Parents have tried almost every trick imaginable to get children to eat more fruits and vegetables.
They have blended spinach into smoothies, arranged fruit into faces, hidden vegetables in pasta sauce, and bought another bag of berries, hoping this will finally be the week their child decides strawberries are acceptable again.
Sometimes it works.
Sometimes the vegetable still ends up untouched on the plate.
There’s no single food hack that suddenly turns a picky eater into someone who asks for broccoli.
Children often need repeated opportunities to see, taste, and interact with foods before they become comfortable eating them.
A 2024 Cochrane review examining interventions designed to increase children’s fruit and vegetable intake found that approaches involving repeated exposure, parental involvement, and changes to the food environment can help improve intake, although the effects are usually gradual rather than immediate.
For parents, that means the most effective strategies are often less about finding a clever trick and more about making fruits and vegetables feel like a normal part of everyday life.
Keep Offering Foods After Your Child Rejects Them
The easiest conclusion for parents to make is: “My child hates this food.”
A child refuses peas once, twice, or five times, and peas quietly disappear from the family menu.
But children’s food preferences can change with repeated exposure. The USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review found that repeated taste exposure is likely to increase vegetable acceptance among young children.
The key is avoiding pressure.
Instead of making a vegetable the final challenge before dessert or screen time, parents can keep offering small portions alongside foods their children already know. A small serving of carrots beside a favorite meal may not produce an immediate victory, but it keeps the door open for future acceptance.
Add Fruits and Vegetables to Foods Kids Already Enjoy
A plate full of unfamiliar foods can feel overwhelming.
Adding fruits and vegetables to familiar foods can make the transition easier because children are starting with something they already trust.
Examples include:
- Berries mixed into yogurt or oatmeal.
- Spinach added to smoothies.
- Vegetables mixed into pasta sauce.
- Peppers or mushrooms added to eggs.
- Beans added to tacos or quesadillas.
- Frozen vegetables stirred into rice or pasta dishes.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends offering children a variety of foods while allowing them to decide whether and how much they eat from what is available.
Use Smoothies as a Bridge, Not the Entire Solution
Smoothies have become a popular parent strategy for a simple reason: they can make fruits and vegetables easier to introduce.
A child who refuses a handful of spinach on a plate may happily drink a smoothie made with berries, banana, yogurt, and a small amount of spinach.
They can also help families reduce waste because frozen produce can last longer than fresh foods.
But smoothies work best as one tool, not the only way children encounter produce.
Children also benefit from seeing whole fruits and vegetables, helping prepare them, and becoming familiar with their textures and appearance.
Let Children Help Prepare the Food
Sometimes the easiest way to make a food less intimidating is to involve children before it reaches the plate.
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That could mean washing berries, stirring ingredients, choosing between two vegetables at the store, or helping assemble a snack.
Small tasks can include:
- Washing fruit.
- Stirring ingredients.
- Choosing between two vegetables at the grocery store.
- Arranging food on a plate.
- Helping prepare snacks.
A systematic review of experiential nutrition interventions found that activities involving cooking, gardening, and hands-on food experiences can improve children’s willingness to try foods and increase fruit and vegetable consumption.
The benefit isn’t that helping in the kitchen guarantees a child will suddenly love vegetables. It’s that food becomes familiar before it becomes something they are expected to eat.
Make Produce Easier to Choose and Easier to Afford
Fresh berries, leafy greens, and vegetables may look like good grocery choices, but they can become frustrating purchases when they sit untouched.
Frozen and canned options can make experimenting less risky.
The USDA notes that frozen and canned fruits and vegetables can be practical choices for families, especially when cost, convenience, and reducing food waste are important considerations.
Affordable options include:
- Frozen berries for smoothies.
- Frozen peas and corn for quick meals.
- Frozen mixed vegetables added to pasta or rice.
- Canned beans for soups and tacos.
- Longer-lasting fruits such as apples and oranges.
There is also a safety consideration with some popular frozen fruit ideas.
Whole frozen grapes, for example, are not appropriate for young children because grapes can be a choking hazard unless prepared correctly. The CDC lists whole grapes among foods that can pose choking risks for young children.
Let Children See Adults Eating Fruits and Vegetables
Parents often focus on what they put on their child’s plate.
But children also learn from what they see other people eating.
A child who regularly watches parents, siblings, or caregivers eat vegetables may be more likely to view those foods as a normal part of meals rather than something unusual.
A systematic review of prospective studies found that parental modeling and having fruits and vegetables available at home were among the feeding practices most consistently associated with children eating more produce.
That doesn’t mean parents need to make a dramatic announcement every time they eat broccoli.
Simply including fruits and vegetables in everyday meals can make them feel less unusual.
The Goal Is Not a Child Who Loves Every Vegetable
Parents often measure success by what disappears from the dinner table.
But with picky eaters, progress is usually less obvious.
It can be a child who no longer pushes a food away immediately. A child who helps wash strawberries even though they do not eat them yet. A child who finally decides to try the carrot that has appeared beside dinner for months.
Food preferences are built through repeated experiences, not one perfect meal.
The child who refuses broccoli today may eventually become the child asking why there are no more broccoli florets left — but that usually happens after the food stops feeling like a challenge and starts feeling familiar.
Even adults have foods they do not enjoy.
What is one fruit or vegetable your child refused at first but eventually learned to enjoy?
