Vegetables and Children: A Challenging Task!
Trying to make a vegetable-based dish enjoyable for a child is not an easy task. Parents (and grandparents too) who strive to educate their children about healthy eating know this well. The first reaction is often to give up and bring to the table a nice plate of french fries, which are certainly more welcomed!
I'll try to give you some suggestions to make this task less daunting.
Rule number one (and this always applies, unfortunately!) is to set a good example at the table. As adults, we can't expect our children to eat vegetables if we are the first ones not to. The same goes for fruit. So, if the table is rich in vegetables and fruit of all kinds from childhood, it will be easier to pique your little ones' curiosity. They will naturally try what the table usually offers. Otherwise, teaching the "theory of proper nutrition" will become a forced effort. After all, parents remain the first role models for children.
With few exceptions, our children are unlikely to jump for joy in front of cabbage or broccoli, so it's up to us to make them more enjoyable. How? For example, by pairing a particularly "challenging" vegetable with a favorite food, such as pasta or pizza. The advice is to prepare a first course even for dinner to regularly include vegetables that would be unthinkable as a side dish. Just a few easy examples: pasta with pumpkin or zucchini (perhaps gratinéed on the grill) or risottos with artichokes or with spinach and Parmesan cheese (which become main courses); spinach is particularly suitable also in omelets, while cauliflower can turn into little meatballs; you can get creative with pizza or focaccia.
I know we never have time, but involving children in various preparations is a winning strategy. Cleaning artichokes or green beans, cutting peppers, with proper attention and armed with rounded-tip knives, can become a fun game that also predisposes children to try new things.
Another timeless suggestion is to make dishes colorful and vibrant: it's one thing to bring a lettuce salad dressed with oil and lemon to the table, it's another to enrich it with carrots, radishes, fennel, some olives, and nuts. Similarly, shaping vegetables into hearts, stars, slices, and curls will simplify your life, at least at the table!
For those with green thumbs, but maybe you've already thought of it, you could create a small garden with tomatoes, lettuces, or aromatic plants. Taking care of the plants and waiting for them to grow becomes an exciting experience. Even a small space on the balcony, a few pots with suitable soil, and a bit of willingness are enough.
Dr. Concetta Mauriello
