While we all know how important it is to add green veggies to our daily diet, to actually get down to following it in reality is no easy task. This is especially true in the case of grownups who love meat a bit too much or fussy kids who like to stay miles away from anything green on their plate. For growing kids, it is all the more important for parents to make them eat their vegetables. As unappetising as they may taste, veggies come loaded with vitamins and minerals that are essential for good health and well-being of children not just at the moment but in the years to come.
But let's be real. We obviously can't expect kids to love spinach and broccoli without sprucing it up a little. Kids are more particular about the way the food looks than how it tastes. If you can succeed in making a dish look pretty, they are sure to not get into the details of what all it constitutes. The good thing is that there are many smart ways you can sneak in the goodness of green veggies into your kid's diet without them complaining. How? Here are some ideas:
Attractive snacks
Like they say nothing in life comes easy, you need to put in a little effort to make snack time fun for kids. Try cutting veggies into interesting looking shapes (trees, leaves, smiley faces, etc) and serve with a creamy dip that will add to the taste.
Touch of green to favourite foods
Does you kid love burgers and pizzas? You don't have to stop them, but instead look for ways to make them healthier. Rather than ordering from restaurants, try cooking them at home and sneak in greens while making the toppings and patties.
Give a health boost to smoothies and juices
Kids love juices and smoothies. So when you make them, along with favourite fruits like mango or apple, add in a small amount of greens like spinach, kale, celery, etc. Don't overdo it though.
And in soups and curries too
You can do the same in the case of making soups and curries, where you can blend in green veggies along with their favourite ingredients without ruining the flavour.
Add in nuts, berries and raisins
If you are serving them a plate of green, make sure you add in a good amount of nuts and dry fruits or even fresh fruit to lend to the taste. Don't make it monotonous.
While you may go about tricking your kids to eat greens, a better approach would be to start them young. Make it a habit to give them veggies when they are young so that they develop a taste for it. Also educate them about how good they are for their health.
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