts: 21 Member
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    I was that ten year old! Except I was six... seriously, though, I was a nightmare. The major thing I would agree with the experts on is KEEP MEALTIMES RELAXED! If you feel tense, she'll feel tense and then she won't be in a mood where she's open to eating it. Keep it as calm as possible and, if she's anything like me, don't pay too much attention to what she was doing. I hated being coerced or encouraged to try foods but if everyone looked away and chatted like normal, I was way more likely to try something.

    http://www.raisehealthyeaters.com/2009/10/the-1-feeding-mistake-parents-make-expert-interview/

    My Mum had a star chart that she put up for me. If I tried a food, I got a star. I got a say in what food I got to try - we sat down and made a list of stuff to try and I'd pick the lower-pressure foods. I'd then get a small amount (not touching my other food, because otherwise I'd feel like it was contaminating everything else - if she has the same thing it's really not worth fighting her on that) and then I was left to give it a go. Eating a little bit of veg with a large amount of a favourite carb helped me, personally, but really it's just a case of exposure.

    I hope there's something in that ramble you can use and I wish you the best of luck! :)
  • ittybittybadonkadonk
    ittybittybadonkadonk Posts: 11,634 Member
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    hide them in the foods .......try a fruit smoothie with finely chopped veggies in it .....my 13 year old was a very picky eater ...Good luck
  • lisadoe71
    lisadoe71 Posts: 23 Member
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    If you find out, please let me know! My daughter is 17 and I had always offerd her fresh fruits and veggies since she was able to eat them, but has ALWAYS spit them out. She will eat bananas, fruit cups and mashed potatoes only. When she was younger (elementary age) she would either gag when we tried to MAKE her eat them, or swallow them whole, My husband swears that he and our daughter are "supertasters", where apparently they have more taste buds than average, making fruit and veggies taste extemely bitter. He is now 50 and finally able to eat more veggies in his diet. Even me cutting onions will clear her out of a room because she will gag just smelling them. Also, if we order a sandwhich at a restaraunt and someone as even "touched" lettuce or onions before making her food, she can taste it and won't eat it. Doctors are full of crap if they try and tell you that they will eventually eat them if you continue to offer them....some kids just will never like them. Make sure that your daughter is taking an age appropriate multi-vitamin and stock up on the health foods she will eat like low fat yogurt, string cheese, lean deli meats for quick roll up snacks or whatever else it is she likes. Then incorporate exercise as a family, that way everyone benefits.
  • HollisGrant
    HollisGrant Posts: 2,022 Member
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    Let her cook some of the meals. If she does some cooking, enjoys it, and is proud of her efforts, she will eat some of the food.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    Often times it is not that a child hates veggies, they just don't like them the way you prepare them

    Yep, this.

    Oh, and potatoes aren't vegetables.
  • joybedford
    joybedford Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Maybe it is just a phase my daughter pretty much loved all fruit and veg but just lately she has become the fussiest eater ever, basically if it doesnt contain high amounts of refined sugar she wont eat it. We are trying the thats your meal if you eat it you can have dessert tactic sometimes it works sometimes it doesnt my mum says this is normal for kids her age and she will come round. I hope so cause it is driving me mad. Lydia is almost 9 by the way.
  • ctpeace
    ctpeace Posts: 327 Member
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    a couple of other ideas are:
    1. Gardening, if a kid grows it, they'll enjoy eating it more
    2. Get your munchkin in on the grocery shopping and have her pick out some veggies she'd be open to trying (although you're going to have to establish a rule that she actually WILL be trying them!)
    3. Fruit smoothies with veg thrown in, recipes abound and some are actually quite tasty (I'm not advocating any powders here, I just mean blending stuff up. If texture's a problem, this can help.)
  • nolongerXXL
    nolongerXXL Posts: 222 Member
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    Try:

    Roasted Cauliflower with a sprinkling of parmisan cheese, tastes so good and not bad on calories at all!

    How about finely chopped veggies mixed in to sauces? Like spaghetti sauce, etc

    Broccoli with grated cheese on it?

    Sweet potato fries (homemade baked in the oven?)

    Mashing in some cauliflower with mashed potatoes to hide them.

    Sweet baby carrots and dipping sauce or steamed/braised (think slightly sweet)?

    What about homemade Chicken Pot Pie?? This is a hit in my house, loaded with veggies, at that!

    Acorn squash with a touch of brown sugar/cinnamon?

    I'll think of more
  • krisjohnson121
    krisjohnson121 Posts: 87 Member
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    I am 100% an advocate of the power of Ranch. I try not to let her go overboard with it - but broccoli and ranch - still equals broccoli in their tummy :-)

    I agree with trying to prepare it different - my daughter likes raw vegetables - this was really hard for me to understand. I am stuck on making dinner and having a protein, carb and cooking a veggie. She does not like cooked veggies... so while I am cooking dinner I put out a plate of carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers and my kids will snack away - then when dinner comes I am not struggling to get them to eat a cooked veggie (which I prefer).

    Also try different veggies and see if you can find something they like - my son loved green beans and asparagus - my daughter won't touch them but she will eat a whole cucumber in one sitting and will demolish an eggplant. So just try out a couple different options and see what sticks.

    Good Luck!
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
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    My son at 9 has been diagnosed with hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) He is in the 95% for height, and he is not a big boy in weight 75%. My husband and I made drastic changes in diet for him to try and control in through diet and exercise. Unfortunately it is not enough, and he will be put on meds here soon. However, we have to keep with this for life, because he will already have to work harder than most children to maintain healthy cholesterol. His nutritionist is awesome. She let him know you have to try something 10 to 12 times before you can say you like it or you don't. I agree with the one MFP who said you have to try it different ways. I will not eat peas from a can (too smoochie) yes that is a technical term....lol, but frozen peas just warmed through yum. White potatoes are not good for you too much starch sugars. But mashed cauliflower can be substituted in. Puree carrots in your tomato sauce, and just try different recipes.
  • docturtle
    docturtle Posts: 156 Member
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    My friend did this with her 10-year-old son and it worked like a charm: chop broccoli with a food processor very fine and mix with a spaghetti meat sauce. Her son loved it and never knew there was broccoli in it!
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    first question i have is she a super taster? You might want to ask her why she doesnt like vegetables. Do they taste bitter, is it the texture, or the smell? She needs knowledge about the benefits of vegetables. Enlist her help make her in charge of the family salad. Start purchasing exotic vegetables with her there maybe she will like artichokes. The rule of course if you have to try it once. Remember DO NOT hide vegetables in her food. She will lose trust for your cooking and not experiment with vegetables.

    My fiance is a super taster. He cant even drink tea because its so bitter to him, and I cannot hide vegetables into a meal because he taste the bitter compounds. What I have been able to do is 1. he makes the salads 2. he loves vegetables when they are fried (tempura might be a great hit with your daughter) 3. If I cut them up very fine and add minimum amounts he will eat them (or pick em out) 4. I introduce him to new vegetables all the time most have been a flop but some have been a hit. 5. If he likes it I keep it in the rotation.

    Oh and there is nothing wrong with potatoes they are a wonderful source of potassium, fiber, b vitamins, and iron on the skin. They are just as "healthy" for you as sweet potatoes or yams. She might enjoy veggies more if you made potato and vegetable chips or mixed her most loved vegetable with others. Lots of experiments involve her and let her know what good she is doing for her body.
  • lcyama
    lcyama Posts: 209 Member
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    1) my husband makes a great homemade beef soup. he runs everything through a kitchenaid meat grinder. kids don't even know they're getting vegetables.

    2) most kids love spaghetti. cook some veggies into the sauce, use a handheld blender to puree everything, and voila! looks just like regular spaghetti sauce!

    my older daughter started eating different foods after she learned how to make them in a cooking class (at age 10), and at age 11 she became more willing to try different things, like roasted broccoli. my younger (9) hasn't gotten there yet!
  • Wetcoaster
    Wetcoaster Posts: 1,788 Member
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    Celery dipped in salsa.......
  • traceytwink
    traceytwink Posts: 538 Member
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    I was a nanny to a family with three boys who wouldn't eat veggies so I used to make a pasta sauce with as many hidden vegetables in and blend it, it was their favourite meal, nanny knows best????with my own I wasn't so good they had two choices either eat it or go without and now they will eat almost anything I put in front of them, tough love is all it needs sometimes xx
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
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    I like all the suggestions for keeping meal times light and not a tense situation, and the ideas to cover it in ranch or some other sauce are great. Anything you can do to introduce them into her life and getting her thinking about nutritious food is a great start. If you have to cover it in cheese and she gets to choose the veggie of the day then so be it as long as she is getting some of it into her growing body.

    I will say this again though please dont hide especially if she is a super taster because it can really destroy any trust she may have in your cooking and ruin future chances of being open to trying vegetables.

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