Why are toddlers so hesitant towards eating vegetables?

Focus on Taste Buds

From a young age, many parents are not actively concerned with feeding their children vegetables. This causes young children to lack the taste buds needed to enjoy these particular foods.

Instead, they resort to foods that contain high fat, sugar, and salt. Therefore, if children are being fed mainly foods that contain these ingredients, they will become accustomed to only these.

It is important to help shape toddler’s taste buds.

Naturally flavored foods, like vegetables, have not been a popular choice for young children who are used to the sweet and salty flavored of processed baby foods. In order to shift away from this, parents must be willing to incorporate natural foods during breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

By doing this, toddlers will increasingly become more open to the idea of filling their plates with delicious and beneficial vegetables.

It is a fact that if taste buds are shaped at an early age, one is more likely to enjoy the flavors they have grown up with. It may not be an easy task to accomplish, but start small. Create a food chart to track what your child is eating and where vegetables can fit in throughout the day. Little by little you will begin to see the difference in their diet and in their positive attitude.

Tips

To get started, follow these few tips:

• Slowly wean your children away from excess sugar, fat, and salt.
• Temporarily add sugar, salt or fat to veggies so they taste more like foods they have previously liked.
• Shift your kid’s diet towards more natural foods.
• Allow them to have a yummy children’s treat every once in a while.

Healthy food means happy children. It’s a win-win situation for everyone! Try it out!