Beckham eats brocolli and other techniques for getting veg down 'em

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Ds, obsessed with football in general and Beckham in particular wanted to know tonight whether David Beckham eats brocolli. Went to the Beckingham Palace website and lo and behold David DOES list broccoli as one of his favourite foods. Hurrah! What a result! I have a feeling ds will now eat more of it although unfortunately the site couldn't answer ds' question about whether Beckham eats carrots too. I did say I probably thought so as he is so fit and strong, Mmmmmm

Anyone else got any good tips to share on how to encourage a love of vegetables and other healthy food?

I've found that how they are cooked makes a BIG difference. My stepson wouldn't touch veggies before he started eating mine. Now he'll even ask for seconds on brussel sprouts. I cook them lightly (not crunchy, but defintely not soggy) and dress them with salt, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The balsamic vinegar is sweet and seems to really make it for him. Try a bit of brown sugar on the carrots. Or roast them with a bit of olive oil - it caramelizes their natural sugars.

I add peanut butter to anything she won't eat, that usually does the trick. So it's peanut butter mash, peanut butter and carrots, peanut butter and cabbage and so on. It does work though!

My ds now eats most vegs but in the past i have had to put a little of shredded cheese on some like broccoli, cauliflower carrots. That was the only way to get him to eat those veg. Now hell eat all without the cheese.

Yes, i forgot about cheese. Grated parmesan (my stepson called it sugar for several years) was a great inducement for all sorts of things. Let them do their own sprinkling.

Having something to dip them in does it for mine, mayo, tomato sauce, mint sauce etc.

DS1 likes everything with ketchup or salad cream, or both. (he discovered salad cream at nursery, but what the heck, if it works!)

maryz, agree, dd will happily eat piles of raw beans, peas, carrot sticks and baby corn but never cooked. Crunch is a big thing, she doesn't like cereal once its gone soggy either. According to Joanna Blythman ("The Food Our Children Eat" ) children do tend to like crunch. So maybe you could try raw veggies with a dip? Also, if I can be a*d, skewering baby corn, a cherry tomato, a mange tout and a piece of cheese on a stick is very big news in our house (and in fact one of the only ways I can get dd to eat cheese).

Yes, my son (18 mo.) absolutely loves chicken sate. And went we go for thai insists on trying to eat everything else at the table with the stick from the sate.

Generally, if it is so bland I can't bear to eat it, he won't eat it either, but if it is tasty and I eat it right in front of him, he likes it too. Have you tried a vegetarian recipe book? I have always been shameless about fibbing about what heroes eat, so in our house (younger child than yours!) Bob the Builder and Tigger eat vegetables, always use the potty, don't make a mess etc. Another trick is to put it on your own plate and say that he can't have any because it is so special and you can't risk him wasting it. This makes seems to make it very desirable.