Play the Name Game

A study done by Brian Wansink, Ph.D., researcher at Cornell University and author of Mindless Eating, found that children ate twice as many vegetables when they gave their veggies fun names like “laser-beam carrots”, “strong spinach” and “power peas,” as opposed to just “carrots”, “spinach” and “peas.” Think of some fun names for your vegetables or have a super veggie of the day!

Cook Together

Get your child in the kitchen! You can start by shopping together, have some fun looking at all the vegetables and getting to know the grocery store produce. Grocery shopping helps them feel like they were a part of the decision-making process. When introducing them to the kitchen, give them simple tasks like stirring the pot, putting the vegetables in the pan or taste testing.

Drink Together

Always a crowd pleaser: make a delicious smoothie! Add apples, spinach, carrots, beets, banana and 4 ounces of orange juice to make a delicious and nutrient-packed smoothie. Play with your recipes and let your child help you decide what goes in each smoothie to let them to use their creative taste buds.

Puree Away

Use pureed pumpkin in pancake batter, or pureed zucchini and carrots in muffin batter to add a boost of nutrients to your sweet treat. You can use canned, fresh or frozen vegetables. Some helpful tips with each type are as follows:

• Canned: drain the liquid from the can and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
• Fresh: Wash your vegetables, then boil or steam them until the color is just brightened. Puree the cooked veggies in a food processor and let it cool before adding it to your food.
• Frozen: Thaw your vegetables in the bag, drain the fluid (spinach will need a squeeze to remove extra fluid) and puree in the food processor.

Dip It

Add a dip to your child’s vegetables. If your child likes ranch dressing or hummus, this may be your golden ticket to get them to eat more vegetables. A recent study showed that only 31% of children reported liking vegetables alone, but when paired with dip, 64% approved. Try cutting up several veggies and serve them with their favorite dip as an afternoon snack.

About the Author

Cristina Joros, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), has been working in the LA and OC Counties in the field of dietetics for 8 years with experience in patient services, hospital acute care, weight management, medical nutrition therapy and most recently renal/kidney nutrition therapy. She graduated with a Bachelors Degree of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Cal State University of Long Beach. She loves the ability to apply her knowledge to motivate, educate and empower people of all ages to take charge in their nutritional health to live healthy, happy and active lives. In her free time, she loves to hike, cook, dance, adventure in Disneyland with her husband and play with her corgi!