When I was a freshman in college, I took my first developmental psychology class. One day the professor used food as an example of conditioning. He talked about a group of orphans (of which he was one) who were given their vegetables as the reward for eating their dessert. This reverse psychology led him to be an adult who loved vegetables more than ice cream.
Could it really be that simple? Will your child simply love their vegetables because they are deemed the reward?
A 1926 experiment took babies who hadn’t yet eaten solid food to see what would happen if they were given free rein of what to eat. Each child was given 10 options at every meal with a nurse waiting to see what they asked for. The concluding results were that children were eager to eat everything from bone marrow to beets.
With a little daily adjustment, it is possible to help kids to eat vegetables.
Why is it so hard to get kids to eat vegetables?
Vegetable recipes for kids
Looking for new interesting ways to get your child to eat their vegetables? Try these tasty vegetarian recipes, or one of these veggie-packed dishes:
- 3 cups basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- ¼ cp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- 2 zucchini (spiraled)
- ¾ cup grape tomatoes
Combine basil, pine nuts, oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and Parmesan. Blend until creamy. Pour over zucchini noodles. Toss pesto with zucchini. You can toss zucchini in a skillet for up to 3 minutes on medium heat and add pesto for a fourth minute.
Easy Spinach Balls
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Yield: 15 balls
Ingredients:
- 10-oz bag of frozen spinach (defrosted and toweled dry)
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp sliced green onion
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Take a spoonful of the mixture and roll into a ball with your hands. Lay on a baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes at 350ºF.
