Eat your greens!

[sheoaouhra]

really, what has happened to this old staple? It used to be taken for granted that greens would be offered and encouraged to be eaten every day. I just don't see this now - many children I know are going a week or more between mouthfuls of green, as far as I can see- surely it is well known that fresh greens are crucial for a balanced diet and good health?

please tell me your children and young people are eating greens!

I think you are in the minority in terms of the families you witness not eating green vegetables. I’ve not seen this at all. When I’ve been out with friends there will always be a cucumber or broccoli somewhere. Especially cucumber, it’s on nearly every single children’s meal!

My kids won’t touch cucumber, never have! Or tomatoes.

Norm where we are is that typically every meal would be served with a big plate of raw veg- carrots, cucumber etc- plus cooked green veg on the side. I think small kids probably get more veg than a lot of adults.

My kids are eating greens every night. We are very boring though and have carrots sticks and broccoli most nights. With another veg or two depending what's in Aldi super six. Lots of asparagus this week, sadly only the one of the DC like it so I'm getting extra big portions!

Parents no longer want to turn meal times into a battle I suppose.
I still have vivid memories of ‘D’F forcing me to ‘sit there until you eat it’ and having to sit at the table for hours with a cold plate of something that would make me gag as I tried to force it down. It did more harm than good and I didn’t eat veg for years.
I happily eat it as an older (veggie) adult but, with SEN DC, we certainly haven’t forced it in this house. It was always offered, but mostly left, unless hidden in sauces. Their tastes will change as they get older. I imagine a lot of parents are the same, along with not wanting to waste money on food that will just be thrown away.

I don’t force my asd child to eat greens either. They get given back to me. I could put veg on the plate every evening and they wouldn’t get eaten. Ever. So I hide veg in food instead.

I don’t think cucumber counts as “greens” any more than green apples or green grapes - it’s a fruit. “Eat your greens” is more about broccoli and leafy greens like cabbage, kale, chard, spring greens, spinach etc - I do think cabbage is a bit out of fashion and people eat more broccoli instead, and people eat salad leaves more as well now that we can get it out of season.

o that's good to hear, thank you

this is great!

very heartening to see so many parents do still consider it the norm, but slightly alarming that there are some on here prepared to admit they don't insist. I expect this has a lot to do with the obesity and diabetes crisis. You can't be very healthy without daily fresh greens, unless you are taking the same nutrients in a supplement or something

I don't think it needs to be a battle I just put cooked veg in the middle of the table and they help themselves. It's not mandatory. I always try and include at least one veg that everyone likes maybe sugarsnaps or broccoli. I always think it's a good way of getting kids to try new food without committing a meal to it.

Mine has sensory issues around food and can't eat cooked vegetables at all. he eats cucumbers and romaine lettuce every day as that is all I can get down him.

Once though I have him choc-chip mint ice cream and he turned his nose up. I told him to eat his greens and he thought it was hilarious. So did I to be fair. He did eat it too, so now we have a new 'safe food' for him.

Is fresh mint tea a green? Possibly. He drinks that as well. I'd never considered it.

But yes, I grew up with a green veg every single day no matter what and it is something I do try and do as a norm. Plus supplements for when DS is having a bad food week.

We eat greens everyday, but we are Asian and follow mostly an Asian diet. Not any of the well known ones though. We rarely eat broccoli; it's mostly Asian veggies.

You might want to read this OP, greens aren’t essential, there are nations who don’t eat greens and are very healthy. My FIL doesn’t eat greens and he’s as fit as a fiddle, low cholesterol, minimal body fat - and he’s a medical professional!

My son also hates peas, I’ve tried everything. I can’t stand runner beans, my parents tried everything there too!!

https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/sep/22/dont-make-children-eat-greens

I do this as well. I particularly like hidden veg in bolognese sauce. I usually peel a courgette (to get the green skin off it) and grate it in. I have tried chopping it up very fine, but DS will literally vomit if he thinks there is cooked veg (other than passata sauce) in something so I have learned. He's 14.

but lettuce is great!

Why the obsession over "greens"?

A healthy diet should include a variety of vegetables.

People can eat what they want- it's their life-but I don't agree that greens don't taste good. It depends how they are cooked, sometimes.

I don't serve boiled cabbage, because no one would eat it, but I do a cabbage stir fry with various spices, dry red chillies, and coconut Asian style.

There was no option not to eat greens when I was growing up, so I ate them. There wasn't anything else to eat.

Yes it's quite a relief that he loves romaine lettuce. Every single meal. My trick is to chop up a large bowlful and then say 'eat this for now because I'm a bit behind with dinner'.

Not sure how long this will fool him for tbh but it's good for now.

I don't think you should insist children eat things tbh. It can lead to all sorts of food issues. I think you can work with them and figure what they like and then include as much as possible even if it is repetitive. My kids eat loads of veg/ fruit but it's very much a choice. I always talk positively about veg and home made food and I do hear them extolling the same values so a bit of gentle persuasion helps.

It does cost a fair whack though, I think good food is an investment into your health. I'd rather eat well 52 weeks of the year than go on holiday for a week somewhere / get a takeout/ restaurants. With an increase in col not everyone can afford endless veg.

wow, this is a really very outdated and badly researched article. The "science" in it was already obsolete in 2013, when it was written, and it would not be published now. You need greens because of the omega 3 content, but the other source is fish, and the population referred to that doesn't eat greens, eats almost entirely fish, so that is why.

You omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids need to be in the right proportion and without greens they won't be, and this is why we are living through a crisis of obesity and diabetes, as well as many other health issues.

I hope you’re talking about type 2, as a mum of a type 1 diabetic child, this immediately gets my back up.

Bioavailability of omega 3 from veggies is lower than from animal sources (much like iron). You're better off taking a fish oil supplement than relying on plants for omega 3.

There was no option not to eat greens when I was growing up, so I ate them. There wasn't anything else to eat.
Same! Weirdly I knew no one with sensory issues or who would vomit instantly on eating vegetables. In a lot of cultures food is mostly vegetables.🤷🏼‍♀️
Cancer is massively on the rise and in younger people and I do think that it’s partly related to bad diets from childhood.

The vomiting is true. I think you'll find alot of SEN parents will have similar issues.

My mother once gave DS1 aged about 7 (and then non-verbal) a slice of banana and crowed to me 'see! I can get him to eat it'. At which point he projectile-vomited it back up all over the breakfast table. I had to hide my snigger.

He's under a dietary paediatrician and I am actually someone who used to have a job working with vulnerable families which included healthy cooking classes and he flipping baffles me.