Until last night, I used to wonder how Jim Carrey manages those amazing expressions, especially the disgusting ones! A glance across the dinner table at my neighbor’s four and six year olds, and it became clear as my dessert bowl… Jim Carrey must’ve hated vegetables as a kid, maybe he still does, and I bet he reminiscences swallowing a plate-full whenever he’s required to look obnoxious onscreen! I hated most vegetables myself; I’ll bet you did too! Let’s admit it, not all things good for you look or taste as good as you’d want them to! But that’s wisdom that comes with age, so no point boring the kids with details of the nutritious value of veggies they hate the most. So, how do you get them to ingest anything nutritious? Here are a few tips that might be some use…
• Try to identify what kids look for in food. For most kids, it’d be combination of visual appeal, taste and familiarity. You don’t need to put ages in decoration, just make sure the meals don’t look like something you would’ve dreaded as a kid. Also, when you’re introducing some new recipe, keep it a low key affair.
• If your kid has already developed a strong dislike to specific vegetables, try stealth! Look for recipes that combine the dreaded item with foods your kid loves. If the mission’s a success, gradually increase the quantity of the dreaded item in future preparations.
• Start growing vegetables at home. It’s okay if you can’t do it at an extensive scale, start small and with items your kid has a liking for. Kids will want to at least taste what they’ve put effort into, so try to get yours involved in the process of growing stuff.
Getting your kids to eat vegetables (and not challenge Jim Carrey at every meal) does take some doing, but hey, I’m sure you won’t complain of the effort when the vegetable bowls end up as clean and clear as the ones with dessert!