Vegetables for kids – Eating should be fun

• Vegetable sticks: Not only children, adults are more likely to reach for vegetables when they are cut into bite-sized pieces. Prepare a few red and yellow bell peppers as small snacks for in-between and, if desired, serve a tasty dip alongside.

• Smoothies: In a blended vegetable drink you can easily include many different fruits and vegetables. Spinach leaves disappear in flavor under the banana or the apple. Your child will probably just have to accept the green color at first.

• Offer favorite vegetables: If your child doesn't eat the spinach because they don't like it or aren't hungry, it's best to simply offer as many different vegetables as possible and note which ones they like. That vegetable can then be served more often.

• Creative dishes: Place a funny face of tomatoes and bell peppers on the pizza or turn a tomato into a toadstool. Be inventive. If the food looks funny and friendly, your child will enjoy eating it more. You can find more ideas further down in this article.

• Prefer sweet to bitter: Foods like broccoli or Brussels sprouts naturally contain a lot of bitter compounds. Children's tongues need to get used to this taste. You'll probably have more success with sweeter vegetables like carrots, potatoes or pumpkin.

How do I turn my child into a vegetable lover? – Our tips

• Hiding: You shouldn't serve your child vegetables too often disguised with melted cheese or puree. That way your child will have eaten the vitamins, but hasn't had the chance to know what they're eating and whether they might actually like kohlrabi.

• Eat vegetables yourself: If the father or mother themselves constantly complain about "the green stuff", you can't expect your child to eat more vegetables. Children copy their parents' eating habits.

• Don't make a fuss about vegetables: Don't make a big deal about the fact that there's vegetables for dinner tonight, just serve them. Even if your child doesn't finish their plate, you shouldn't comment negatively or scold. Just try again next time.

• Small trade-offs: Don't agree with your child that they can have a chocolate bar in exchange for two bites of broccoli. This teaches your child that the unhealthy food is something bad that has to be balanced out.

• Choice: Whenever possible, always offer your child at least two vegetables to choose from at a meal and let them serve their own portion. If nothing is served to them, they are more curious to try something.

• Involve them: Decide together with your child which vegetable dish will be served. Your child can also help with the preparation. That immediately makes eating much more appealing.

Fun ideas for vegetables

Bell pepper octopus

What you need:

• 2 bell peppers (red or yellow)\r

• Quark (curd cheese)\r

• Herbs\r

• Cream cheese\r

• 2 small chocolate chips\r

How to:

Wash both bell peppers. For one, cut off only the top and remove the seeds. The other is cut into thin strips and the seeds are also removed. Now stir a dip from the quark and the herbs. Spread this on a plate and place the first bell pepper on it with the opening facing down. Use the cream cheese and the chocolate chips to make a pair of eyes. Finally, arrange the bell pepper strips around the face as octopus arms.

Cucumber crocodile What you need:

What you need:

• 1 cucumber\r

• Lots of toothpicks\r

• 2 mini mozzarella balls\r

• Some chocolate sauce\r

• Cherry tomatoes, grapes or similar\r

How to:

Wash the vegetables. Then cut a zig-zag pattern about four centimeters long into one end of the cucumber; this will be the crocodile's mouth. Just behind the mouth, attach two mozzarella balls with a toothpick each. Use the chocolate sauce to make the crocodile's pupils. The remaining part of the cucumber is then decorated with the tomatoes and grapes, which are skewered onto the cucumber using the toothpicks.

Vegetable cookies

What you need:

• Vegetables that can be easily sliced, for example kohlrabi, cucumber or zucchini\r

• Cookie cutters in the right size\r

How to:

Wash the vegetables and slice them. Then you can use the cutters to cut out fun shapes.