My child does not love vegetables, what can I do?

My fussy eater does not love vegetables — what can I do?

When I tell parents I’m a Picky Eating Advisor, we often move pretty quickly onto the vegetable challenge! Most fussy eaters are not fond of veggies and there are some logical reasons why:

– Bitter. Young children are programmed to enjoy sweet foods. Breast milk is quite sweet. Many veggies are more bitter.

– Texture. Vegetables can be challenging texturally — they are frequently mushy or even slimy.

– Inconsistency. It’s harder to contemplate something that is variable. A cracker always looks, feels, and tastes the same. Veggies are more likely to be different each time you encounter them. Even carrots, for example, can vary enormously in taste, texture, and sweetness.

Veggies are also ‘emotionally charged’. Parents are bombarded with advertising telling them how important it is that a child eats x portions of this and y portions of that.

Eating variety and a range of nutrients is ideal, but it also puts a lot of pressure on parents, and can mean an emotional rollercoaster when your child is not eating according to convention.

In turn, your child will often pick up on the emotion, which makes saying no twice as…