VEG SELECTOR
Welcome to the Veg Selector, designed to help you choose the next right veg to try to introduce to your child (or which one you should try next!), taking into mind individual preferences.
How can I pick the best veg to introduce to my child?
We all have individual food preferences. Think about your own choices – do you favour certain brands or usually choose a hot lunch because cold just isn’t the same? With veg, do you prefer crunchy veg to soft? Cooked to raw? Orange to green? Sweet to bitter?
Kids are the same, and can be even more insistent on their likes and dislikes, so it’s important to take them into account. Keep a running conversation going with your child around their food likes and dislikes gives you an insight into whether they prefer foods with a specific texture (crunchy, smooth, soft, squidgy), colour, smell, temperature or taste.
When they say they love pizza, ask them why. Can they describe what’s so great about it? Is it because it is hot, sweet, soft, or mild in flavour? Keep track of the words they use, and see if you can find some below that might indicate a veg that matches with some of their preferences.
For example, if a child keeps using the word “crunchy” when describing foods they like, and “slimy” in foods they don’t like, you’d be much better off trying raw cabbage than cooked. And if they also describe foods they like as “sweet” and foods they don’t like as “bitter”, then you may want to skip cabbage entirely for now and go for raw carrots next instead.
If you want more tips on preferences and a planner to fill out with these key words to guide you, why not sign up for our 100% free course “Launch into Veg” to help get your child eating more veg through our expert guidance!
Broccoli
Bitter, soft, green, warm/hot, strong (flavour), sweet (roasted/stems), dark
Butternut squash
Orange, sweet, strong (flavour), soft, smooth, creamy, buttery, warm/hot, bright
Cabbage (RAW)
Crunchy, bitter, strong (flavour), hard, smooth (white/red cabbage), rough (Savoy/crinkly cabbages), green/purple/white/red, cold
Carrot (cooked)
Soft, warm/hot, sweet, mushy, bright, orange, smooth, mild (flavour).
Cauliflower
Bitter, white, strong (flavour), sweet (roasted), soft, mushy, warm/hot
CUCUMBER
Crunchy (skin), soft (middle), mushy (seeds), seedy, green, mild (flavour), sweet, sour
PEAS
Green, sweet, creamy, buttery, mild (flavour), soft, smooth, small, light, bright
peppers (COOKED)
Soft, sweet, bitter (green), red/yellow/orange/green), mild (flavour), slimy (fried), slippery, warm/hot.
peppers (RAW)
Crunchy, bitter (especially green), sweet (especially red/yellow/orange), cold, red/yellow/orange/green, hard, smooth, strong (flavour)
sweetcorn
Yellow, buttery, creamy, sweet, cold (tinned), warm/hot, soft, small, smooth, light, bright, mild (flavour).
tomatoes (cooked)
Soft, mushy, smooth (blended/tinned/sauce), warm/hot, sweet, sour, red, dark.
tomatoes (raw)
Hard (skin), soft (inside), slimy (seeds), seedy, sweet (riper), bitter (less ripe), sour, cold, mushy, smooth, red, bright.
if you still can’t choose…
We suggest you go with carrots, sweetcorn, cucumber or peas as they are most children’s favourite vegetables.