Vegetable of the Week: Broccoli

By Julia Moravcsik, PhD, author of Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food

Each week, start teaching your child to like a new vegetable. Follow these 4 rules:

1. Feed each vegetable to your child twice a week.

2. Give your child the vegetable two times a week for six weeks. That’s a total of 12 times. After 12 presentations, your child will probably like the vegetable. If she doesn’t, wait for a few months and start the whole process again.

3. Don’t feed the same vegetable to your child two days in a row. Wait a day or two before giving her the vegetable again.

4. If your child tastes the vegetable, count it as a success. She may spit it out, but her brain is still registering the taste.

Six weeks from today your child will probably be an broccoli lover!

About Broccoli

Broccoli has a reputation for being a vegetable that kids hate, but actually many children choose it as one of their favorite vegetables.

Choose very firm, dark green broccoli.

Broccoli is best steamed. This allows it to be cooked to a very tender consistency without becoming sulfury. Cook for 15 minutes in a steamer.

Alternatively, you can boil broccoli for 5 to 7 minutes.

Children also like stir-fried broccoli or raw broccoli with dip.

Vary the broccoli dishes so that your child remains interested. Here are some quick and easy dishes:

1. After you cook the broccoli, add some shredded sharp cheddar and put in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheddar. Simple but delicious!.

2. Broccoli can be stir-fried in olive oil and garlic. Add some shredded parmesan cheese on top and microwave for 30 seconds to melt the parmesan.

3. Make a delicious cream of broccoli soup. Chop the broccoli well and boil it in vegetable or chicken broth with garlic and any herbs you want to add. Make a quick roux: 1) Melt 1/2 stick butter in a pan. Add a few tablespoons of flour and stir for a few minutes. 3) Add a cup of milk and bring to a boil, stirring until it thickens. Pour the milk mixture in the broccoli mixture. Puree in a blender and serve.

Post a comment and tell me how it went!

Would you like a simple, easy-to-follow program that will teach your child to love healthy food? See my new book Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food on amazon.com.