By Beth Bonfiglio
If you’re thinking that it would be easier to circumnavigate the world in a rowing boat than get your child to eat broccoli, relax. Here are three tips that’ll change your life.
What is it about broccoli? From a parent’s perspective, it’s virtually the holy grail of foods.
Even if broccoli was the only thing that a child ate, virtually all of their nutritional requirements would be met.
But you’ve probably served up broccoli at least 20 times in different guises and had the same response from your child. It’s a ‘no’ from them!
You listened to the professionals whose advice was that repetitive exposure is the secret to success. No such luck. Then you tried culinary artistry. Those fluffy florets went into ice cubes, you steamed them, crumbed them, made pancakes and fritters, baked muffins, blended them into sauces and paired them with your child’s favourite foods. You even pushed gastronomic boundaries by incorporating it into a chocolate mousse.
No matter what outlandish ways you dress it up, broccoli remains unavoidably green and seems perpetually doomed.
But you’re a good parent, right? This isn’t your fault and you trust the advice of the feeding professionals. That’s why you soldier on with your latest incarnation – a forced smile on your face, hoping for a miracle but knowing it’ll fail.
So when you presented these gourmet greens to your child for what must have been the 20th time, did they react with hysterical screaming? Perhaps you were told your efforts looked disgusting. You were also probably told you were a terrible mum for offering such an offensive meal. And no doubt you trudged back to the kitchen dodging flying forks, trying to ignore the insults.
It’s time to take control. Throwing spaghetti at the wall 20 times hoping it will stick isn’t a solution.
Yes, there are some babies who eat everything. Including greens. But if you’re a lucky parent whose pureed presentations always get the tick of approval, don’t smile smugly for too long. Your little ones are probably lying awake at night plotting revenge!
