HOW TO GET YOUR FOODIE EATING VEGETABLES

Vegetables are hugely important for growing foodies, but it can sometimes be challenging to get children eating what they need.

We’re hugely passionate about the power of veg for little ones, which is why Babease food is full of vegetable goodness!

As your child grows, so does their relationship with vegetables. In this blog, we’re looking at how you can nurture that relationship throughout their early years to help ensure they love their veggies now and in the future!

First Tastes

Weaning is the perfect time to introduce your little one to the wonderful world of veggies. If they learn to enjoy the various tastes and textures from an early age, they’re more likely to be adventurous with their food as they grow older.

The weaning journey can be an incredible experience for both parents and babies. If you’re just starting out, here are some of our top tips for weaning with vegetables:

• Always try to offer as many different vegetables as possible.
• Use plenty of herbs and spices to liven up dishes rather than adding salt and check the salt content of ingredients used, such as stock cubes.
• When introducing solids, try giving food from your plate as well as specially prepared food. This encourages them to eat them as they see you doing the same.
• Try to sit down and eat with them as much as possible. Little ones love to mimic what you’re doing, plus it creates a fun and social atmosphere around food, as it should be!
• Weaning will be messy, but you just have to go with the flow. Just make sure your baby’s not wearing any particularly precious clothing when they’re eating!

Finger Foods

Finger foods are a great way to get your little one interested in the food they’re eating. Allowing them to pick up and explore different foods at their own pace - even if that means squishing or throwing them at first - helps develop a stronger relationship between themselves and food.

Finger food is also a great way to introduce your little one to different textures as they develop.

Veggie Finger Food Ideas for Babies

Vegetables make for the perfect finger foods for weaning. Not only can they be prepared in various ways for different textures, but it’s also a great way to introduce different tastes to your little one!

Here are some really simple vegetable finger food ideas:

• Roasted sweet potato wedges
• Courgette sticks 
• Steamed or roasted carrots, parsnips, swede or cauliflower
• Steamed florets of broccoli

If you want to try something new for your little one, why not check our recipes section? It’s full of exciting family and weaning recipes for all stages and tastes!

Ideas for Including More Vegetables

Even as children get older, they continue to want new and exciting food experiences, meaning there are plenty of opportunities to introduce them to more vegetables.

If you’re struggling to get your foodie eating as many vegetables as you’d like, here are some parent-approved ideas to consider!

• Take vegetables in the car for after school snacks or for when they’re doing their homework. Vegetables with healthy dips are a great idea!
• Stir-fries are a great way to offer a range of different vegetables, creating a rainbow of colours.
• As soon as your children can help, get them in the kitchen making food with you, they’re much more likely to eat vegetables if they’ve prepared them themselves.
• Frozen peas are a great standby vegetable to have on hand and can be added to all manner of meals, or made into delicious pea fritters.
• Broccoli is always great as a side vegetable for anything from pasta to fish dishes.
• Roasted vegetables are always a hit, plus if you make extra, they are great to turn into nourishing soups. You can even add beans or lentils for an extra boost of protein.
• Make curries using vegetables and pulses; it’s a delicious way of eating lots of vegetables as they soak up the herbs and spices beautifully.
• If your children are old enough, try making a whole grain dough with them and let them make their own vegetable pizzas.
• Try giving vegetables at the beginning of a meal, before any other food is offered.
• It’s also a good tip to encourage children to eat more vegetables and maybe try some new ones too!

Vegetables are a wonderful thing - not only are there so many varied tastes and textures, but they’re also really good for our health! We hope that this article will help you enjoy more veggies with your little ones.

For more food and parenting advice, why not explore the rest of our blog?