My oldest child wasn't picky in the least. The only thing she wouldn't eat was olives, and she did try them first. We thought we knew it all until our second, and then third, came along. They wouldn't eat anything. They still have weird food tastes Sophie won't eat spaghetti with any kind of sauce, and Katy won't eat peanut butter. But both of them just love broccoli.

How did we do it? Well, we introduced them to fresh vegetables as early as it was safe (obviously babies can't have fresh carrots!) and we made a point of not making a big deal out of what they didn't like. We just kept introducing things and usually (except for spaghetti sauce and peanut butter) they came around.

What seemed to make the difference was providing them with thing they could do with the food before they ate it. For example, we let them shake some Parmesan cheese (just the canned kind at first) onto their steamed broccoli. They love it! It adds a little bit of calcium, but more importantly it gets them eating healthy food. This works with almost any vegetable. They also like to dip raw veggies in ranch dressing, which gets more broccoli along with carrots, cauliflower, and beans. You can cut them into pretty small sticks to make it easier for them. And be prepared for a little bit of dripping.

Another way to try them is frozen peas straight from the freezer taste like candy, and they're fun! Just be sure they're old enough, and you're paying attention while they eat.

Gardening can add a whole new dimension s well. If the string beans came from their own garden, and they picked them themselves, they'll be interested in at least trying them. Fresh herbs can be grown indoors all year and sprinkled over corn or peas.

Personally, I think allowing them to find fun ways to enjoy eating healthy food is much better than hiding it in brownies or whatever. This way they have picked up a life-long (and life-lengthening) habit of eating their veggies. And it sure makes it easier at mealtime, only having to make one dinner for everyone!

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Harriss.
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