If you’re a parent, you know the struggle. It’s been a half-hour meal time and you’re still at the table because your toddler refuses to eat vegetables. A quick Google search will auto-fill questions like “How to get toddler to eat vegetables” or “Getting toddler to eat veggies.” At least you’re not alone… Many parents worldwide are looking for ways to get their kids eating veggies!

Thankfully, we have a solution. It’s very simple—and it works.

Our solution will work with any food you like. However, if you’re already getting kids to eat healthy veggies, why not make it easier with a nutritious serving of hummus? We recently explained how hummus is one of the best healthy dips for vegetables, so it makes sense to pair with your child’s rabbit food to get them all the nutrients their growing bodies need. And with all the delicious flavors available, you can create all sorts of meals your child will love.

You aren’t here for the easy tricks, though. Getting kids to eat healthy foods can be incredibly difficult, and there is no shortage of gimmicky and uninformed advice out there—precisely because there is no shortage of parents desperately asking, “How can I get my child to eat vegetables? What to feed my picky toddler?”

If you want your kids eating vegetables with smiles on their faces, and begging you to let them have more broccoli and bell pepper, then this is the place for you.

Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables 101 – Framing Framing Framing!

It’s not about fighting unhappy children. It’s not about begging them to eat. It’s not a matter of sneaking veggies into toddler food, or carefully choosing vegetables for picky eaters. Here’s the secret: If you’re trying to shape your choices around what your child wants or doesn’t want, you’re already losing the battle.

When your child refuses to eat vegetables, that may not mean they don’t actually like them. Every parent knows the infuriating ordeal of seeing their kids eating vegetables with no problem one day, and then declaring “I hate them!” the next. Kids’ emotions and opinions can be fickle… so if your ways to get kids to eat veggies are based on catering to their moods, you are bound to spend a lot of time and energy in illogical arguments, or unsuccessfully hiding vegetables in toddler food.

So what if you were able to choose what your child would like? What if you could decide for them what they wanted to eat?

Turns out, you can! Getting kids to eat veggies is all about framing the issue for them. As Mark Twain once said, “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do. Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” Do you see it yet? This age-old truth means that getting your child to eat vegetables is really a question of how you present the choice to them… and not about what they do or don’t like.

How Can I Get My Toddler to Eat Vegetables?

In short, the solution is to make your veggies and hummus an exclusive treat! Make it a meal “for grownups.” Make sure they see you enjoying  veggie and hummus treats, and talking offhand about your delicious new flavor of hummus—and the first time they ask to try it, tell them “No, honey, this is a treat for adults only.” It may seem like one of the sneakier ways to get your child to eat vegetables, but it works.

It’s a psychological truth, one that any psychologist or parent can attest to. It’s one of the best ways to encourage children to eat healthy. The change is dramatic… one day your toddler will not eat vegetables, and the next they are begging you to have “adult food.” If you designate something as off-limits and for adults only, your kids have to have it. But once  you’re no longer wondering about getting toddlers to eat vegetables, you’re wondering what you want them to eat!

Again, hummus is a winning choice.  With such a healthy nutritional profile, and a cornucopia of innovative flavors to choose from, hummus helps to make the days of disguising vegetables for toddlers just a distant memory. However, you can’t just traipse down to the store and pick up any old hummus… many of them are not the health food they purport to be. It’s not just a question of getting vegetables into toddlers, but of making sure they get a healthy dip too!

Hummus — The Easiest Way of Getting Children to Eat Vegetables!

Obviously, one of the easiest ways to get toddlers to eat vegetables is to make them taste great. But you don’t want to give them sub-par dips or reward them with sugar… you want them to eat healthy dips with healthy greens! And since that’s the case, we at HOPE Hummus urge you to get your kids to eat vegetables with only premium hummus. HOPE is founded on the idea that hummus should be healthy.  So if you’re wondering how to get kids to eat greens, then how do you pick the right hummus to match?

Here are a few tips for finding the right hummus to get your kids to eat vegetables with:

• Insist on USDA Certified Organic only. This certification guarantees that ingredients are grown non-GMO and without the use of harmful pesticides.
• Look for Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead of regular olive oil or canola. EVOO is a premium product that contains the most heart-healthy Omega-3s.
• Avoid products with unnatural preservatives. Choose hummus that has been High Pressure Processed, and therefore doesn’t contain nitrates or benzoates.

From our beginning, HOPE Hummus has met these standards. We wanted our hummus to be one of the best ways to get kids to eat vegetables—and adults too! That’s why we not only insist on the highest-quality standards, but also on the tastiest flavors. Getting your toddler to eat vegetables is a cinch with our creative combos—”What can I feed my picky toddler?” will be a question of the past!

Plenty of HOPE fans with kids have told us, “My toddler refuses to eat vegetables!” But thankfully, they’ve given us feedback on their kids’ favorite flavors. Here are their favorite ways to get toddlers to eat veggies:

1. Original Recipe – Tart and refreshing, this classic blend never fails to delight the kiddos.
2. Kale Pesto – A smooth and balanced flavor that goes well with nearly any veggie.
3. Thai Coconut Curry – This sweet and tangy variation makes kids’ taste buds dance!

As you can see, it’s not too hard to get out of the “my toddler will not eat vegetables” phase, if you understand these simple ideas to get kids to eat vegetables. Especially for kids, the best pleasures in life are the ones you’re not supposed to have yet… so if you set your veggies and hummus off-limits, you’ll have them fighting for who gets the first taste!

With HOPE Hummus, that first taste will be a winner. After all, getting a toddler to eat vegetables isn’t always easy, but it’s a lot easier if they can’t resist the flavor! And as you watch your kiddo chow down, you can remember that they’re finally eating healthy… and maybe not mention that fact until they’re older!

As always cheers and happy munching!