One of the most challenging things I do on a daily basis is try to encourage my toddler to eat vegetables. To give him credit, he does eat those spicy black bean quinoa burgers from Trader Joes (the ones that were voted one of the best veggie burgers on the market). Besides that, the only substantial sources of vegetable nutrition comes from any that I am able to discreetly sneak into foods, such as kale blended into a green smoothie, grated zucchini baked in a chocolate bread, finely ground peppers and mushrooms incorporated into taco meat, and not forgetting fruit and vegetable pouches - those are heaven sent.
Like most toddlers, mine is attracted to colorful foods. And if he can get involved in its preparation, he will be more prone to trying it at least once. To that end, I recruit him quite often to " help" me in the kitchen. One of the things he loves to do is spiralize vegetables, in spite of his deep-seated vegetable aversion. (Of course, we use the spiralizer together and he is never without adult supervision whenever he is in the kitchen.) Much to my surprise, every vegetable that he has spiralized, he has tasted. So far, cucumber has been added to the list of foods he now eats. Carrots? Beets? Still off the list but Rome wasn't built in a day.
It is a challenge trying to encourage healthy behaviors in toddlers. I think the best we can do is lead by example and continue to have healthy options for food available. I try to have a colorful vegetable platter (ideally one that he and I have prepared together) on the table most evenings, as often as time, my patience and energy level would allow. Sometimes, my toddler would eat a few pieces - last night he ate two slices of cucumber and a slice of radish. Other times, he runs from the table screaming for three scopes of ice cream. He likes to keep things interesting, as interesting as I like to keep my vegetable platters.
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