Learn To Love Food

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Teach Kids To Love Green Foods With Kiwi!

Kiwi PeacockThe gorgeous green of spring and St. Patty's Day got me thinking about the classic dilemma of kids refusing green foods. Why is this? And what can we do about it?   Green vegetables are packed with amazing nutrition, but usually not as much sugar as their more requested peers like carrots and bell peppers. Kids often associate a less sweet, more bitter taste with the color green and start saying 'no' or 'I don't like it' to ALL green veggies.So, 'What do we do about it?' We need to uncouple the color green from the association of non-preferred tastes. To help find out your child's taste preference profile, I've made a really simple worksheet that's in the free resource library! You can sign up to get the printable worksheet (and access to the rest of the library) right here!Often kids tend toward a sweet flavor profile (though not always--quite a contingent favors savory, too). For the sweet-lovers Kiwi is a great place to start! I think Kiwi actually tastes a lot like strawberries, but it's green! Green smoothies are also a great food to work on for sweet-lovers who refuse green. And by 'work on' I mean offer over and over. Make smoothies (or whatever food you're 'working on') part of the food atmosphere around your child and give them lots of opportunities explore and taste with no pressure!For kids with a more savory taste profile, I love the idea of these broccoli tots. Kids who love savory foods tend to love savory dips, too, and these tots are perfect for dipping! The broccoli's also chopped up so each green bit is less overwhelming than a big hunk of broccoli.What are your favorite ways to get greens into your kids?Happy spring and happy food play!