The Hidden Veggie
Published April 2011: eHow Family & Relationships
The Hidden Veggie
Stocking Up On a Healthy Lifestyle
Article Excerpt:
When her children were young, Antoinette Kuritz made sure they ate their veggies. In fact, she made sure they grew them, too.
“We planted a huge garden, and they each had their own colander,” said Kuritz, a California-based public relations specialist. “For each meal, they went outside and picked the veggie they wanted, picked how much they were prepared to eat, washed and drained it, and put it on their plates.”
For the Kuritz family, vegetables were a natural part of mealtime. However, in many households today, the closest thing to a veggie is a French fry.
Adding much-needed nutrients to your kids’ meals may be a challenge when high sugar, salt and fatty foods are conveniently within reach, but it’s a necessity for maintaining their health. Before you’ll have any success, though, you’ll have to get to the root of the veggie stigma as a family.
Getting to the Root of the Problem
Children are not born with a natural disposition to loath vegetables, said 
Yvonne Syto, registered dietitian and author of “Nutrition Map: Your Guide to Eating Healthy in the Real World.” In fact, it’s just the opposite. As infants, they eagerly await that next bite of pureed veggies. When fruits are introduced, veggies typically take a back seat to the sweeter option fruits provide.
“In addition, as they begin to chew more and more, many parents will continue to rely on prepackaged meals,” Syto said. “If caregivers are not serving them up from the start, even if they like vegetables, then why would a child like them and accept them?”
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