Daughter won't eat fruit or vegetables HELP?

Question

What is the best way to encourage a 7 year old who refuses point blank to try fruit and vegetables. At meal times I put a small amount of veg etc on her plate and ask her to at least try some, but she refuses. She's a very healthy girl considering, am I an over anxious mother?

Answer 1

I liked the idea about puree veg into other food such as shepards pie.....may try that

anyway, my 5 yr old nephew is EXACTLY the same. we have all come to the end of out tether and have given up trying to get him to eat anything healthy. He only really eats cheese and potatoes!! mind you, health visitor and school dont see it as a problem and neither have commented on his weight so i feel that he will eat what he wants when he wants.

P.S.....NEVER worry about being over anxious.....you know your child better then anbody else and dont let them make you think your being silly in worrying about her!

good luck
Flower xx

Answer 2

The more you try to encourage her to eat them the more she will resist. If you feel she is not getting enough vitamins from the food she is eating give her a vitamin supplement for children.
When she gets older I'm sure her eating habits will change and she will eat the foods she disliked as a child, sure there will be the odd veg and fruit that will remain untouched but on the whole I'm sure her eating habits will change with age. Don't get yourself so anxious and relax a bit as you said she is healthy...... you have nothing to worry about.

Answer 3

Try cholate covered straw berries then go to plain straw berries. Here is a list of many many fruits and veggies. I bet she would like some of them VEGETABLES Bok Choy Broccoli Collard greens Dark green leafy lettuce Kale Mesclun Mustard greens Romain lettuce Spinach Turnip greens Watercress Acorn squash Butternut squash Carrots Hubbard squash Pumpkin Sweet potatoes Black beans Black eyed peas Garbanzo beans Kidney beans Lentils Lima beans Navy beans Pinto beans Soy beans Split peas Tofu White beans Corn Green peas Potatoes Artichoke Asparagus Bean sprouts Beets Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Cucumber Eggplant Green beans Red peppers Green peppers Iceberg lettuce Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnip Tomatoes Tomato juice Turnip Wax beans Zucchini FRUITS Apples Apricot Avocado Bananas Strawberries Blueberries Raspberries Cherry Grapefruit Grapes Kiwi Lemon Lime Mangoes Cantaloupe Honeydew Watermelon Fruit cocktail Nectarines Oranges Peach Pear Papaya Pineapple Plume Prune Raisins Tangerines I think she will like at least 1 of those, I don't know, 80 chooses! I hope this helped you out!

Answer 4

Pressuring kids to try certain foods will only make it harder (not that you're pressuring her, I just wanted to mention that first off).

Start with fruits, those will be easiest. Instead of giving her plain fruit, try mixing it into something. Maybe put some sliced strawberries in yogurt. You can get a kit at the grocery store that is for making chocolate dipped bananas. They also have a strawberry dipping sauce and a peanut butter one. The kit comes with the sauce and a dozen or so popsicle sticks and it's about $1 for the whole thing. Maybe that would get her excited to try fruit.

Make fruit smoothies too. Kids love them and I think that might be something she'd try.

Answer 5

Make soup. Lots of people think they sont like the taste but it is really the texture of veg. Make Broccolli soup and call it slime soup or make it pink with a bit of beetroot and call it Barbie Soup. It works for my 3 year old who will now happilly munch on cauliflower. The earlier you start the better and 7 is a bit late, but if you can get a couple of portions a day down their neck it all helps. Also, dont let bad eating adults eat with you, for instance, Dad refuses turnip? He eats alone!!

Oh and Always put it on the plate, dont be tempted to leave it off to save waste. I garnish my wee boys food with salad which he now eats but didnt for the first couple of years!

Answer 6

This sounds harsh - but, only offer fruits and veggies and all meal times - sooner or later she'll be hungry enough to at least try.

In my family - we have a "taster's club" - - if you just taste what we ask you get a small reward (whatever the kid really likes - maybe an x-tra piece of candy, things like that.
At least if they try it and REALLY don't like it - they still get points for trying.
Then switch things up - try new things - every kid has different tastes - - when I was a kid - I preferred my veggies raw (still do)

Good luck - remember, YOU are the parent - set your rules AND STICK TO THEM! - That is most important!!

Answer 7

Put at least one bit of each on her plate. Explain to her she has to try it, but does not have to eat it if she doesn't like it. Then make her sit at the table until she does. The first time you do this, she could sit there a very long time. Don't give in, she will try them. Make this part of your routine every night, and in about a week she will try what you put on her plate to keep from sitting there any longer than she has to.

Answer 8

I was the same when i was little!
try turning it into something fun...does she eat noodles? you could try mixing it with some veg which you have cut into different shapes and then cover it with sauce see if she likes it that way. my brother is the same as i was, hes 8 and it works for him.
my mum got me to eat veg using stew. she basically blended the veg slightly so that i didnt notice big chunks of carrot etc and leave it. boy did it work because i actually liked it, i was just being picky!
you could try something like mongolian lamb, you use a lettuce leaf to wrap some spiced lamb mince up, a bit like a tortilla and it tastes really really nice esp if you use plum / hoi sin sauce to dip it in!
good luck.

Answer 9

A trick in Northern Ireland used to be adding small bits of veg to mashed potatoes - champ. If she likes roast potatoes, try roasting some vegetables. Try making soups which involve pureed veg - add some pureed carrot to tomato soup. There are plenty of tricks to get children to eat veg.

Good luck!

Answer 10

hard question... eating habits are made when they are still in diapers... did you feed her any sweets and a lot of fruits when she was a baby? lack of vegetables in the diet will cause bad eating habits when they get older. Or it could just be her age. Have her take a vitamin daily to get those nutrients shes not getting otherwise. they make some pretty good tasting ones nowadays... even some that look and taste like gummy bears. just keep working with her and reward her when she does eat them! your a great mother for worrying, but i don't think you have a seious problem.