WHY DOESN'T YOUR KID LIKE VEGGIES?

"My child doesn't like vegetables! What can I do about it?" 

Ask a child if they like sweets and the answer is almost universally a resounding "Yes!" It's no surprise to most parents that kids love candy, cookies and sweetened drinks. Some kids have even been known to add sugar to already sweetened cereal. But don't blame the kids or even drive yourself insane with frustration. Some researchers say it's biology. 

According to Dr. Julie Mennella of the Monell Chemical Senses Center, children not only have a stronger preference for sugar than adults - but also the "sweet tooth" is hardwired from day one. She explains, "We know that the newborn can detect sweet and will actually prefer sweeter solutions to less sweet ones. The basic biology of the child is that they don't have to learn to like sweet or salt. It's there from birth". 

Do your own follow up on her studies and findings. What you really wanna know is....WHAT can I do about it? 

First remember, veggies are low in calories. Growing children need and crave calories. Raw veggies are also bitter, can be fibrous or even mushy. Depending on the vegetable, adding fat, steaming, sautéing or baking them can often disguise these characteristics. 

Ideas: 

• Celery sticks with cream cheese or peanut butter. 
• Baked sweet potato fries with honey or maple syrup. Do not feed honey to children under 1 year old. 
• Steamed broccoli, cauliflower or asparagus with Cheez Whiz. Children often dislike these veggies because they're bitter raw. Steaming mellows the bitterness. 
• Baked tomatoes with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. 
• Maple baked carrots.
• Roasted red or yellow peppers. Red and yellow peppers are naturally more sweet than green. Roasted and caramelized, they taste like veggie candy. Kid recommendation: peel off the "burned" skin which can add a layer of bitterness (remember, kids don't like bitter). 
• Soup is also an easy way to disguise vegetables: broccoli cheddar, sweet corn chowder, tomato bisque. 
• Pasta Primavera is full of a medley of veggies "hidden" in marinara. 

Finally, remember that children's (even adult's) palate's evolve. Heck, I didn't like bleu cheese or beer until about 10 years ago. Now I love them both! 

Introduce new things to your little tyke often and consistently. You'll be surprised at the result.