Tips for Getting Kids to Eat Veggies

We all know that we should follow the recommendations for healthy living by eating three to five servings of veggies a day, but getting kids to voluntarily eat just one serving can be torturous.


Vegetable requirements for children depend on their age, as well as a number of other factors, but, in general, you should be trying for two to four servings of veggies a day. Here are several tips that parents can follow when trying to incorporate vegetables into their child's diet.

The Sneaky Way

There are many ways to slip veggies into food on the sly.

• Spaghetti sauce. Most kids love spaghetti. Many vegetables can be cooked, pureed, and added to spaghetti sauce without being detected. Yellow squash, eggplant, and zucchini are great additions to your favorite spaghetti sauce.

• Dips. Many kids will eat creamy dips on chips or crackers. Try adding chopped spinach to ranch-type dips or smashed green peas to avocado dips. Also, try introducing hummus instead of dip. Hummus is a delicious alternative to dip and it is already naturally full of high-fiber chick peas.

• Sauté vegetables in dishes made with ground meat. Kids won't even know that you have added carrots, bell pepper, or onions to ground meat served in tacos, meatloaf, meatballs, or even hamburger patties. Just make sure you chop them finely and saute them until tender.

• Add herbs. Herbs like parsley and cilantro are very nutritious and children often cannot detect that you have added them to food. Chop them finely and add to soups, quesadillas, or scrambled eggs.

The Not-So-Sneaky Way

All sneaking aside, there are many other ways to turn your kids on to vegetables.

• Let them help cook. Getting kids involved in the cooking process can make them feel like they are a part of the meal preparation. They will naturally be curious about the taste of things that they helped prepare.

• Get them involved in gardening. When your child witnesses seeds sprouting or gets to pick a ripe tomato off of the vine, their interest in different kinds of vegetables will grow. It may take a while, but they will eventually want to try their homegrown creations.

• Take them to the grocery store. Let them help pick out colorful veggies to try at home.

• Insist that they try one small bite. Kids tend to snub veggies because of their color or some other perceived unsavory attribute. Getting them to try it is the only way that they will really know if they like it or not. Most of the time, even the pickiest eaters find some vegetable that they like.

The best advice for parents when it comes to getting their kids to eat veggies is to be a good role model. When you serve vegetables at every meal and your kids see you eating vegetables, they will be more likely to do the same.

Pet Care: Why Dogs Shouldn't Eat Chocolate

We've all heard that dogs shouldn't eat chocolate and many pet owners will attest to the fact that their dogs have eaten chocolate and nothing happened. The reason is that there is a toxicity level when it comes to dogs ingesting chocolate and that level has a lot to do with the amount that they eat in relation to their size.

Toxicity levels in dogs

The canine culprit in chocolate is a substance called theobromine. On average, milk chocolate contains about 44 mg. per oz. Semisweet chocolate contains about 150 mg. per oz. And baker's chocolate contains the most at 390 mg. per oz.



Fortunately, it takes a fairly large amount of theobromine to produce symptoms of toxicity in dogs. For example, a 40 pound dog would have to eat at least 4 oz. of baker's chocolate and many more ounces of milk chocolate (the kind contained in most candy) to cause clinical signs of toxicity.

Signs of toxicity

It's the xanthines contained in theobromine that causes the problems for dogs when they ingest chocolate. Xanthines adversely affect a dog's nervous system and their cardiovascular system, as well. Some of the signs of chocolate toxicity include:

• Hyper excitability
• Increased heart rate
• Restlessness
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea

Treatment for chocolate toxicity

Generally, there is no specific treatment for chocolate poisoning. Many veterinarians will suggest inducing vomiting within the first two hours to reduce the amount of theobromine that is absorbed. Sometimes vets administer charcoal to try to inhibit absorption. If neurological signs are already present, a vet may prescribe an anti-convulsant or intravenous medications. Because many dogs suffer from severe diarrhea about 12 hours after eating chocolate, fluids may also need to be administered to prevent dehydration.

Of course, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure where chocolate toxicity is concerned. If your dog happens to get into some chocolaty treats, contact your veterinarian immediately.