As mothers, we know that for our child's healthy and complete nutrition, it is essential to have as many different colors, flavors, textures, and vegetables on the plate as possible. But what if it's simply impossible to get the little one to eat vegetables? Discover Éva Ambrus's tips and bring a green wave to your plate too!
 

Leading by example is contagious

Whether it's about parenting issues, exercise, or a healthy lifestyle, we must keep in mind that the example we set is much stronger than the words we say. The phrases “other kids would be happy with this delicious treat” and “but Peti eats vegetables too” don't mean much if, as parents, we feel comfortable with the holy trinity of bread-rice-potatoes. 

Let's not forget! The colorful, exciting, and varied plate with hidden flavor harmonies enchants both children and adults alike. Not to mention that by following the principle of the plate's three-part division - where one half of the plate is filled with colorful, tasty, vitamin-rich vegetables, and the other half is equally divided between proteins and carbohydrates - we can expect not only a better mood but also a more balanced carbohydrate intake.
 

How much vegetables and fruits should be consumed daily?

According to the WHO recommendation, the optimal fruit and vegetable consumption is 400 g/day, which most residents of European countries fail to meet. I guess it doesn't surprise anyone that we Hungarians are not among them either… 

If we add the amount of fruit juices consumed to the daily vegetable and fruit intake - which, due to the high sugar content and rapid carbohydrate absorption, should only be consumed in small amounts and occasionally! - then a significant percentage of adults meet the threshold, but children still fall short of the recommended amount by an average of 20%.
 

Don't talk nonsense! - or there's no complaint about vegetable consumption

Since traditional Hungarian home cooking uses a lot of salt, plenty of flavor enhancers, and many other strong seasonings, we often feel that vegetables and fruits have no taste. However, this is not true! It's more about the fact that heavily burdened taste buds find the real taste of foods initially strange and bland. 

For babies' strong taste buds, however, these natural flavors are the novelties, so it's not worth spoiling them with excessive salting. Herbs are naturally not forbidden, but it's worth using them moderately and in small amounts. (Especially if they are aromatic-oily herbs.)
 

Tips to easily get your child to eat vegetables

The key to parenting at many ages is the simple task of convincing children that we don't want something we really want. (Less often the opposite.) Reverse psychology often works in many areas of life, and it's no different with vegetables, but it also takes a clever parent to get children hooked on eating vegetables.

 

5 Ways to Encourage Your Child to Eat Vegetables

1. Vegetable Creams and Dips for Snacks

Figuring out and organizing five to six meals a day is a challenging task even for a resourceful mom. If you need to fine-tune the bites for family members of different ages, the situation becomes even more difficult. Various vegetable creams - chickpea cream, green pea cream, eggplant cream, roasted pepper cream, zucchini cream, etc. - can be excellent alternatives, which can be served with bread strips, homemade crisps, or even carrot sticks and celery stalks for the whole family.

Their advantage is that they can be prepared the day before or in larger quantities, and even the older sibling's lunchbox can include some.

2. Smoothies, Ice Cream Popsicles, Vegetable Chips

Everyone loves to snack, and let's face it, indulgence can feel really good sometimes. However, most of us become round from just a couple of squares of chocolate in a short time! Delicious and healthy bridging solutions can be smoothies made from vegetable-fruit mixes, and ice cream popsicles made by freezing them, which are especially popular during hot weather.

Homemade vegetable chips are extremely easy to prepare, and the result is exceptionally delicious, but be careful with them, as even the oven-baked versions can be very filling!
 

3. Stews, Vegetable Purees, and Other Side Dishes

Nowadays, the popularity and dominance of meat dishes remain unbroken, but we must not forget that such a level of meat consumption is extremely burdensome for both the body and the planet. Once or twice a week, have meat-free days and enjoy old classics! Traditional stews and hearty ragout soups in modernized forms - where we thicken with vegetables, use exotic spices, or try new flavor combinations - can become our favorites even if we previously hated the given vegetable or legume.

Roasted and grilled vegetable side dishes, potato puree enriched with vegetables, and vegetable foams are delicious treats that can be prepared at home and do not pose challenges even for beginner kitchen fairies.
 

4. Vegetable Cakes and Breads

Who would say no to a beetroot chocolate cake, zucchini brownie, green pea muffin, or other delicacies? No one, right?! If we want to increase the children's vegetable consumption, we just need to make breads, flatbreads, and sweet treats where the disliked ingredients are hidden unnoticed. Sweet indulgence, sweet triumph!
 

5. Vegetable Patties

The grater is one of the chef's best friends, every self-respecting kitchen fairy knows this. Grated and nibbled, the carrot is tastier, the beetroot is more flavorful, the cucumber is more appealing... Not to mention the zucchini and carrot patties, and other delicacies!

Various traditional vegetable patties are divine on their own - e.g., with sour cream or yogurt dip - but they can also enrich salads and sandwiches. Moreover, they offer a real 'all in one' solution, as the leftovers from lunch or dinner can become the most popular item in the lunchbox the next day!