5 Fun ways to get Veggies into Picky Eaters

There are fun ways to get veggies into picky eaters I promise.

Does your child hate eating vegetables?

Are mealtimes a battle ground to get healthy food into your picky child?

Are you desperate for your child to eat vegetables every day but instead you find yourself begging, bribing, or bellowing just to get one vegetable near their mouth?

And how many times have you said by just one more bite. Like that is going to make any difference!

As a mum of a picky eater and registered dietitian. I have been there with my little girl, so I know how you feel. It took me a year to get her to like carrots through that method. Now she will happily try new vegetables.

Vegetable consumption in children falls below recommended levels in the UK, with less than one in five pre-schoolers consuming five portions of fruit or vegetables a day (1)

Here I’m sharing my top five strategies, to help your picky eater. These are all fun, easy, and practical ways to get your picky eater at least entertaining the idea of vegetables.

5 Top Fun ways to get veggies in picky eaters 

1. Give the vegetables a flourish 

Does your favourite restaurant just dump a plate of food in front of you? No? Well why not try adding a bit of flourish with your family meals too;

- Adding dips can increase consumption of veggies – try it with broccoli (2)

- Adding some sauces – add a squiggle of sauce or fresh herbs to the vegetables

- Present the vegetables in Bento boxes or ice cube trays

- Or try a veggie soup as a starter (3)

If your child is a visual learner they will LOVE this approach. Plus, you don’t have to do more cooking, just make the vegetables look pretty.

2. Funky Cutters 

Use any cutters you have at home e.g., animal shapes or spiralizer. Or turn kale or carrots in to crisps. Have a think about what your child’s favourite TV character is and then experiment.

3. Start with crumbs of veggies

We all love small things so try making the vegetables into crumbs or small shapes or buy the smaller version e.g. cherry tomatoes, tiny corn on the cob, one stalk of broccoli. So you can reduce the amount of chewing!

4. Grate vegetables into meals 

Make a bolognaise and see how many vegetables you can add through grating e.g., carrots, courgettes. Omelettes and muffins work great for grated vegetables as well. But let your child help you make them, so they see the vegetables.

5. Treasure Hunt for veggies

Play hide and seek with the vegetables e.g., hide peas in pasta and let your child find them. Most children love this game.

Download my fussy eating guide for more helpful tips. 

Visit my www.dietitianwithadifference.co.uk to find out if I can help you or

Follow me on Instagram @dietitian.withadifference for weekly nutrition tips on fussy eating.

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