Calling all holistic moms!!!!!!
Do you have suggestions on how to I can get my 1 1/2 year old to eat her veggies? Her favorite word now is "NO," especially when I put spinach or mushrooms in her hands. When she was one, I could feed her spinach, kale, zucchini, you NAME IT. She'd take whatever was on the spoon!!! I'm worried she's not getting the proper nutrition without all of those green goodies. She seems to prefer soft pretzels, cereal with milk, tomatoes, raspberries and cheese. She drinks Odwalla's Superfood drink every day but that only has wheat grass and barley grass in it. I'd appreciate ANY SUGGESTIONS!! thanks a lot!
The only suggestion that i have is to start off by offering a small portion of what you want her to eat before even offering her the rest of the meal, that way she gets some at least.
Hi L.,
When my oldest daughter was that age I fed her 'spinach nuggets'. They are sold at most supermarkets in the tofu section. They are plain chopped spinach with breading just like a chicken nugget, but not deep fried! They taste pretty good too. She got sick of them after a while, but they worked for a long time.
Now to get my girls (ages 6, 4, and 1) to eat spinach, I offer dip/dressing. They like ranch or thousand island.
Good luck!
I posted this recipe a little while ago, but it's still good:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Zucchini-Yogurt-Multigrain-M...
Definitely omit about half the sweetener the recipe calls for, though, or they might as well be cake. They will still be pretty sweet, kind of like a carrot cake/zucchini bread hybrid. You might try mini-muffin size for your little one.
Hi L.,
My daughter is also super picky with vegetables so I can relate. Why not try sweeter veggies such as sweet potatoes and spaghetti squash. Both of these are easy to make in the microwave...just prick with a fork and cook on high 3-5 minutes depending on their size. You can dress up the sweet potato with a little brown sugar and butter. The spaghetti squash can be served as "spaghetti" in place of real spaghetti or mix it with the noodles.
soups are also a great way to get veggies in. I peeled and cooked zucchinis in just about every soup I made for my daughter. The zuchinni breaks down and you can't even tell its in there.
Hope this is helpful. Good Luck!
L.
My kids are picky eaters as well, and sometimes I am able to get them to eat veggies, but only if they're in the mood to cooperate. I don't stress as much about it anymore, because I give them arbonne vitamins, which are hybrid vitamins that come in a powder form, that I mix in a cup of water. They are made from whole fruits and veggies, and contain superfood antioxidants. I absolutely love them, and my kids don't complain about drinking it. They're so convenient too, they come in little packets. I trust the company whole-heartedly, because they've been around for 27 years, and their philosophy is pure, safe and beneficial. All of their products have to adhere to those standards. They're good to have on hand if your child refuses to eat well one day.
Check them out at www.arbonne.com. And if you have any questions, let me know.
Good luck!
L.,
My son has recently started to not want any vegetable (except for corn & salad). I give him Vruit. Its half fruit and half vegetables and he loves it. We but it at Whole Foods. We do half water and half juice otherwise he'll get a belly ache. It's the only juice we've ever given him.
Also, I heard this is a pretty good book - I've seen some of the recipes in magazines too. Sneaky Veggies: How to Get Vegetables Under the Radar & Into Your Family
Good Luck
C.
I am having some of these same problems with my kids. My 2 1/2 year old son especially. My 1 1/2 year old girl actually prefers the veggies to anything else we might offer for dinner. With my son though, I have found myself doing what I thought I never would- bargaining with veggies. If he wants to eat more of his favorite foods he has to eat the veggies on his plate first. This doesn't always work (he sometimes chooses not to eat), but it's better than nothing. I think it must be a phase that most children go through, and hopefully it won't last too long. You sound like you are doing a pretty good job, and I wouldn't worry too much about your daughters preferences. Just be sure the cereal she is eating is not loaded with artificial ingredients. Have you tried giving her blueberries? They are so good for you.
I like the advice someone gave about not offering her the food, making it more attractive because it's for Mommy only- that has worked a few times with my kids also. But I also advise not to be cooking completely different meals for your daughter than you are eating. If she doesn't eat what is offered, don't offer another choice. When she is hungry, she will eat- Just offer the same items the next time she asks for food. Most kids will eat the food eventually when they realize it is the only option for their hungry bellies. I am interested in knowing what works for you- Good luck.
hi L.... unfortunately at a certain point kids do develop preferences, but keep doing what you are doing and continue to offer everything you have in the past and hopefully the refusal will change again. have you tried smoothies with her? thats a great way to sneak in some tofu and ohter healthy things. also, all of my kids love soup. so maybe if you tried some soups with all the good stuff it will be a more 'fun' way of eating. and dips are great too. kids love that so you could mix in chopped spinach with hummus or purreed white beans. just a thought. good luck!
My son does the same thing! I was told that a lot of kids like canned veggies better then fresh or baby food. If you take some frozen peas and heat them up on olive oil and a little bit of salt, most kids will eat at least few peas (not my son, however). So I had to stick to baby food when it came to veggies. He is 2 now, when I sit him down to eat, I put the baby spinach on my lap so he doesnt see it behind the table. When he puts a piece of hot-dog in his mouth, I quickly stick a spoon of veggies in there. He usually swallows it together and doesnt mind as much. Plus the puree is harder to spit out then a piece. Hope that helps a bit.
Those don't sound so terrible for her to eat. She does need her green goodies tho. Try broccoli 'trees' with ranch dressing, red bell peppers are a bit sweet and very healthy. Raw baby carrots with ranch. Cut the veggies you can with cookie cutters or make stars with the bell peppers. make it FUN for her and she will experiment more. Put egg in her salads. Draw happy faces or write her name with the dressing. (The new containers they come in make it easier than it was with MY son 14 years ago.) give her sweet potatoes with a TOUCH of brown sugar and cinnamon or nutmeg. A little bit won't make her want ONLY sweet things, but will make the food taste better for her. I like honey, but many children are allergic or too young for it. Besides, with the honey bees disappearing, I'll have to cut THAT out soon. Mushrooms with ranch dressing. It's amazing what kids will eat with ranch dressing! Sure, they may lick/suck the dressing off, bu they eventually eat the food too.
Kids are picky eaters, that is true. They tend to come around on their own if you feed them at the table WITH you. Don't always offer them the same stuff you eat... they will automatically want what MOMMY has if YOU enjoy eating it and they don't have it on their plate. Spinach is not a favorite for most kids, face it.
If you're still worried about nutrition, think about vitamin suppliments. I'm getting HUNGRY talking about food now!
My youngest step daughter is a bit fussy when it comes to veggies. Like yours she would eat whatever we put in front of her when she was one, but she grew out of that stage. We have since figured out that she likes raw veggies rather than cooked ones. You could always try that route. Or, one of my personal favs, you could put cooked veggies in a food processor and make them into a paste and add them to your food. Such as, adding them to spaghetti sauce, or into your favorite muffin/bread mix. Good luck!
Hmmm...spinach and mushrooms? I love them...but they aren't high on the list of foods I'd expect a child to eat. Even my fruit/veggie loving daughter declared when she was 3 that she liked mushrooms, but not enough to eat them. LOL! She took a hiatus from everything "salad" for about 2 years, and is just now at nearly 7 starting to request salads. My 8.5 year old eats apples and carrots--occassionally she'll eat something green.
Both of them (and my two boys, with their varied eating habits) are incredibly healthy. I can't even get them sick when I want to! (chicken pox--we've tried about 5 times over the years).
Bottom line, try to relax. If you think your DD is eating too many carbs...don't offer carbs. But don't stress that she isn't eating particular foods. Some days she might eat a serving bowl full of brocolli and dip...and then go for 2 weeks with no green foods. But she will eat healthy foods if that is pretty much all that you offer, with occassional treats.
