My 3yr old does not eat any vegetables!

[sora]

I've been struggling with this for several months now. I have tried chopping veggies finely and put them in sauces, soup and mixed with rice. But she spits all the veggies out. And I've tried making smoothies with spinach. She liked it at first and now she does not want to drink any smoothies.
I've made purred veggies soup and she does not like the texture.
At the moment, the only veggies she eat is roasted Sushi nori. She eats rice, bread, some meat, cheese, and eggs.
She eats fruits though. They say the habit they form when they are young can last long time so I'm quite concerend. My friend suggested not feeding her until the next meal unless she eats all the veggies served. But it seems quite harsh. What do you think?

I heard about the cookbook, deceptionally delicious. Is it any good? I could make muffins with some veggies in them but I usually don't bake and do not want her to eat too much sugar with it. I want my child to like veggies naturally. My friend's kid loves salad. I think raw veggies are very important but how should I help her like raw veggies, not to mention cooked veggies?

[lil_earthmomma]

I think this is a phase that *most* children go through, and that stressing about it is pointless.

Please don't force the food on her, it won't do any good imo. Continue offering healthy foods, and she will learn that her choices are healthy item A and healthy item B you know? I guess I feel that it's my job as a parent to make sure everything on the table is wholesome and healthy, and it's my dc job to choose which of those healthy foods to consume.

(I hated veggies as a child, and LOVE salads, and a variety of veggies, so I think that whole "they have to learn it young" thing is bunk. )

I was given deceptively delicious, the sugar is minimal in the baked goods recipes and could be further scaled back. Definitely worth it for mama's peace of mind!

[es1967]

My 3yr old has gone thru stages like this. Even though he may not eat them I still put a few veggies on his plate. Sometimes I'll add on a little butter or parmesan. This helps. I try to do green smoothies a few times a week and he usually drinks them. Have you tried adding blueberries to change the color? Have you tried soups? My Ds loves this Broccoli leek soup I make. Its made w potato and is put in blender. What about sweet potato fries? Like the PP said its just a phase and what DS likes changes all the time. Thats why I don't stop offering. My DS is in a Annie's mac and cheese phase. He loves it. I try not to buy it but he loves it so much I give in. I try to make sure he has a green smoothie or carrot juice to make up for some of the bad.

[ap mom]

How about making a plate of a colorful variety of veggies with a dip/dips (hummus, veggie dip or whatever else you think up)?

Sometimes our DC are more interested in the veggies if we call them fun things like "broccoli trees" or "zucchini boats" or whatever.

I've also found that we all go through seasons/times where we're more and less interested in foods. Our DC are interested one day and not the next and vice versa, so don't lose hope.

[Llyra]

Mine didn't either. Now she's 5, and has a list of about ten veggies that she enjoys, and has gotten a lot more adventurous about taking bites of new ones. Just keep offering-- patiently, and without comment. If she eats them, say nothing. If she doesn't, say nothing. Don't praise or scold, no matter how much the refusal gets under your skin. Offer a good model for her by eating them yourself, although don't draw all kinds of attention to yourself when you're doing it. Just be matter-of-fact about them. Don't cater to her-- cook what you like and what you consider healthy, and offer it to her, and let her decide whether to eat. Focus your attention on teaching pleasant table manners, and having nice mealtime conversations. And keep her away from white flour and sugar. She'll come around. It's normal and common for toddlers and preschoolers to be very conservative about food. They get past it, if you avoid letting them get hooked on junky carbs, and if you avoid making it into a power struggle.

FWIW, many kids find vegetables easier to eat when they're accompanied by some kind of fat-- and the fats make them easier to digest. So sometimes you can make veggies more appetizing by simply buttering them, or cooking them with some olive oil, or serving them with a nice fatty fish.

But some kids are just hard cases, and the only solution is time.

[Nansense]

Mine love to dip. They'll try almost anything if they can dip it! They like carrots especially in ranch dip. For casserole type dinners, I give them tortilla chips and they can dip. They even like broccoli occassionally.

I wouldn't force it, just stand there eating and dipping yourself and making funny yummy faces - it gets my guys interested in what I'm eating. Sometimes I say "No, you can't have this, only for mommy. But I'll let you try only one" good old reverse psych works too!

The Deceptively Delicious cookbook is worth a try - you can have mine....I couldn't make the recipes work well - and when you think about it, using 1/4c of a vegie in a full pan of brownies, doesn't give your child much vegie, kwim?

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by Nansense

The Deceptively Delicious cookbook is worth a try - you can have mine....I couldn't make the recipes work well - and when you think about it, using 1/4c of a vegie in a full pan of brownies, doesn't give your child much vegie, kwim?

I too was disapointed by the small amounts of veg in the recipes!

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by lil_earthmomma

I too was disapointed by the small amounts of veg in the recipes!

Ditto that here... some of the amounts were ridiculously tiny.

My 3 year old isn't big on veggies either, so I slip his veggies into quick breads, pasta sauces and salsa.

[Radish4ever]

I've found that my kids will eat foods they normally turn their noses up to if they are REALLY hungry. For example, if they had an early lunch (say 11am) and I've told them they can't eat until dinner....and then they start hemming and hawwing about being soooooooooo hungry by abour 3 or 4pm... so I'll say, "Okay, you can have ____ or ____ or ____, what would you like?" They usually will say, "No, I want bananas!" or something I totally did not offer but I stand firm with those 3 choices I originally gave and say, "Or you can choose to wait until dinner to eat..."

They always choose one of those foods I normally have trouble feeding them! LOL Amazing what a growling tummy can do to a stubborn eater.

[Satori]

It could be the way your preparing them or presenting them. My kids LOVE veggies, especially broccoli and brussel sprouts but they will not touch them warm. They have to be cold from the fridge so I steam them the day before then put them in the fridge and serve them the next day. The flavor is very different, not so pungent and actually a little sweet. Between the 2 of them they will eat up to 2lbs of veggies in 1 sitting as long as there cold.

[Whistler]

Originally Posted by lil_earthmomma

(I hated veggies as a child, and LOVE salads, and a variety of veggies, so I think that whole "they have to learn it young" thing is bunk. )

Me too. I had to grow into veggies.

One way I do it with my 3-y-o is offering a choice of eating a veggie he sort of likes (carrots are one, broccoli is another) and he can have dessert (whatever small, yummy thing there is for dessert, not always sugary) or he can choose not to have the veggies and not eat the dessert. It teaches that a healthy food is important but it is not forcing it on him since he has a choice to opt out of it and yet a motivator to eat a healthy food he may not necessarily love. I guess it is a form of bribery but in my book eating good nutrients in his growing up years is vital. I also keep the portions tiny and manageable. A tablespoon at the most per meal.

So that is what I do and it works really well. Both my older two kids eat veggies willingly at each meal.

ETA: It helps a LOT to call Broccoli "little trees" and cauliflower "clouds" by the way.

[MomOnDaEdge]

[QUOTE=Nansense;14648109]Mine love to dip. They'll try almost anything if they can dip it! They like carrots especially in ranch dip. For casserole type dinners, I give them tortilla chips and they can dip. They even like broccoli occassionally.

I wouldn't force it, just stand there eating and dipping and making yummy faces - it gets my guys interested in what I'm eating. Sometimes I say "No, you can't have this, only for mommy. But I'll let you try only one . Good old reverse psych works The forbiddin fruit per se.

For many, parent and child alike, warm veggies are nasty. *I* don't like them, I've offered then to my LO's (w/o OH ICK and with OH YUM), and they hated them as well.

Originally Posted by Radish4ever

I've found that my kids will eat foods they normally turn their noses up to if they are REALLY hungry. For example, if they had an early lunch (say 11am) and I've told them they can't eat until dinner....and then they start hemming and hawwing about being soooooooooo hungry by abour 3 or 4pm... so I'll say, "Okay, you can have ____ or ____ or ____, what would you like?" They usually will say, "No, I want bananas!" or something I totally did not offer but I stand firm with those 3 choices I originally gave and say, "Or you can choose to wait until dinner to eat..."

They always choose one of those foods I normally have trouble feeding them! LOL Amazing what a growling tummy can do to a stubborn eater.

I have to gently say I don't agree with this. While they may break down and eat it, a resentment may build up and pass those hated foods onto thier own children Not every child loves beets, but if hungry enough will eat them. And in thier hate of beets, they may well never offer them to thier children who may well love them given the chance kwim? Do you ask your children what they want?

Originally Posted by Satori

It could be the way your preparing them or presenting them. My kids LOVE veggies, especially broccoli and brussel sprouts but they will not touch them warm. They have to be cold from the fridge so I steam them the day before then put them in the fridge and serve them the next day. The flavor is very different, not so pungent and actually a little sweet. Between the 2 of them they will eat up to 2lbs of veggies in 1 sitting as long as there cold.

Much as it pains me; THAT. Me and mine do.not.do.cooked veggies.