How to encourage children to eat more vegetables?

1. Give them the right messages:

   Children are curious of new information. They are more willing to accept fresh ideas. In the activity, some children make the wrong guess of the colours of different vegetable juices. As eggplant is purple in colour, they think its juice is also purple until they pound on them and see the transparent juice flowing out. Such experience gives them a more comprehensive picture.

    

2. Keep their diet balanced:

   Now children have learnt more about vegetables; they know more about the names, colours, shapes, tastes and characteristics of vegetables; this would also increase their interest in eating vegetables, and they would obtain enough dietary fibre as a result.

    

3. Start from small bites:

   Children resist vegetables mostly because of the smell and the rough texture. Too much fibre makes them hard to swallow. Parents can try different cooking methods and ingredients; for example, they can cut the vegetables into threads, or choose those with softer textures, brighter colours and sweeter tastes. Serve veggie in small proportions at the beginning. If children are willing to try, praise them for encouragement. Never force them to eat vegetables or overcorrect their eating habits.

Stage 3: Sharing Platform

Ms. Lee Sheung Man , Headmistress

• It is difficult to encourage children to eat vegetables. Yet, if we help them make the move and try small bites at first, they can gradually adapt to eating vegetables. Children (especially the 3-year-olds) fear the smell and find it difficult to swallow the dietary fibre. After discussion with parents and food preparation staff, we made a change by cutting the vegetables into finer pieces. Now our children are no longer afraid of eating vegetables.
  
  
• By guessing the colours of vegetable juice, children became more curious and thus more willing to try.
  
  
• Our staff members learnt more about nutrition and proper cooking methods. They realised that it was useless to force pupils to eat. We served them macaroni with sliced and chopped vegetables during teatime so that they gradually got used to different vegetables.
  
  
• We also serve parents with monthly leaflets ‘letter-to-parents’ and the ‘physical activity chart for child’, both designed by the Department of Health. Teachers and students benefit from these resources about nutrition and physical activity.

Conclusion

Living in such a busy city as Hong Kong is, we find it extremely difficult to maintain a balanced diet and do enough exercise. However, healthy lifestyle should start in childhood and be promoted in families. This is the rationale behind the Campaign. Besides, strengthening home-school communication can raise the parents’ awareness of child health.