Forget 5-a-day. We should be eating 10-a-day if the latest research is to be believed.
The trouble is that’s easier said than done if you’ve got picky eaters on your hands. In our house it’s not fruit that’s the problem – if anything BB and Little B are fruit bats – it’s veg.
Despite introducing them to a vast array of vegetables when they were babies now they’re older veg is automatically viewed with suspicion, and if I dare to chop and sprinkle anything green on food forget it. (The time I put spinach in Bolognese sauce and BB had a meltdown because she thought it was seaweed is particularly memorable).
So how do you get kids to eat more veg? Juice and smoothie brand innocent and not-for-profit organisation GIY (Grow It Yourself) are trying to do just that through their #sowandgrowUK campaign which is aimed at encouraging primary school children to grow their own vegetables from seeds.
The idea is that growing food creates ‘food empathy’ and children who grow their own food are more likely to eat fruit and veg, plus it gets them outside in the fresh air, putting their hands in dirt and having some fun.
Teachers can apply for completely free growing packs online with enough seeds, growing cups, soil and resource packs (including a star grower badge) for a class of 32 and innocent hopes to reach 6,666 schools – that’s one quarter of the UK’s primary schools – through the project in 2017.
Parents can also take part by entering competitions on innocent’s new wedge smoothies to be in with the chance of winning packets of seeds to grow at home. We’re ambassadors for the project which runs until the end of April and we’re now three weeks in after planting baby carrots, runner beans and cress last month.
Here’s what I’ve learnt about how to get kids to eat their veg so far.
Fun ways to get kids to eat more veg
1. Grow them yourself. The theory behind the #sowandgrowUK campaign is that even the smallest food growing experiences can change the way kids think about healthy food. And it’s true. Our cress is now ready to harvest so I gave BB a pair of scissors and let her cut it herself, after which she not only tried it but sprinkled it on tomatoes and cucumber – and ate the lot. Given she would previously shriek if I put green on anything this is quite an achievement!
2. Lead by example. Rather than taking a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ approach make sure they see you eating your veg too. We’ve turned the #sowandgrowUK project into a family affair with each of our names on the growing pots and each of us competing for star grower each week. This week Misery Guts won the star grower badge for his runner bean which even managed to put a smile on his face!
3. Offer a range of colours. There’s no point giving them sloppy boiled cabbage or unappetising looking leaves and expecting them to eat it. The #sowandgrowUK project includes fast-growing carrots, cress and runner beans which grow into different sizes, shapes, textures and colours which make for an interesting dinner plate.
4. Get the kids involved in the making. Growing their own food means kids are more likely to eat it, and making a meal themselves means they’re more likely to eat it too. Fellow Sow & Grow ambassador Emily Leary over at A Mummy Too has some brilliant recipes on her blog, including home-grown carrot and mango curry and carrot and runner bean towers which the whole family can help make – and eat.
5. Don’t force them to finish. Turning mealtimes into a battle ground is only going to creative negative food associations, not positive ones. According to a survey carried out by innocent 64% of parents said the biggest barrier to getting children to eat healthily is fussy eating, and 14% of those surveyed said they simply don’t have the time or energy to enforce eating fruit and veg. I know how they feel. Try a ‘one bite’ rule instead, where the deal is they try at least one bite of the vegetables you serve up with each meal. Apparently exposing a child to a rejected food 8-10 times means it will eventually be accepted (I’ll get back to you on whether this one actually works though!)
Is your school signed up to #sowandgrowUK? If so then upload your photos at https://innocentsowandgrow.com/ to be in with the chance to win monthly prizes from innocent and see your classroom crowned as Sow & Grow champions!
Following the repackage of innocent kids drinks, consumers can also win seed packs by following the instructions on pack. They’re available nationwide now in most major supermarkets.
How do you get your little ones to eat their veg? If you’ve got any tips I’d love to hear what they are!
We’re working with innocent and Grow It Yourself (GIY) as Sow & Grow ambassadors for the duration of the #sowandgrowUK project. As always all opinions are my own.
Linking up with…
Always a tricky one getting the kids to eat their veg. mine always loved to watch their seeds grow.
http://www.vanityandmestyle.com
I think watching them grow from seed has definitely encouraged BB to be more adventurous!
Great tips. Getting them involved definitely helps and it turned my son’s fussy eating around, he’s fantastic now and will try most things. We always go with the one bite rule too. My daughter is proving harder to convince but I’m trying to be relaxed about it. We always add the veg to her plate but never force her to eat it, she’s only 2 though so we’re just hoping that seeing these things on her plate enough times and watching us all eat them she’ll eventually start eating them herself. She does love the innocent smoothies though and has one every morning with her breakfast, the ones with the hidden veg in are even better. Her current favourite is beetroot!
#FamilyFun
Yes I manage to get kale into BB and Little B because they’re hidden in smoothies!
Love all your ideas, there is not doubt kids needs some persuading to eat veg, at some point int heir teens they do start to like them without all the games but until then all ideas are most welcome! #Best&Worst .
Oh no – you mean fussy eating is going to last until they’re teenagers?!!
Great ideas. My kids view anything green as suspicious. I don’t really stress too much about them not loving all veg etc because they eat a huge amount of fruit.
#familyfun
Yes mine eat lots of fruit too – they’re proper little fruit bats!
Fab ideas….I am such a bad example to my girls when it comes to eating veg. I do hate my greens but thankfully my two are pretty good at eating veggies. #bestandworst
It’s so hard encouraging them to eat something when you hate it yourself!
About the only way I can get Kalel to eat his veg is to throw them in the blender with some fruit. Smoothies are his favorite! He has no clue he’s eating carrots, broccoli, spinach… 😉
I add things like flax seed too, which I’d never get them to eat otherwise…
Fab ideas. I’ve been thinking about buying some seeds for a while and planting them with my daughter. She used to eat nothing but fruit and veg but she’s become way more fussy lately. Hopefully, growing food will encourage her to eat it #FamilyFun
My older two have had so much fun during this campaign – and I have too!
Great ideas to get kids to eat more veg! Wish I was in the Uk because I’d definitely get my school involved in this. #FamilyFun
Popping back to say thank you for linking up to #ablogginggoodtime
It’s a shame the campaign isn’t Europe-wide too and then you could be involved too!
Great tips, especially about growing them yourself. We’ve also found that letting my son eat them with ranch dressing (while not healthy by itself) gets him to eat a variety of vegetables raw! Hey, at least he’s eating vegetables!
Oh yes, mine love dipping too. That’s the only way I can get them to eat peppers!
Ah the I love the idea of sow and grow. I always let mine get involved with the making but it never seems to make much difference, perhaps if they were involved from the very start, i.e. the growing process perhaps they will be more intrigues… I can but try eh. Thank you for the ideas and sharing at #familyfun xx
Yes you should try it – good luck!
I soooo need to be mindful of the last one – there is something inbuilt in me to want a ‘clean plate’. I really have to watch myself about this. A really helpful post. #familyfun
I don’t tend to force a clean plate but I know what you mean about not wanting waste…
Some good tips – I think setting an example is key. Crazy the amount of stuff they pick up from us!
Yes the good and the bad!!
This is a fab idea!! I think my kids would love to do this and such a great way to encourage them to eat. Thanks for linking up, apologies for the delayed comment. #bestandworst
The whole campaign has been so much fun!
Good ideas! Mine are also keener on fruit – I think it’s common with kids tending to like sweeter tastes. I figure it’s okay as long as they eat fruit or veg! They’ll both eat carrots and peas though. And the little one isn’t bad – she’ll eat quite a few veg. #ablogginggoodtime
Mine really love sweetcorn too – that always seems to be a hit!