Preschoolers, Eat Your Vegetables! - Simple Ideas and Recipes

Picky-eating preschoolers often turn up their noses at vegetables. At the same time, the folklore of eating vegetables for health is backed up by plenty of research. Vegetables are full of fiber, nutrients, and phytonutrients. Plus, helping your preschooler acquire a taste for this low-calorie and nutrient-dense food group will serve him/her well in the future. To get your preschooler to eat even a spoonful of vegetables, experts recommend perseverance - offering vegetables over and over with meals and snacks. This means you'll need lots of novel ideas!  

Quick and Simple Vegetables

Boiled Soybeans. You might be familiar with edamame, a common appetizer in Japanese restaurants - it's simply boiled soybeans. You can find this fun finger food in the grocery store, too. Look in the natural food section or the frozen aisle near the vegetables. Edamame comes shelled as beans but you should try edamame still in the shell - preschoolers will enjoy popping the beans directly in their mouths. Open a bag, boil for three minutes, and you’ve got a nutritious snack or side dish.

Baby Carrots. You can’t get much more convenient than a bag of baby carrots. You’ve no doubt tried these as a quick veggie serving right from the bag. They are also easy to slice into small matchsticks to boil for a fun side dish.

Dried Vegetables. Dried fruit is a popular preschooler snack. Will your preschooler go for dried veggies?

- Try Tomato Chewies as part of a healthy afternoon snack.

- Or buy ready-to-eat dried veggies (from Just Tomato, etc. Snacks) for snacking or cooking.

Vegetables as Meals

Tofu. Tofu is not for vegetarians only! It's made from soybeans and a convenient main dish  - buy a container and store it in the fridge to sauté when you need a last-minute meal. You can also use it as a replacement for meat in most mixed dishes.

Beans. Beans do double duty in your preschooler’s diet. They have the protein power of meat and are also one of the most nutrient-dense plant foods. Simply add refried or black beans to a cheese tortilla, taco, or as a dip for tortilla chips. For a hearty meal, try White Chili.

Soup. If your preschooler likes soup, you’ve got the perfect solution for helping him/her eat more veggies. Beans and vegetables are the basis of many classic soups. Or add any vegetable you have on hand to a good pot of soup - minestrone, chicken noodle, potato leek, and Broccoli Chowder to name just a few.

Go Traditional - Vegetable Sides

Cauliflower with Honey and Orange

Orange-Glazed Carrots

by Kati Chevaux

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