How to Get Kids to Eat Veggies Over the Holidays
Learn how to inspire vegetables for kids, even during the holidays, with this guide on how to get kids to eat veggies.
It’s the holiday season, when your child’s calendar is filling up quicker than your own! Add holiday parties and gatherings to their already full little social lives (playdate, anyone?), school, and extracurricular activities, and the season becomes a whirlwind series of “what to bring?” occasions. But don’t give in to the pull of chips and cookies at every occasion! Serve up party-ready veggies that are just as fun and delicious, but also nourishing to fuel children’s growing bodies while helping them develop healthy food preferences. By doing so, you can encourage more vegetables for kids, and learn how to get kids to eat veggies, too.
The foods young children eat and enjoy set the stage for the foods they’ll continue to eat and enjoy as they grow. That’s why it’s so important that they’re introduced to fruits and vegetables as infants and toddlers. Enjoyment of fruits and vegetables is the main predictor of consumption. According to a study published last year, 27% of toddlers and preschoolers are not eating even one serving of vegetables on any given day, and those that do are most likely eating French fries. This means they’re not getting enough important nutrients like fiber and vitamins D and E. But they are getting too much sodium and sugar from high-calorie and high-sugar foods. MyPlate recommends half of a preschooler’s plate be filled with fruits and vegetables, the other half with whole grains and lean protein.
What’s a parent to do? When time is scarce, especially this time of year, seek out forms of veggie-forward foods that are party pleasing to the kids, while getting fruits and vegetables in their bellies. Dressing up veggies for any event can be simple and pretty quick too. Just a few ingredients and a bit of creativity can turn carrots, broccoli, and beets into your toddler’s next favorite snack. If time is really tight, grab pre-cut, ready-to eat fresh fruits and veggies.
Try these top 4 tips for promoting veggie love at your next holiday gathering.
1. Artists at Play
Coax out their inner artist by serving a platter of vegetables sliced into bite-sized pieces—radish rounds, carrot discs or sticks, celery crescents, snow peas—so there’s a variety of shapes and colors. Spread a “canvas” of whole wheat pita or tortilla with hummus, nut butter, guacamole, or Greek yogurt and have them create a masterpiece like a face (self-portrait!), a flower, or whatever they can imagine.
2. Wow Them with the Unexpected
Red and yellow carrots? Green or purple cauliflower, yellow beet? How about watermelon radish that looks just like a slice of the summer favorite, or the red and white striped Chioggia beet that looks like candy? Or cut more common vegetables using shaped cutters or a knife: stars, triangles, letters, numbers, or noodles. The surprise will definitely pique their taste buds, especially when dipped in a fun coconut yogurt flavored with a fruit or veggie puree.
3. Disguise It
Sneak vegetables and fruits into a favorite dish or treat and feel good about it! Try my PB & J Bars, which include a pouch of grape fruit puree to help kids reach their daily fruit and veg servings, or my Strawberry Blondies with Coconut, which uses strawberry applesauce. They’re always a hit. Explore adding other veggies like squash to baked goods, or avocado to chocolate pudding—the options are limitless and the flavor is amazing. Neither kids nor their parents will ever know if you don’t tell them.
4. BYO.
If they build it, they will eat! Serve stackable vegetables like sliced cucumber, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet bell pepper, or foldable/roll-able spinach, kale, or lettuce alongside whole grain crackers, pita, or tortillas and have them build. They can create a color pattern, count the layers, or roll up a custom-built wrap or “burrito.”
The holidays are all about family and friends and making special connections—occasions that are so new for children, so prioritize enjoying time together. And when the kids’ calendars fill, don’t stress! You can still send them with fruit and veggie-based snacks and treats to parties and get-togethers, like a quick cut veggie plate with dip.
Written by Lori Zanteson
Photos and Recipes by Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN
For other healthy kid-friendly holiday recipes, try the following:
Vegan Broccoli Walnut Au Gratin
Vegan Mac and Cheese with Peas
Vegan Pasta with Creamy Spinach Ricotta Sauce
Easy Chocolate Chia Pudding with Strawberries
Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos
BEST Classic Hummus