Six Simple Ways to Get Your Family to Eat Vegetables

What Kind of Magnesium Should You Take? And How Much?

August 13, 2024 by drangie

Let’s chat about a superstar mineral: magnesium. I talk about it a lot in my practice because it can help with many health concerns. Did you know that most of us don’t get enough magnesium? It is very difficult to get enough out of your diet, no matter how healthy you eat. Our poor soil quality and the poor nutrient quality of the vegetbles we eat leave us needing to get our magnesium from a supplement if we want to have enough. Magnesium is essential and can help with cramps, anxiety, sleep troubles, depression, PMS, and blood sugar issues. Not getting enough magnesium is common among women and can increase the risk of diabetes, heart problems, and even preeclampsia. But here’s the good news! Taking magnesium supplements is safe and rarely causes side effects. Don’t worry about all the complicated stuff you might see on social media. I keep it simple ...

1. Grow Them

Plant a vegetable garden. Even a small plot or a few containers will work. If you haven’t gardened before, choose plants that are easy to grow and provide a big yield, like green beans, zucchini, lettuce, kale or tomatoes. Let your child pick out the seeds and help with the planting, watering and harvesting.

2. Mince Them

A food processor is a great investment. It can puree baby food, mix up cookie dough, and mince heaps of vegetables in seconds. Minced vegetables can be added to soups, rice, mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, pesto, pizza, pasta dishes, tuna or eggs—just about anything.

3. Puree Them into Soups

If your children won’t eat chunks of vegetables in their soup, puree it in your blender or food processor. Try blending your favorite vegetable, bean or chicken soups.

4. Bake Them

Bake zucchini muffins, squash bread, carrot cake, or pumpkin or sweet potato pie using whole-grain flour and a small amount of honey, maple syrup or sugar to sweeten. Try savory goodies like broccoli-cheese muffins or zucchini cornbread. Add minced veggies to bread, pizza crusts, rolls and muffins.

5. Add Them to Burgers

Another great way to use minced veggies is to mix them into hamburgers or meatloaf. Even better, make veggie burgers from whole grains and vegetables. Eat them like regular burgers with all your favorite trimmings.

6. Drink Them

Vegetables in smoothies? You won’t even taste them. Try this combination—I call it the Everything Smoothie: Puree 11/2 cups apple juice, 1/2 apple (cored and sliced), 1/2 orange (peeled), 1/2 sweet potato or 1 carrot (sliced), 1/4 cup chopped kale or cabbage, 1 banana (makes 2 to 3 servings).

Modified excerpt from: Six Simple Ways to Get Your Family to Eat Vegetables by Cathie Olson.