How to make a child eat fruits and vegetables

Making the child eat fruits and vegetables can be a daunting task for parents, but there are some strategies that can help to get the child to eat fruits and vegetables, such as:

1. Tell stories and play games with fruits and vegetables to encourage the child to eat them;
2. Vary in the preparation and presentation of the vegetables, for example, if the child does not eat cooked carrots, try to put it in the rice;
3. Make creative, fun and colorful dishes with fruits;
4. Do not punish the child if he rejects a vegetable, or fruit, nor force it to eat them, for it will associate that food with a bad experience;
5. Set an example, eating the same dish with vegetables or fruits you want the child to eat;
6. Let the child help prepare meals by explaining what vegetables they are using, why and how to prepare them;
7. Make funny names for vegetables and fruits;
8. Take the child in the market to choose and buy the fruits and vegetables;
9. Always have vegetables on the table, even if the child does not eat it is important that they become familiar with the appearance, color, and smell of the vegetables they do not currently like.

The child's taste buds change over time, so even if she rejects a fruit or vegetable for the first time, it is important for parents to offer this fruit or vegetable at least 10 more times. It is an exercise for language and for the brain. Read more at:

• How to open your child's appetite
• Rejecting food may not just be child's tantrum

See other tips to help your child eat better by watching the video below.

To improve your child's diet, it is important to remove the soda from your diet, so see 5 reasons why you should not give soda to your child.

Tips for the meal do not be a tense moment

So that the meal time is a good time for the family, even for those who have small children at the table, it is necessary to make the moment of the meals:

• Do not exceed 30 minutes;
• There are no distractions and noises like radio or television (ambient music is a good alternative);
• The conversations are always about pleasant matters and never a moment to remember something bad that happened during the day;
• Do not insist that the child, who does not want to eat, eat, just do not get off the table while the family is at the table;
• Have rules of good manners at the table like: use the napkin or do not eat with your hands.

In homes where there are children who do not eat well or easily, it is very important not to make the moment of the meal tense and evil, it should be a time when everyone wants to be together and not just for food.

Blackmails such as: "if you do not eat there is no dessert" or "if you do not eat do not let you watch television" should not be used. The meal is a moment that can not be changed, there can be no option or negotiation.