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I don’t have children myself, but manypeoplehave asked me for tips to get their kids eating healthier. Soforthe past few months I’ve been reading the scientific literatureandtalking to parents around the world to uncover the secretsofgetting kids to eat their greens.

The good news is it is not impossible. The bad news is thatitrequires consistency and persistance from the parents, and itwon’tbe easy. But if you’re willing to stick to your guns, youshouldcome out triumphant in the end.
11 Proven Ways To Get Kids To Eat More Vegetables

1. Set an example

By far the best predictor of a child’s eating behavior istheeating patterns of her parents. If vegetables and healthy foodsarerelegated to an afterthought in your household, it’s toughtoexpect your kids to take to them. Kids eat what they know, andtheywon’t ask for a special meal if they do not know it isanoption.

2. Make food fun

Kids love to play make believe. They also love games.Broccolican be intimidating to a kid hoping for macaroni andcheese. But ifhe is a dinosaur who needs to eat five miniaturetrees in order tooutrun a tyrannosaurus rex, suddenly those floretsare a lot moreinteresting. Relating healthy food to fun things thechild alreadyloves and turning it into a game is a great way to geta few bitesof greens down the hatch.

3. Get them involved

Children are more invested in a meal if they help withitspreparation. Taking your kids with you to the farmers marketorgrocery store and letting them pick one or two things to cookfordinner can make them far more excited to eat it later. Betteryet,start a garden and teach them how to plant and harvest theirown.Letting them clean carrots, snap beans, mix the dressing andsetthe table gives them a sense of pride and makes themmoreenthusiastic and cooperative at meal time.

4. Enforce the “one bite rule”

Research consistently shows that children who haveinitiallyrejected a food must be exposed to it at least 8-10 timesfor thefood to be accepted. Many parents have had success with the“onebite rule,”

5. Don’t force them to finish

One bite is different from finishing your plate. One ofthebiggest misconceptions among parents is that forcing their childtoeat a food she doesn’t like will get her to change herbehavior.However, fighting and punishments create a negativemealexperience, and the child will learn to associate food with thebadfeelings.

6. Reward good behavior

On the other side of the coin, creating positive foodexperiencescan decrease picky eating tendencies.

7. Understand their values

Children don’t see the world as adults do, and as a resulttheyhave very different values. They could care less abouthealth—mostkids think they’re invincible—

8. Offer diverse food colors

One thing you have working in your favor is that childrenlikecolorful foods. You can expose them to more colors by addingmorevegetables to their plates. While adults tend to likeflavorsmingled together, children often prefer them separate. Soyou mayhave better luck making separate vegetable dishes instead ofa big,mono-color casserole.

9. Arrange food in patterns on the plate

Another reason to cook different vegetables separately isthatchildren love when their food is designed into patterns ontheirplate.

10. Use butter, garlic and bacon

There’s nothing wrong with adding additional flavorstovegetables to make them more appealing to children.

11. Keep at it

Some children will be more difficult than others, andwillrequire more effort and patience. It’s important torealize,however, that the habits they develop at a young age willremainwith them long into adulthood. For your sake and theirs, itisworth solving picky eating problems as soon as possible.Continueto set a good example, create fun, positive experiencesaroundfood,