My 10 year old HATES veggies....

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  • KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn
    KeepCalmNGetyaSweatOn Posts: 361 Member
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    I always dice and mince veggies and put them in pretty much everything. Or if you have a food processor you can smoosh them all up that way. Carrots, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, whatever veggies you wish! Mix the veggie mixture in with lean ground beef/turkey when making meatloaf, meatballs, spaghetti sauce, and cook it through. Or just always give her 1 veggie with each meal and tell her you expect her to eat it. She'll acquire a taste for it and won't give you such a hard time after a while. My kids used to eat nothing but meat and potatoes, but now they'll eat any veggie I give them. It just takes time.
  • Katerbels
    Katerbels Posts: 106 Member
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    I run a daycare, and make healthy lunch and snacks for all kinds of picky eaters!! Here's what I do, and now 'my' kids (ages 12 and under) will eat all kinds of vegetables!!
    * You can't tell me you don't like something if you don't try it, and if I serve it you have to try it every time...it can take up to 18 times for someone to get over *thinking* they dislike something and actually knowing.
    * I do the puree trick, but I never hide it...I always tell them that their lunch is delicious and nutritious and try to see if they can guess the super secret ingredient. I put carrots and squash in spaghetti sauce, anything can be hidden in a cheese sauce (that I make so I know what's in it), pureed veggies and beans mixed in with taco meat (bonus, it doesn't fall apart this way!!), mixed in with tomato soup served with grilled cheese, etc. They can't taste it, so they keep eating it to try to figure out what's in there. Once they've finished and still haven't guessed, I tell them. We make it fun.
    * I serve the veggies first, and wait to give them the rest until after they have at least eaten some of it. Kids get hungry fast, so if all they have in front of them is a plate of veggies, they will take at least one bite without fight. We also limit snacking to mostly veggies and fruits, with things like cheese, hummus, etc.
    * They have to finish everything on their plates before they can have more of anything else. Meaning, I will not give them seconds of pasta or a sandwich if they have a plate full of green beans. Once they finish everything, they can have more of whatever they choose.
    * I make 'Ranch' dressing in the food processor out of: low fat cottage cheese, fresh or frozen spinach, dill, garlic and onion powder, etc. I serve this with carrots and if someone eats a whole bunch of dip and only 1 carrot...they've gotten their spinach at least. I don't call it ranch, but it really tastes good (and I do NOT like cottage cheese but I'll eat it like this too). The pickiest eater I ever taught would ONLY eat this with pretzels...but I was OK with that.
    * For whatever reason, even our pickiest eaters will eat most any veggie if I cook it with a little low sodium soy sauce.
    * At meal times, we sit and talk about all different kinds of foods, how they help our bodies, how they make us grow big and strong...and we try to name foods that are healthy vs foods that are just fun treats (like chicken nuggets). This encourages them to make healthy choices later on, and understand WHY they have to finish their broccoli. Most kids respond better to logic than we give them credit for.
    Obviously your daughter is older than most of my littles, but the idea is the same. I'm not exaggerating when I say that any one of the kids in my care will willingly choose a fruit or a vegetable over cookies and candy any day of the week. Good luck!
  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
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    In the meantime, try "hiding" the veggies. But then I've heard the old adage that it takes up to 20 times to try something before you like it. It will be boring, but maybe try one vegetable and have her try it every day for 20 days. You can prepare it different ways, and she only has to have 1 or 2 bites every day for those 20 days. If she still doesn't like it after 20 days, you start a new veggie (or you start a new one anyway so that hopefully she'll build up some variety). I have a friend who is trying this with her kids. Her kids get to pick the "veggie of the month".
  • Maridinger
    Maridinger Posts: 74 Member
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    Use a blender or ninja and blend the veggies until they are so small you cant taste them. You can add it to burger patties, spaghetti sauces, anything really!
  • amynicholas456
    amynicholas456 Posts: 1
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    Try hiding the veggies she needs in veggie pastas, casseroles, and yummy recipes. If she likes potatoes try making mashed potatoes with spinach and cheese. It may sound gross, but it is quite delicious, and she will barely taste the spinach.
  • shrinkingbrian
    shrinkingbrian Posts: 171 Member
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    We eat our veggies as an appetizer about 5-15 minutes before we eat dinner. We give our boys a bowl of some fresh veggies like cucumbers, carrots, or green peppers. They are hungry for dinner so they will eat them. I do the same and it really does help.
  • mckellipgirl
    mckellipgirl Posts: 63 Member
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    My kids, 5 and 9, are the same. And I'll be honest, me. lol They have a couple they'll eat but that's it. I have a few things that have helped me along. They used to not eat any, I tried cooking them in numerous ways and found that, for the most part, it's the consistency they don't like. They would not eat mashed of baked potatoes, ever, so I found a pin on Pinterest where you sliced the potato super thin while keeping it intact and bake it like normal. It comes out crisp and they love it.
    Broccoli and cauliflower were a no go until I tried steaming them. I hide them in foods too, and don't be afraid of V8 Splash! Also, I'm not opposed to putting some cheese on it and making sure I have a lean meat on those nights. Also, veggie kabobs. Grilling give veggies a completely different texture so I'll make a kabob with tons of different veggies and see which ones they like. It worked for me too, it's the only way I'll eat bell peppers.

    And they don't get dessert. If they're hungry after eating their meal the only option they have is vegetables.
  • KateRunsColorado
    KateRunsColorado Posts: 407 Member
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    I'm not much of a veggie eater either (and don't even get me started on my husband). But I've been trying really hard to increase my veggie consumption. Here are a few ideas:

    Replace regular ranch with "greek yogurt ranch" - buy non-fat plain greek yogurt and mix in ranch dip seasoning (that you buy in the packets) - it's way better for you than regular ranch! I mix it at the begining of the week, put it in little containers and bring it to work with carrots every day.

    For dinner, I try to make some roasted veggies in the oven.

    Moslty, I'll cut up zucchini and squash, sprinkle a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and bake it for ~10-20 minutes. It's really good.

    Also - this is seriously the best broccoli recipe EVER -

    Lightly spray a cookie sheet, or baking pan, and lay broccoli pieces on it. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, and add some garlic (I buy the stuff in the jar). Then bake in the over for ~10-20 minutes, sprinkle with a tiny bit of lemon juice and parmesan cheese, and voila - it's SO good.

    Other than that, I also drink V8 fusion light. I know its got a lot of sugar in it, but it's a lot better than other things I could be drinking, such as soda!

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