Of my three children only the youngest was did BLW and he is still definitely the best eater and the least picky with his vegetables but he is not perfect.
Likewise my eldest two are not terrible but I would like them to be a bit more open minded when it comes to trying vegetables, especially new ones that we do not routinely eat.
With this in mind I decided to do a Summer Veggie Challenge with them and I have already being amazed by their response.
What is the Summer Veggie Challenge?
There is no significance whatsoever to the fact we chose 14 vegetables - it's all I had space for- so by all means choose more or less.
I let my kids come up with the veggies to try. This tactic is probably best if your child or children are super fussy as it gives them ownership over the challenge and you can remind them that they chose them. Alternatively, if your little one is too, well, little to choose then come up with your own. Likewise, if your kids already eat veggies well choose some brand new ones or unusual ones to try as part of your challenge.
I have told my children that they will get a treat for every three veggies they try. I am going to avoid the treat being food based though as I don't want them to think of eating vegetables as being the opposite of eating treat food.
You can either incorporate the vegetables on your list into your meals or have a tasting session where you discuss the taste, texture, colour and health benefits of the vegetable. I plan to do both- having the tasting first and then using it in a meal.
What Will be the Results?
So far, after coming up with the idea yesterday breakfast, we have tried peppers- red, yellow and green. I was thrilled at my children's response as they excitedly gathered round me eager to try the pepper strips because this is one vegetable that they all unanimously won't eat usually.
They all tried each colour and we discussed which colour they preferred. I then told them that you can eat raw pepper strips with dips like hummus and they expressed a desire to try that next time.
So, so far so good. I will report back again to let you know how we get on with it. Do join in with us if you think it might be a good idea for your little ones and share how you get on.