This week on the ‘Today’ show channel nine, Nutritionist Joanna McMillan discussed the concern many parents have in regards to children not eating their veggies. Parents are asking whether it’s worth giving their kids multi vitamins as a back up. There is no harm in doing this, however they will  not receive the same benefits and fibre as from a variety of vegetables. Easier said than done right? Joanna had some great ideas, most importantly get creative and find different ways to present veggies to kids. For example:

• Vegetable mash (most kid’s love mash potato) this is a great way to add a few veggies in a tasty way.
• Bolognese sauce (with added veggies).
• After school snack, cut up celery and carrot sticks, wash dry and store in ziplock bags for a few days. Look for freshest looking ingredients. You could make your own dip and ask your kids to get involved. It will only take 10 minutes to wizz up and they will be proud of what they have created.
• Start to involve your kids in the cooking process from a young age. If you are not much of a cook you could have them assist with school lunches.
• Take your kids to a farmers market or local market and talk to your kids about the produce. You can even play a game of “what vegetable or fruit is this”? It is unrealistic to expect children to understand the difference between healthy and non healthy foods if they don’t know anything about it’s origins. A little knowledge can go a long way.