How to get your child to eat more veggies?

For sure, as a mom, you know how important it is for your kids to eat veggies. They're a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, plus they add different flavors and textures to meals.

You might feel stressed about your kid eating veggies because as they grow, their food preferences keep changing. Here, we'll give you a full plan to figure out your kid’s veggie portions and ways to help them eat those portions.

First: What’s the daily amount of veggies your child needs?

The US Department of Agriculture gives more exact advice on how much veggies your kid should get based on their age, as follows:

It's important to remember your child won't suddenly go from eating a few spoons of veggies to a cup or more overnight. Let it happen smoothly, start from where your child is, then use the recommendations as a goal to reach.

Also, you should understand that a more active child needs more food, and therefore more vegetables.

Second: How do you decide what one serving of vegetables for your child is?

According to the US Department of Agriculture, one serving can be one cup of raw or cooked veggies, or one cup of vegetable juice, or two cups of raw leafy greens.

Remember, a serving won't look the same for every child. Smaller kids need smaller servings. Your child might eat just a few spoons of veggies at each meal and not finish a full serving in one sitting.

So it's better to think about your child eating their servings over the whole day. You can track what veggies they eat over a full week, then average it out to see if they get enough or not.

• One serving of vegetables on average is as follows :- 

• ½ cup of raw or cooked vegetables. 

• 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables. 

• ½ cup of cooked peas or beans. 

• Thirdly :- Which vegetables should your child eat? :- 

Your kids should eat a variety of vegetables each week as follows :- 

• Dark colored vegetables like (broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce). 

• Orange vegetables like (carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, winter squash). 

• Starchy vegetables like (corn, peas, white potatoes), along with dry beans.

• Other veggies like (cauliflower, celery, cucumber, tomato, and zucchini).

• Fourth :- How to increase your child's veggie intake? :-

Some studies suggest your child's exposure to vegetables can start early, even before birth, as a pregnant mom eating veggies exposes the fetus to flavors and gets them used to it.

Same applies to breastfeeding moms, as breast milk also carries flavors to the baby, including different vegetable tastes.

First foods for your kid should have soft, mashed veggies that fit your child's stage of growth.

So the best way to increase veggie eating is by repeated exposure. Even if the goal is to have your kid eat veggies, start by letting them touch, smell, and see the veggies. This is a good way to begin familiarizing your child with vegetables.

• Fifth :- Some tips to increase your child's chances of eating their veggies :-

1. Start with yourself and be a role model for your child by eating vegetables.

2. Serve salad dressings and other dips alongside the vegetables.

3. Mix vegetables with foods your child likes.

4. You can have your child plant their own vegetables in your home garden.

5. Let your child choose their own vegetable plate for the meal.

6. You can take your child shopping, show them different types of vegetables, and let them pick freely.

7. You can offer raw vegetables like carrots as a snack for your child.

8. Try serving vegetables in different ways until you find your child’s favorite method.

9. Try serving vegetables in a fun and cute way with funny shapes for your child.

10. You can give your child books where the heroes are vegetables.

Remember that your child, like adults, might change food preferences now and then. You should keep an eye on that regularly. Also, pleasing kids can be hard, and your child might only start eating veggies after seeing them on the table 20 times or more.

Be very careful about choking risks for kids under four years old.