Sneaky Strategies to Increase Veggie Consumption
Sometimes kids are finicky eaters, so it’s hard to know if they are getting enough veggies to grow big and strong. Children are generally open to eating fruit, since they’re filled with the natural sweetness kids tend to crave. But what about veggies? Brighter Bites has devised a few new recipes to address this issue. The Crafty Mac and Cheese, McBrighter Chicken Nuggets, and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Just Turkey Burger are still in the testing stage (you’ll never believe we hid carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, and mushrooms in them). We’ll get these recipes up on the website soon, but here are some strategies you can start using today! Give the veggies a descriptive name such as “X-Ray Vision Carrots.” Research shows kids are likely to eat more veggies when they have a creative name. Keep it colorful! After all, you eat with your eyes first, right?. Get your kids involved at the grocery store, putting away your Brighter Bites bags, or even cooking in the kitchen. If they prepare the food, they’ll be excited to try their own creations and share them with the family. If you’re using ground meat, then finely chop your vegetable of choice to add to the mix! The bits will be so small the kids won’t even know they are there until you tell them. Neuroscientist, food blogger, and mom Darya Rose has a couple more tricks up her sleeve on her website Summer Tomato (you know it’s yummy if there’s food in the name) We’d love to hear your tricks of the trade! Email us at [info@brighterbites.org] to tell us how you get your family to eat their vegetables. Before you go, check out the Sneaky Mashed Potatoes recipe. Let us know if your kids notice anything different!