No Bullsh*t Nutrition Podcast

Episode 1: My Secrets to Toddlers Eating Their Veggies

LISTEN ON APPLE PODCASTS | LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

How do you get your toddler to eat veggies and develop good eating habits?

Eat with them, be patient and adopt a no-pressure approach. Excessive forcing and bribing can decrease the consumption of healthy foods. The parents decide what goes on the plate, and the child decides what they eat off the plate. Letting children eat with the family is shown to promote fruit and vegetable intake

In this episode you’ll learn:

• My 3 key tips to getting toddlers to eat veggies
• The evidence-based outlook on fostering healthy eating habits in kids
• Simple tricks to ‘hide’ veggies when we need to

TIPS & TRICKS.

• Eat meals as a family where possible to model positive eating behaviour.
• Ensure meal settings are distraction-free and allow 30 minutes for each meal.
• Allow toddlers to play with food when practical to become familiar with the food.
• Trial making shapes and animals on the plate to encourage trial and play with food.
• Allow the child to choose what they eat off their plate. Avoid bribing to eat vegetables.

Referenced Material

(1) Liu X, Zhou Q, Clarke K, Younger KM, An M, Li Z, et al. Maternal feeding practices and toddlers’ fruit and vegetable consumption: results from the DIT-Coombe Hospital birth cohort in Ireland. Nutrition Journal. 2021 Oct 19;20(1):84.Retrieved from: https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-021-00743-z

(2) Queensland Government. Guidelines for fussy eating. 2013. Retrieved from: https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/151505/paeds_fussyeaters.pdf

(3) Riley LK, Rupert J, Boucher O. Nutrition in Toddlers. AFP. 2018 Aug 15;98(4):227–33. Retrieved from: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2018/0815/p227.html