Last Updated on September 10, 2019 by Marie Bautista
When I was younger, my mom would force me to eat ampalaya (bitter gourd).
“Eat your ampalaya and you will have great skin.”
And she will start a litany on how fruits and veggies can do wonderful things for you, like have good eyesight, get sick less often, be smart and alert, sleep well , and a lot more.
I still eat a lot of veggies and fruits and you know what, when you eat your fruits and veggies, your kids get healthy.
Parents need to eat the diet they would like their child’s diet to become. By eating fruits and veggies themselves, parents can start a lifetime of good food habits for their kids without having to say a word.
Here are ways on how you can make them eat their fruits and veggies:
Keep power out of it.
Don’t get me wrong. I like ampalaya. But not that much. I think there was something about my mom letting me eat ampalaya and promising me it will taste good only to find out it was bitter that made me not love it. So when letting your kids eat their fruits and veggies, just present the food and let the kids see you eating it. Encourage them to have a taste.
Play “Is this the day?”
Each time a new fruit or veggie is offered, ask your child, “Is this the day you’ll like____”?” This engages kids in the process of accepting a new food.
Continue offering fruits and veggies.
If they don’t like fruits and veggies, hang in there. Keep offering fruits and veggies that are not immediate hits. It often takes many trials before kids accept a new food.
Marie
Great tips, thanks for sharing!
I also remember I was forced to eat okra. But since I am very obedient, I always do what they ask. I love all veggies now. 🙂
I remember when I was kid I didn't want to eat any veggies at all 😀 Great tips for picky eaters!
Thank you for the tips sis. I'm thankful Matt prefers vegies and fruits over meats. His most favorite is sayote. Sometimes he also eats ampalaya, wag lang sobrang bitter.
Mommy Maye2
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