[Aquaman87]

When kids have not been raised to eat vegetables, how do you get them to start? I know we must pick our battles but this one is important. I've gotten them to agree that a serving of vegetables is the same size as a serving of the things they like.

Cheese doesn't work as they don't like the "texture" of melted cheese once it cools.

Chopping them up doesn't help as they convince themselves vegetables are chunks or even flakes. Spaghetti sauce must be almost liquid thin for them to eat it without a hassle. I tried pureeing vegetables so they wouldn't notice them.

My 10-year-old somehow makes himself vomit on his plate due to what bio-mom warned as a "sensitive gag reflex" about vegetables. I found out the hard way with potato salad last night, which I explained was basically a devilled egg with potato chunks.

They know potatoes & corn are not much more than starch providers.

I've tried raw, steamed, fresh, frozen, (I refuse to buy canned vegetables), salads, taking them to the store to see what they'll eat, witholding dessert if they can't eat their vegetables, sitting at the table for an hour while they eat what's on their plate, witholding seconds on favorite foods until vegetables are eaten, and now I'm completely out of ideas.

A trip to Subway is a major battle if I require them to find three vegies for their sandwich. Meat, dough, cheese, and potatoes are the staples they've relied on for years.

Vitamins may provide nutrients but not some of the essentials and are generally not time-released.

What can I do?!

[Gryph]

We find they eat many more vegetables when they help grow them. It's not an immediate solution but it is one that builds lasting effects.

[stepforone]

I know veggies are important but I'm 42 and grew up eating no veggies but canned corn. Not salad or anything else (potatos yes but do they really count?). I'm healthy enough and haven't really suffered for it. I still don't eat many veggies: salad, carrots, broc. with cheese, tomatos and that's about it! Have you tried cold veggies - carrots, broc., califlower etc. with dip? Ranch dressing, yogurt, onion dip. Whatever might work. Just wanted you to know that it won't kill them if they take longer to eat some of these things. Buy the way, I didn't eat much fruit either. I do try to get my fd to eat all the good stuff though. So far she hasn't noticed that I don't join her for green beans or peas!

[Peggy]

Sometimes not allowing them to have something makes them want it. Prepare yourself a vegatable a certain way you love. Make a big deal out of it, and serve it to yourself, telling them not to touch it, because it is your special treat or only for the grown ups. Act totally schocked that they don't think it is a treat, and eat it with gusto! This would sometimes work with my daughter.

[Aquaman87]

My former 11/10yo foster sons was like that without the gag reflex. We researched serving sizes, why potatoes and corn are not really vegetables, and tried to find pictures/recipes online they might like. I often minced/pureed veggies to put in chili or hide in a sauce.

Our agreement was they had to eat a full serving of everything fixed for dinner--- without complaint--- if they wanted either dessert or a bedtime treat.

I'll never forget the disheartened look of resignation when my 11yo learned a serving of lima beans is one cup. We took his plate and scraped his limas into a measuring cup and he was so dejected when seeing it exactly one serving--- to the bean! I felt vindicated while he felt defeated.

They got me back one night when I suggested adding cheese. One quickly said, "Dan, you CAN'T put cheese on EVERYTHING!" I was ready to have him picked up right then & there. How absolutely wrong on SO many levels! ;-)

The general rule is they have to eat something 5-7 times to learn to like it, or at least tolerate it. My mom bribed me with a Star Trek video if I learned to eat apple sauce for some reason as a teenager. Hey, I was a nerd. It worked although I still don't like it.

[MamaS]

First, try doing for them what we do for babies. They say it takes 10 presentations of a new food before a baby will eat it. Pick the food you want to start with -- say cole slaw. Call it a salad not a vegetable.
The first night, put 1 spoonful on their plate. Just one. That is all they are expected to eat. You eat a regular serving.
The next day, put 2 spoonfuls. The next day three, etc. Until you get to one-half cup. (Even I would not eat a full cup of lima beans at a meal, and I like lima beans! Let a "serving" be one-half to three-fourths cup).
Second, give them veto power. Let them choose one vegetable that they do not eat and do not have to eat. For former President Bush, it was broccoli. For me, it is beets. Tried them, don't like them, tried them several different ways, still don't like them. They grow in dirt and I can taste the dirt! Oddly, don't feel the same about potatoes, carrots or onions - they grow in dirt and I love them.

[ang-n-noel]

I had/have texture and smell issues with a lot of foods. As a child I ate absolutely no vegetables with the exceptions of corn or Lima beans in soup.

The best thing my parents ever did for me was to offer them, put them on my plate, but not force me to eat them. But not before I got to the point of sneaking food before dinner time because I was so hungry. But I couldn't handle sitting in front of a smelly plate of green beans or peas for an hour not even being allowed to get up from the table to uncramp my legs or go to the bathroom. Or the idea of vomiting onto my plate again. For me, that pattern of sneaking food lead to binging, and real problems with food.

Food quickly becomes a battle with children, much like potty learning. Those are two things they can control very well.

I follow the ideal of: It's MY CHOICE in regards to what they are offered/served to eat. I decide what's for dinner. THEY decide how much of it to eat, if any at all. Unless a child already has food issues of course, in which case I would follow advice of their Ped or councilor.

I also never ever put desert in line as a reward for doing anything, especially not eating other things. I am an emotional eater, and I have an unhealthy relationship with food in that way. If I can break that pattern for one child, I will have succeeded.

[Jeremiah_29:11]

Here are a couple suggestions:
There is a product called "Juice Plus" that has your entire nutrients from your daily 'required' intake of fruits and vegetables and they make it in gummies for kids!! (I take the gummies myself-lol!) Couple things about it is that they have a buy JP+ for adult and get it free for the kids! WOW! Also, Oprah did a show where she tested 100 products to see if they did what they said they did and JP+ stood the test!! For me, seeing is believing... My husband was about to be put on bloodpressure medicine when we first learned of JP+ and decided to give it a try because he is worse than any kid at eating veggies!! and all the studies talk about how much healthier we would all be if we ate veggies, etc... so we went for it. (Studies show that your DNA replaces itself EVERY four months so every 4 months you are either getting healthier or sicker) Well, we did it and after being on JP+ my husband no longer needed BP meds! He was about 160/100 before and it went down to 130/80- woohoo! We were glad we tried this before lifetime bp meds!
I don't sell this stuff but it sounds like I should- I really just can tell the difference it has made for us and many others so anyway that might be an option! Here is the site if you want to read about it: www.eatjuiceplus4life.com
Another thing is just last night one of my friends was telling me about a cookbook called "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food' that gives you ideas on how to make meals with veggies in them and you can't even taste the veggies!
Another one of my friends has a chocolate cake recipe with veggies in it- it was so good and I NEVER tasted a single vegetable- I was shocked! If you are interested in that recipe, pm me and I will ask her for it.
Hopes this helps

[EandDmom]

Have you tried the juicy juice fruit juice that has vegetables in it? I buy that for my kids and I've tasted it. You really can't taste anything but fruit juice. My kids love veggies but there are days where I just don't fix any like if we are eating a sandwich or breakfast for dinner. On those days I give them this juice.

[TxMom65]

This will sound gross but you can throw some frozen fruit (I use strawberries) and fresh fruit and mix it in thr blender. You can add raw spinach or other green veg. I usually add some type of sweetener. It tastes like a fruit smoothie.

My daughter was raised on chips and would eat nothing but Doritos all day if I let her. If I say no chips it is a battle. I let her eat some chips once a day and she chooses when.

[Chancey]

I don't have any other suggestions for getting them to eat than all the great ones given by PP's.

My thoughts are you are engaging in a power struggle here. We were taught in PRIDE training and have learned throughout our fostering that you should NEVER engage in power struggles -- you almost never win those. My suggestion would be to back off the trying to force them and see what else you can do to encourage.

BTW... my bio son - 12 - is not a big vegetable eater. He is perfectly healthy.

[Hadley2]

ang-n-noel is absolutely right. As soon as you try to force a child to eat anything, you've pretty much lost the game, IMO. The quickest way to an eating disorder are the tactics and strategies some of you are talking about. Especially with kids for whom control is already an issue, you are really playing with fire.

This is a little OT, but the eat everyting on your plate rule falls into this category, too--fastest way to train a child for an eating disorder ever. When this happens, the child is being trained to ignore his/her body signals regarding fullness and satiety. A full portion for one person may be too little or too much for another. You can't measure your way through life, you need to learn to listen to your body.

Also, no one needs to eat everything everyday. It is OK to listen to your body and heat mostly fruit one day, mostly protein another, etc. As long as there is the right variety and proportions over time, it is fine. As long as the person is healthy and listens to their body's signals, it is fine.

The best way to ensure that not too much junk is eaten is to simply not have it.

On the vomiting, take it seriously. IT HAPPENS. It used to happen to me when I was little. There is a genetic predisposition, I forget what it is called, but there is some chemical in veggies that hits the tongue a certain way in people having this gene and makes them gag. Some of us grow out of it, some don't. Cooking brings it out more, but vegs like broccoli really bring it out.

Most veggie-averse kids will still eat raw carrot or celery sticks with a dressing that they like (it doesn't have to be ranch). Some will venture into sliced cucumber (peeled). You can try different types of leafy greens BY THEMSELVES--no other vegs added--in small amounts, with or without a dressing they like.

Wraps can be fun. I use one of those veg platter things and put it on our lazy susan in the center of the table. There is usually an assortment of things like shredded carrot, cucumbers, cheese shreds, chicken strips, cashews, green pepper, onion, raw brocoli, etc. (I don't eat the broccoli, eww).

Some kids like raw green beans, too. My veg-averse one will eat them any time it is a contest with her sister, who loves veggies. Not a fair contest, but she can't resist competing.

If they like whipped potatoes, you can get a lot of cooked and whipped cauliflower and zucchini in there without them knowing. Go easy on the cauliflower, though, as sometimes it has that distinctive odor. Start by adding small amounts and get them used to the slightly different flavor slowly. If you flavor the potatoes with butter or onion (if they like it), so much the better for disguising other things.

On dessert, if there is dessert, there is dessert. It cannot be used as a reward or a punishment. It must just be there in a reasonable portion. If kids are eating too little dinner and too much dessert, stop having dessert at all for awhile.

If they like fruit, focus more on providing different kinds of fruit into their diet.

Good luck. If this is their main "issue," you are doing well.

[Ssumner]

I also agree that you should not force your child to "finish" what is on his plate, etc. You don't want to force the issue to much either. Kids will eat when they are truly hungry and some do not do well with 3 meals every single day. Try to not focus so much energy on this as it can bring some issues with food.

For my kids, I just leave out a plate every day of fresh veggies, cut up on the table throughout the day (carrots, cucumbers, celery, peppers, etc.) along with some dip. When they need a snack, they'll nibble on the veggie platter. I do this will fruit as well.

I also have very little junk food in my home. A trip to the ice cream store, is a treat usually once every few weeks. Also, making a batch of cookies is a special treat too.

[Ashley-n-D]

have you tried juicing i mean actually juicing fresh fruits and veggies

buy a jucier let them pick out the friuts and veggies let them help run the machine its fun and if your careful no veggie taste at all

[stevenstwin]

I'm wondering if they have other food issues, as well, or if it is just the not eating veggies? It seems to me they might be using this simply as a control thing - something in their lives they have power over. My FS used to be an awful food hoarder. He had also been raised on crappy pre-packaged convenience foods, so he wasn't interested in trying anything else. I set the really essential rules - like "no food in your bedroom" (and I set up a shelf for his snack foods that no one else could touch, so he'd always know they'd be there) but didn't tell him what he could or couldn't eat. I only bought healthy stuff, so if he got hungry he didn't have a lot of choices. Now, I'll admit, he still doesn't eat much in the way of fruits and vegetables, but he has learned to cook and take an interest in a variety of foods. I don't think he'll EVER eat a raw vegetable, but at least he'll cook with them sometimes, IF it is a part of something else. His favourite thing to make is Fettucine Alfredo and he puts broccoli, carrots and peas in that!