Getting Kids To Eat Veggies: Part 1

Some things are worth the fight. Getting your kids to eat veggies is one of those things.

Why just veggies? Because even though they are the best foods for the body, they are most often the last ones left on the plate.

Those mealtime fights you're having? They're not just pointless battles. They're part of a war. A war to create kids who:

• enjoy a variety of foods
• try new things
• eat well
• feel healthy
• can eat a nutritious meal without turning each bite into a theatrical performance

I've been a parent long enough to know how not to win the war.

I've tried making my son sit at the dinner table until the offending food was gone. (That merely strengthened his stubbornness.)

I've tried (oh, the humiliation) prying open his mouth (keepin' it real!) and "sticking" the food inside. Mmm-hmmmm. You can about imagine how well that went over.

Oh? You've had enough?

Let's move on to the helpful part. I've got several tricks up my sleeve, all of which I'll share with you over the coming weeks. But the one I've used most often, and works most consistently is:

Bribe 'em with candy.

Hey, it works.

But! It only works if meal times are the only times that candy is available. This is very important! Otherwise the motivation is gone.

Say to yourself: "I MUST BE MEAN MOMMY!!!"

[Look! I'm giving you permission!]

Kid eats a good meal? He gets candy. Doesn't eat a good meal? No candy. It's as simple as that.

Oh, we are flexible with this rule in determining how much has to be eaten. Sometimes it's a small bite; other times it's a few. Occasionally it's Lick Your Plate Clean Or Else.

What does matter is that the Parents have the Final Say On The Matter.

Oh, there are plenty of times where your kid will simply decide to leave the table without eating the veggie. But there will also be those times where he will eat the veggie, and a battle is won with ease. Sugar can be a mighty powerful motivator, especially when others are sitting around the table slurping and slopping over a nice piece of chocolate.

Being the nutrition geek that I am, it might surprise you that Bribing With Candy has a place in my house.

Ha!

Let me just tell you that we are faaaaar more average than you might think.

That being said, I always go back to the big picture. What I want is for my kids to eat well, and if a little sugar can get them to that long-term goal, then hallelujah. Besides, the only candy my kids get (except for special occasions) is what they earn at the table. There are many meals that go by without a soul earning his treat.

And! The quantity of candy that we dole out is small. Really small. A few M&Ms, a Hershey's kiss, a piece of gum. That's it. Our stash usually comes from the last sugar-fest of a holiday, and it's not unusual for our kids to be eating Valentine's hearts in April.

A side benefit to all this is that your kids won't be eating a bunch of sugar on an empty stomach, s-p-a-z-z-i-n-g them out. (Also known as, "getting in trouble.") Keeps the cavity count low, too.

[Excuse me while I accept my Obnoxiously Perfect Parent Award.]

[Something like that.]

And, letting kids have candy (versus having none at all) teaches them to enjoy such things in moderation. After they've done 187 right things to earn it, of course.

[Evil grin.]

And that long winded tip, my friends, is what Works For Me this Wednesday.

Many more Veggie Tricks to come.

You've been warned.