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If your kids are anything like mine, you’ve probably gone head-to-head in more than a few picky eating battles. Whether it’s food being launched across the room, or the all-too-familiar “I’m not hungry” (despite them having asked for a snack five minutes ago), it feels like a never-ending fight. Seriously, if pasta was a food group on its own, my kids would be thriving.

But what really gets me worried is when days—sometimes weeks—pass without a single veggie making it past their lips. So, I reached out to an expert: pediatric dietitian Dahlia Rimmon, MS RDN. Dahlia dropped some serious knowledge on how to turn picky eaters into, well, slightly less picky eaters. Spoiler: There’s hope for those greens yet!

Sneaky veggie hacks: 5 pediatric dietitian approved tips

Tip 1: Drink them with Hiya Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods

Hiya Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods is a greens powder that tastes like chocolate, made specifically formulated for kids, packed with 55+ whole food sourced ingredients designed to support brain power, development, and digestion.

Here are a few more reasons I love Hiya Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods:

• Each serving has 2 grams of fiber, which is super helpful when my kids need a little extra help in the bathroom.
• It’s loaded with a greens blend, digestion blend, superfoods blend, and core development blend. These blends are packed with veggies and more that deliver a range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to support healthy digestion, boost nutrient absorption, and promote overall gut health, immune function, growth, and development.
• It’s so easy to prepare and fit into our routine. I just add one scoop to their cups, pour in some milk, shake it up, and serve it with breakfast or as a snack.
• It tastes like chocolate milk but has no added sugar!
• Just like the Hiya multivitamins, the greens powder comes with a sticker pack to decorate the jar. My kids love this part—it gets them excited to drink their greens, and they feel proud every time they see the green jar come down from the cabinet.
• The hassle-free monthly deliveries means I never have to worry about running out or remembering to reorder.

Get 50% off your first subscription order with code NMM50.

Tip 2: Puree them

I know my kids are picky about certain veggies because of their texture, so I incorporate them into their meals in a way they can tolerate, by pureeing them and adding them to sauces, soups, and casseroles. The easiest way to do this is to steam the veggies until soft and then blend them in a food processor or blender. One of my go-to recipes is to blend a bunch of green vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, leeks, and kale with some jarred tomato sauce. I mix it up and use it over pasta, in lasagna, or as pizza sauce when we make pizza at home.

Tip 3: Veggie-packed baked goods

Incorporating veggies into baked goods has been a great way to get my kids to eat more vegetables. Every few weeks I make a fresh batch of brownies, blondies, or muffins and I’ll add grated carrots, zucchini, or sweet potatoes to the batter. I also like to blend spinach or kale into pancake or waffle batter and I call them “green machines,” which my kids love. The best part is that there are endless combinations and veggies to experiment with.

Tip 4: Fun shapes and colors

Another trick to get my kids more interested in vegetables is to serve them in fun, new ways. Instead of just slicing them into rings or sticks, I use small veggie cutters to make shapes like flowers or hearts, or I use a veggie spiralizer. The novelty of these shapes makes the veggies more appealing to eat.

Tip 5: Add them into favorite dishes

I like to add vegetables into my kids’ favorite dishes, like pizza and mac and cheese. “Pairing familiar foods with new or less favored veggies can help kids feel more comfortable and make them more likely to try the new veggies,” explains Dahlia. Sometimes I mix them in, like adding veggies on top of homemade pizza, or I serve them on the side during the same meal. Both approaches have worked well for us. Here are some of our favorite combos:

• Pasta with peas
• Butternut squash mac and cheese
• Quesadillas with spinach
• Homemade veggie nuggets with cauliflower

Other helpful strategies

Here are some other strategies that work well for us at home:

• Involve kids in the process: Whether that’s having your child shake up their “special Hiya milk” or having them help with cooking, this inclusion makes them more interested in trying what’s put in front of them, since they played a part in preparing them.
• Stay persistent: Just like exposure therapy, repeatedly offering new or previously rejected veggies helps kids get familiar with them over time.
• Be patient: It might take a while for kids to accept new flavors, so don’t give up after just one try. If they say no, offer it again. Keep trying, even if it takes a few meals and a bit of waste.

Easily make vegetables a part of your everyday routine with Hiya’s Greens + Superfoods powder

If you want an easy way to boost your kids’ vegetable intake, give Hiya Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods a try—you won’t regret it. Hiya has become a staple in our routine for keeping my kids healthy in every way, and I’m always recommending it to my friends.

✅ Includes 55+ ingredients derived from whole foods

✅ Delicious chocolate taste with no added sugar

✅ Formulated for kids

✅ Hassle-free subscription

✅ Contains fiber, greens blend, digestion blend, superfoods blend, and core development blend to support healthy growth and development 

✅ Easy to implement into kids’ routine

✅ Allergen friendly

Get 50% off your first subscription order with code NMM50.

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