Help kids eat smarter

Aussie chef and Jamie Oliver’s Learn Your Fruit and Veg ambassador KAREN MARTINI shares her tricks to turn vegieloathers into vegie-lovers

A s a mum of two, I’ve experienced many a food fight when it comes to getting my kids to eat vegies. Vegie rejecters can be sneaky and downright stubborn when it comes to consuming their daily serve. But there are ways the war on veg can be won!

TRY, TRY, TRY AGAIN

As arduous as it sounds, repetition does work. Research shows even the fussiest of children can usually be swayed to eat a vegetable when it’s offered repeatedly, with between five and 10 times cited as the magic range. Sadly, it took me 27 times to get my kids to eat mushrooms before they liked them. So while five to 10 tries might not do the trick for every child, persistence pays!

GET STARTED EARLY

The earlier you introduce kids to vegies, the more likely they are to accept and like them. New research from The Good Foundation reveals that kids aged 6-17 who happily ate a range of vegies as toddlers were significantly more likely to enjoy 12 or more vegies later in life. Starting them early establishes positive lifelong habits.

LITTLE COOKS

Kids who cook eat more veg. Most nights can be a mad rush just to get them fed, bathed and into bed, but when you have a little extra time, encourage your kids and grandkids to help out in the kitchen. Giving them simple tasks to engage them in the cooking process gets them excited about trying their vegie creations. Karen Martini