Do you have a child who is either on the autism spectrum or who is sensory challenged for one reason or another and you struggle to get him or her to eat vegetables? While it can seem like pulling teeth at times, once you know what to do, it really can be quite simple. Here are some ideas to try:
1. Try green smoothies. Yes really. Sometimes just the idea of having to chew a vegetable can be hard on the senses. Make sure to include plenty of fruit the first time and then you can gradually increase the amount of vegetables and reduce the fruit intake. You can also try juicing, but I recommend smoothies first and more often since the fiber is removed when you juice.
2. Ask your child which vegetables he or she likes and serve those vegetables more often. You can even show your child pictures of all vegetables and ask him or her to point to the pictures of the ones that he or she likes.
3. Encourage your child to try a new vegetable, or to eat just a taste, by bribing him or her with a treat or other reward later. Often, children who have sensory challenges just need to try a taste of a vegetable in order to realize that he or she does like to eat vegetables.
4. Mix up the way that you serve vegetables. For example, instead of always boiling them, serve a few raw with condiments such as peanut or almond butter, or ranch dressing. You can also saute them in olive or coconut oil or make a soup with them. Take note of your child’s preferences when eating more vegetables.
5. Find ways to hide them in your child’s favorite foods. Some stores even sell foods that children usually like with vegetables added in. For example I know that Sprouts sells rice based cheerios with spinach in them. You can also make a puree of spinach, broccoli or other green vegetables and add it into the tomato sauce you put on pizza for example.
Take it one step at a time and know that if you child isn’t eating any vegetables now, you can’t expect him or her to start eating them every day by next week. Set the example as well. Your child should see you and any other children you have also eating more vegetables.
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