# How do I get my toddler to eat veggies? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 21, 2015, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236 "2015-02-21T01:35:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Lemmytheseal2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/82dd89/32.png) [@Lemmytheseal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemmytheseal2)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/101 "2015-02-24T22:01:22Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > go away. Why? It took me years to wean myself off of meat. I wish I had grown up with vegetarianism more close at hand, as it were. Eating less meat is one of the best things we can all do for ourselves and for the planet, and the sooner it starts, the better. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/102 "2015-02-24T22:57:49Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > If it doesn’t come up in Africa or China, why not? “Geez, Mom, we’ve had Chinese every day this week!” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/103 "2015-02-24T23:04:56Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Is this a first world problem? > > I mean, I do not have any international child-feeding experience, but I understand the OP has done quite a bit of work overseas in third-world countries. How do parents handle this there? If it doesn’t come up in Africa or China, why not? Like even sven says, when food is scarce, it is probably also predictable. So my immigrant great-grandmother’s kids always cleaned their plates? Great. They ate the same damn thing for dinner every damn night (specifically: navy beans cooked in tomato sauce, sopped up with white bread). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/104 "2015-02-25T00:54:44Z")
> [@Lemmytheseal2](#): > > Why? It took me years to wean myself off of meat. I wish I had grown up with vegetarianism more close at hand, as it were. Eating less meat is one of the best things we can all do for ourselves and for the planet, and the sooner it starts, the better. can you proselytize elsewhere? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/105 "2015-02-25T02:00:34Z")
Okay, guys. There is no chance of my child becoming vegetarian if she won’t eat vegetables, now is there? She’s discovered she really likes quinoa, which makes me feel very much like a stereotype. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/106 "2015-02-25T02:05:10Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Okay, guys. There is no chance of my child becoming vegetarian if she won’t eat vegetables, now is there? > > She’s discovered she really likes quinoa, which makes me feel very much like a stereotype. 😃 Next up: kale! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/107 "2015-02-25T02:07:24Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Okay, guys. There is no chance of my child becoming vegetarian if she won’t eat vegetables, now is there? > > She’s discovered she really likes quinoa, which makes me feel very much like a stereotype. _shrug_ quinoa is quite nutrient-dense; the key ones it lacks are vitamins A, B12, and C. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/108 "2015-02-25T03:33:41Z")
I _still_ hate most vegetables, I’m one of those people who is overly sensitive to bitterness. So here are a few suggestions from someone who’s spent decades learning to like even a few items: Chow mein and egg rolls; cream of vegetable soups; iceberg lettuce with a dash of lemon juice; carrots and celery in chicken soup; casseroles with cooked cabbage as an ingredient; chili with kidney beans or cut green beans. If you have to serve broccoli, make it tiny chunks, not huge broccoli trees. Oh, and fresh vegetables are the least nasty, frozen second, canned can be really bad. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/109 "2015-02-25T04:25:47Z")
Apart from all the really good advice in here, and the not so good, I have one important piece for you. Don’t be afraid to lie through your teeth. What’s that green thing? It’s not a vegetable, it’s a (make something up or call it something else related to something she likes) Little kids have scrambled taste buds. If you need to get her to eat something by lying about what it is, fine. I read about a chef who would make frozen lollypops out of beetroot jiuce and told the kids it was cherry. After a couple of weeks of eating it he’d tell them the truth, by which time they were used to the taste. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/110 "2015-02-25T04:32:49Z")
> [@stui\_magpie](#): > > Don’t be afraid to lie through your teeth. What’s that green thing? It’s not a vegetable, it’s a (make something up or call it something else related to something she likes) > > Little kids have scrambled taste buds. If you need to get her to eat something by lying about what it is, fine. Sounds like a great way to reinforce the idea that honest vegetables are yucky. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/111 "2015-02-25T09:47:33Z")
Yeah, if the kid ends up thinking that broccoli’s nice, carrots are nice, capsicum’s nice, tomato’s nice … but those yucky _vegetables_, ew! … not so much of a problem I think. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/112 "2015-02-25T10:52:10Z")
As a father of two, who used to get invited to eat at other kids houses to encourage them to eat, I feel qualified to offer an opinion. First thing is to make the child hungry at meal times. That means cutting out all snacks completely except as a special treat. Let her pick from your plate. When we went to restaurants, which was fairly often, we rarely bought them a meal of their own. Two adult meals and two empty plates please - if they didn’t like it (rare) we upped and left. If you feel that you should be getting some veggies down them regardless - sneak them into other stuff, Bolognese was a favourite (and still is) I started adding finely chopped carrots to up the veggie content. We also gave them raw stuff to chew on when they were teething. Cucumber is quite soothing, and when the teeth show, carrots are satisfyingly sweet and crunchy, even if they spit it out after. Finally - don’t give up. Persist but don’t fight. Show that you enjoy what you are eating (I think kids pick a lot of stuff up from visual cues - eat this, it’s good for you…NO - so if they see you munching lettuce, they will want it too. ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236/113 "2015-02-25T17:16:10Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > 😃 Next up: kale! My toddler loves kale chips! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-toddler-to-eat-veggies/713236.md?page=5)