Kids notoriously don’t want to eat their vegetables — or is it actually their parents who don’t want to eat them? Some people, after centuries of service, have turned a cold shoulder to the foods that once gave them life: vegetables. But today, many of those same people are jumping back on the vegetable wagon because they realize once again that vegetables taste great, are good for you, plus there’s a huge variety to choose from. So here are some tips on getting your kids — and yourself — to eat more vegetables.

1. Exemplify

So, your kid doesn’t like turnips? Might that be because you don’t like turnips? The best predictor of a child’s eating behavior is the eating patterns of her parents. Kids eat what they know and they know what their parents introduce them to. If Gatorade is the only color in your diet then start with yourself and see your child change too.

2. Season

Salt and butter make everything better. That includes vegetables. Vegetables, like everything, taste terrible if they’re seasoned terribly. If you serve gross, mushy, steamed, flavorless nonsense, your children — and yourself — will likely treat it as such and not eat it. Cook vegetables individually and season them well, or if just can’t get it right, serve them raw.

3. Hide

If worse comes to worse, hide the veggies. Get a blender, blend the vegetables, and hide them somewhere they will never be discovered. Like in a pancake, under real maple syrup. Or in a smoothie, mixed with fresh, yummy fruit like strawberries. Leafy greens are great for blending and vegetable espionage.

4. Spiralize

Some kids don’t like vegetables, but kids do like noodles. So, turn vegetables into noodles with a spiralizer. Nearly anything can be spiralized. With a spiralizer, you can turn your soon to be favorite vegetables into noodles. This includes zucchini, carrots, eggplant, and pretty much anything.

5. Colorize

The vegetables don’t need to be colorized, but your plate does. Kids love rainbows; kids love colors. Expose them to more colors by adding fun veggies to their plates. This may be easiest by keeping vegetables separate and cooking them individually to keep their colors unique.

6. Grow

A recent study shows that kids who help grow vegetables like them more. Get your child invested in produce by letting her help with the garden. This trend continues well into adulthood even after they stop gardening. Letting children clean celery, snap peas, and mix the dressing gives them a sense of ownership and makes them more enthusiastic at meal time. Plus family meal time has huge benefits.

7. Balance

No kid is going to eat only vegetables all the time. There needs to be variety and part of that variety includes treats. Treats shouldn’t be absolutely forbidden because that just makes them even more desirable. Instead, they should be balanced and enjoyed on special occasions. Try a Bosch recipe and make this ice cream or these cupcakes.

Kevin Jones is a full time professional fitness expert. When he isn’t in the gym, he is offering practical research, fitness plans and nutritional tips to the world. Kevin regularly contributes to many fitness and health authority websites. With a passion for family, fun, and fitness, Kevin has found a way to manage and combine these three aspects in an effective and successful way. Connect with him online; LinkedIn - Twitter