How can I get my 2-year-old daughter to eat vegetables or fruits

Question

My daughter flat out refuses to eat veggies of any kind and most fruits. Even when she was a baby, I had trouble getting her to eat the pureed kind. I've tried refusing her food until she eats the food in front of her, but she is so stubborn that she will actually "starve" herself until she gets what she wants. She will only eat oatmeal, noodles, and other items of the grains group. Because of this, most everything served here is whole grain and sometimes flax is added. Sometimes she will eat meat, but she usually picks it out and sets it off to the side of her plate. We're having problems with her bowel movements, and her doctor and I both agree that it is her diet, but I have no idea how to "make" her eat a more balanced diet. People say, "when she's hungry enough, she'll eat," and I believed it to be true as it worked with my older son. She is just so stubborn. She actually went an entire day without eating because I didn't serve pasta! Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Easy you can make like fruit dip and candy to go with it and add flavors and other food that she likes to go with it and if it dosen't help then do a little research!

Answer 2

You should blend the fruit/vegetables into smoothies/milkshakes.  If you put small amounts of vegetables into fruit smoothies, you can't even taste them.

Answer 3

My son will eat almost anything if its served with dip.  He doesnt care what the dip even is.  With lettuce he uses ranch, fish sticks, he uses either tartar sauce or cocktail sauce.  With fruit sometimes he dips in yogurt.  And of course ketchup is a big hit.  

Answer 4

Don't keep any junk food or processed foods in the house.  

Answer 5

Try the V8 Splash drinks. They sound sorta nasty, but they taste really good!  

Answer 6

Oh she sounds just like the young girl I nanny for. Lucy is now 21 months old, but ever since she has been eating solid foods, she has been ridiculously picky. Pretty much no veggies or fruit, most meats will not touch her lips...she likes pasta, crackers, chips and maybe some cheeses, if they are cut right! She gets way too many carbs and snacks too often with her parents, so it is hard for me to get her to eat a balanced meal.

Here is what I have been doing...At each meal, her plate has a small portion of one protein, one fruit, one veggie and one grain. I also make her a smoothie for both lunch and breakfast. The breakfast one is mostly fruits and the lunch is both fruit and vegetables. I put the same fruits and veggies in the smoothie as the ones I offered her on her tray. This way even if she doesn't touch them, she is getting them in her body. To her it tastes like ice cream in a straw! At first it may seem like you are tricking your child into eating healthy, but thats not the case because you are also offering it to her as a finger food so she can make her own choices. Keep this up and I guarantee within at least 6 months, she will try at least one or two different foods.

Keep offering the foods she likes, like pasta, but don't let her fill up too much on it. Put a portion on her plate just like the veggies and fruit and when she eats it all or tells you she is done, then thats that! Let her be done. Eventually she will ask for more pasta and you will say, you need to finish the other food first please. At first she may throw a fit, but she'll learn eventually.

Good Luck

Answer 7

get one of those sippie cups and fill it with the naked juice called green machine...its a full serving of fruits and vegetables and it tastes like apple juice.  It is very healthy, but the downside is, it is a really ugly green color.  It worked on my sisters daughter  first she did a mixture of applejuice and green machine,  and now she just chugs that whole bottle down without apple juice in it.

Answer 8

Does she like muffins, pancakes or 'sweet' breads?  If so, shred the vegis/fruits and add them to the batters.  I mean REALLY shred them, so she can't see the pieces.  This way you can at least get them into her diet.   Keep offering her the regular items also and maybe someday she will eat them regularly.   There is a book by Jerry Seinfeld's wife (you can get the info on Oprah's site) that has recipes for this exact situation.   I mean she put spinach in brownies and the kids did not know it!   Fascinating show and wonderful book.

http://www.oprah.com/dated/oprahshow/opr...