I have ways to make your child eat (and enjoy) their greens!
I have ways to make your child eat (and enjoy) their greens!
Have you a child who’s a fussy eater?
Do they refuse to eat lettuce? Do they turn their nose up or even shriek if a piece of lettuce lands on their plate?! Well fear not - I have some great strategies you can try to encourage lettuce eating with your smallies!
Why should they be eating lettuce in the first place?
Leafy greens pack a nutrition powerhouse punch - they are loaded with fibre, anti-oxidants, Vitamin C, calcium, folic acid and so on. They should be a part of all our diets including our kids!
Ha ha says you. That’s all well and good but how do I get my child to actually eat them rather than spitting them out, refusing to have them on their plate or even throwing them at you…?!
Try these ideas:
give them lettuce. A child will never be able to eat lettuce if we don’t serve it to them.
start with very small quantities - one rocket leaf in a sandwich, a small leaf chopped on the side of their plate, in their burrito
allow them to play with it. Peel leaves off large lettuce like iceberg and use it as a hat (see below)
Give them real lettuce for their play kitchen. Do art with lettuce!
Get them excited about lettuce by buying different types and exploring the different tastes and flavours. Repeated exposure to foods is key.
encourage them to use their senses when examining lettuce - smell it, feel it, crush it, lick it
get them involved in cooking with you - using safe knives like the kiddies food kutter.
model lettuce eating in front of them - if you don’t eat it, they are unlikely to eat it!
try our online self-paced course “Food fun for Preschoolers” - we have a whole workshop all about lettuce and I can almost guarantee that your child will try it …! Use the code EARLYBIRD for a great discount!
Here’s some ways we can serve lettuce to our kids :
chopped small in a sandwich - harder to take out!!!
as standard in burritos, tacos etc.
as a “cup” for filings like tuna salad, bolognese sauce etc
as a topping on tomato and spaghetti a la Jamie Oliver
in a small side salad
in a deconstructed salad - put lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, sweetcorn etc. in small bowls and allow your child to make their own salad. They may not choose lettuce but if you model this behaviour, then over time they might try it themselves.
I’d love to hear how you get on!
Use the code EARLYBIRD for €20 off my “Food Fun for Preschoolers” course
