To be staggered that only 1 in 5 children eats vegetables every day

[Beloved72]

Are there really families where children get no vegetables with their evening meal or packed lunch/school lunch?

Quite shocked actually. I can get my head around children and adults not having 5 a day, but NONE?

And 1 child in 10 refusing to eat ANY vegetables ever?


Yikes. I worry for our future health.

[BlackeyedSusan]

I get some kids are fussy/have sensory issues/issues around food. not at all surprised that they will not eat veg everyday, or anyday. (i have a fussy eater but thankfully not for all veg)

I also get that some people are very short of money so are concentrating on getting enough calories and not being hungry...

what I do not get is how many others there are.. unless the survey does not count salad veg/peppers etc? I wonder what their agenda is?

Also I do not particularly think it is an issue if they do eat fruit. maybe not as ideal...

[ohhereweareagain]

Dd rarely eats veg. Tried but cant and won't make her. So I am a failure as a parent and you are truly superior dd is happy healthy and doing very well both socially and at school so I'm not dwelling on it. When she's older she'll probably do as I have and love veg . I'm shocked at how you are so closed off/naive in thinking that everyone has the same parenting skills as you. Loads of children dont eat veg for varying reasons. Its shit but there it is

[DamnSummerCold]

I know this is a zombie thread but the post from@juddyrockingcloggs is heartbreaking and I fully believe with the constant cuts to benefits we will (or not as they won't be able to afford access to to internet) see more and more of these situations.

[maddiemookins16mum]

Oh dear. DD today... (on half term)

Breakfast - porridge with honey and almonds, mug of tea
Lunch - she's baking Greggs sausage rolls as we speak
Tea - we're going to granny's and picking up fish suppers on the way!
Snacks - she'll probably have a yoghurt later (and a penguin).

Tbf, the above is unusual. She had 4 portions yesterday.

[DenPerry]

Bloody zombie!

[DenPerry]

My 3 year old will just not touch vegetables.. I've tried everything. His consumption is basically pasta sauce, oven baked falafel balls and occasionally a veg pizza (with cheese on top!) I was hoping peer pressure at nursery and seeing his weaning brother tuck into carrots and broccoli would help but no.. I can't exactly force feed him. He does however LOVE fruit. I'm hoping the veg hate will change...

[juddyrockingcloggs]

There is a child in my DS yr 1 class, lovely child, he also has a brother not yet of school age. His dad is a lovely man but a struggling single dad and his mum died when the younger brother was about 1 from aggressive brain cancer. This family have nothing. The boys coat has mould growing up the back from what I imagine is a damp house. His dad was in front of me in the queue at Lidl the other week and I noticed he had the ‘value’ weetabix in his basket, milk and one of those children’s mini pizzas. He paid for them and looked at his change where Upon he found he could just about afford to buy another tiny mini pizza so both boys could fill their little tummies to some degree. That’s what he actually told the cashier..... ‘they don’t have to share tonight’. So, I’m not staggered that there are people not having any veg each day, I am staggered that there are people that have such little financial means that they can’t adequately feed their children at all and the injustice that that brings.

[CallingPeopleACuntOnFb]

I struggle to get 5 in mine tbh

I buy fresh juice so they have at least one then give them 2 pieces of fruit in their lunch boxes for school. Then do a veg side with their dinner. I know they aren't getting enough :( but they just don't like veg

[funshine17]

Sadly one of my children fits into this category!

Let me start with the positive: my ds will eat any fruit or veggie (except pepper) raw or cooked in any form...also loves seafood and even things like jellied eels so he has a varied and exciting diet....But he is overweight despite strict portion control and 1-2 hours of hard exercise per day - again

Dd.....has refused to eat any fruit or veggies since she was about 18 months old - she’s now 10. I do give her hidden veggies and she will drink fruit juice and have a vitamin each day. We are working on carrots and peas at the moment....with pushing she will eat one small slice of cooked carrot or 4 peas.....sometimes. I always put whatever veg or fruit the rest of us are having on her plate. People think I’m joking and they ask which fruit will she eat.....er none...really! She won’t even eat baked beans! She snacks on cheese, Greek yogurt, nuts, and yes some unhealthy stuff too as she’s underweight.....I try not to battle with her as I worry she will have an eating disorder.

So, yes dd is one of those kids

[Bbbbbbbb2017]

I do varying levels of vegetables.

Saturday is faekaway so dippers, chips and corn on the cob. There is normal a casserole night, a pasta night with blended on Veg. Even on a lazy night a corn on the cob is easy.

Don't think my 2 year old ever has a die without veg of some sort

[AndrewJames]

This is a zombie thread.

The survey linked to was as stupid and unhelpful then as it is now. It made no sense.

[safariboot]

I don't find it staggering. Cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, something frozen with chips for dinner. No vegetables there. If anything I'm surprised that as many as 20% of families can say they never do a day like that.

And I find the survey results unhelpful. They are lumping in families that might do that once or twice a month with families that eat like that nearly every day.

[CiderwithBuda]

This thread is over two years old! Zombie thread.

[Givemeallthechocolate]

I'm sorry, but that cannot be right. If it is I'm fairly disgusted.

[Openup41]

My dc eat fruit everyday and salad or vegetables with their meal. I eat at least one piece of fruit daily and veg/salad with evening meals.

I was in shock when colleagues informed me they go for days without eating fruit/veg. It is part of my everyday eating.

[Jackieharris]

onemagnum he sounds just like me!

Some people just have much more sensitive taste buds than others.

As for having lots of things mixed together- the thought gives me a headache!

[sofatastic]

it's not the spinach element of the smoothie that sounds disgusting, more the mango, banana and avocado combo (and I loathe all three, although over half my children will eat banana, but not the other two).

[OneMagnumisneverenough]

Aussiemum yes he does :)

He wont touch anything green at all. As a toddler he would happily eat brocolli, Sweetcorn, Peas etc I used to do a Courgette and cheese potato bake that he loved - then he took a dislike to everything to the point that he would be sick onto his plate so we fell into the trap and basically replaced all his veg with fruit as he would eat that without any fuss (unless it is bruised or damaged in any way!) Now of course we cant get him back eating it. he also doesn't eat potatoes but that's another story......

As a family we do eat plenty of veg/salad so he should view it as normal - i can't put it on his plate as he then rejects the whole meal. Spag Bol does contain whatever i can get away with - all blended before adding to the mince both to disguise it and becasue he wont eat the tomatoes in lumps or bits even though he will eat them sliced raw or mini tomatoes whole .

He will eat any kind of fish or meat or eggs so I'm not worried about his diet as such, it's just a pain that we can't have casseroles with the veg cooked in etc, it always has to be seperate and either added to the plate as a side or added in after his food has been dished. Although he isn't a fan of gravy on his food either depending on what it is!

his dream dinner would be Macaroni Cheese, a tin of Mackeral in olive oil and a bowl of fruit.

[funnyossity]

MERLY I never used to buy plums because I don't like them. Luckily the school were giving out fruit and my son found he liked them and asked me to buy them.

That was a positive intervention by the state!

[MERLYPUSSEDOFF]

JackieHarris
I was served cabbage (all types - dark green, white cabbage, sweetheart) all boiled with roast dinners. If the dark cabbage was bitter (but never over cooked as mum was a good cook) I was offered mint sauce to put on it. If I still didn't like it I was allowed to leave it. We also had stir fried greens and raw cabbage/ coleslaw type salads. My kids eat cabbage although one doesn't like dressed coleslaw. By you not trying them on well cooked cabbage they are probably learning it is evil. (but let's face it,you can live without cabbage anyway) Your dislike was probably compounded by the fact you had to sit and watch a plate of food you don't like go cold. The association could only get worse from there...
I hate plums. The skin is acidic and the flesh is meh and stringy in my opinion. I still give them to my kids as I don't think they should miss out because I don't like them. (I also buy ginger biscuits and they are the devil's food)

[funnyossity]

I think overcooked cabbage is awful but lightly cooked it's one of my son's favourites. He moans about kale though - both the tougher texture and stronger flavour.

Aussiemum there is usually basic fruit and veg at reasonable prices, lots imported from Spain at the moment but UK spuds cabbge and carrots. They are however competing at the supermarket with loads of processed food on offer.

I remember in Australia meat and fish were cheaper, veg about the same but bread seemed very expensive! Here the white sliced along with bananas are sold cheap to get customers in.

[Aussiemum78]

Onemagnesium, it sounds like your son has a sweet tooth? That can be hard to break. Does he like the more sweet veggies like corn, pumpkin, carrot?

Bolognaise can hide heaps of stuff. Grated zucchini, mushrooms, red kidney beans, carrot, onion, garlic, tinned tomato. Fresh herbs too. I can make mine 70% veggies using a stick blender and no one notices.

Dd also likes muffins with feta, sun dried tomato and spinach.

[MrTumblesBavarianFanbase]

Red cabbage cooked with apple is absolutely delicious Jackie - green is better raw in colslaw. .. All my kids like red cabbage actually, although DD tries to convince her brothers not to eat it so she can have theirs if there is none left for seconds...

Making you sit and stare at it for hours like Emily Jane, (and overcooking it) were stupid and horrible, but cabbage itself isn't horrible necessarily.

[Aussiemum78]

That's sad.

The only days we have no vege/salad at dinner is when we cook a curry. Even then I'll try to put a bit of broccolini on the side. And dd would have had fruit at school. Possibly berries in her yoghurt or smoothie.

Basic nutrition is as important as education, sleep and healthcare to me. The basic things a child needs. It doesn't have to be gourmet, an apple, some carrots and peas, an orange.

I do get the feeling that Australia is spoilt for choice with fresh food though, maybe cooler climates mean its more expensive?