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Let's face it, junk food tastes great. Even at a toddlers age they prefer junk food to healthy food. It's just a natural fact of life. Toddlers turn their nose up and make a disgusted face at the prospect of eating a piece of broccoli or spinach, they'd rather go without or hold out until you cave in and give them a tasty snack.

So how do we get our toddlers to eat healthy ?

Keep trying. They may not eat that piece of broccoli the first time but after 10 attempts (seriously) they may give it a try. Don't force them or they will associate the aggravating experience with vegetables. Just present it over and over. I hate throwing the food out but it's the price of bettering your childs health.

You can also mix it with other foods they like. I tiny fraction at a time, so as not to turn them off to the meal they normally like. You should chop it up very fine, almost to the point they can hardly see it. Then over time press your luck and increase the size of the pieces. Hopefully they will acquire a taste for vegetables over time and not be so stubborn with new ones.

The healthiest meal I make for my daughter has three vegetables in it, mushroom, spinach and broccoli. None of which she would normally eat if presented by themselves. It is a basic pasta (rotini), tomato sauce and hamburger recipe. I use a hand blender to help make the sauce. I roughly chop up the vegetables (precooking the broccoli for 2 minutes first) and add the tomato sauce, then blend it for a minute or two until the vegetables are very small. Then I add the finely chopped up hamburger. It's an extremely healthy sauce.

It's a frustrating and time consuming experience trying to get your fussy toddler to eat a nutritious meal. Seeing as their health is the goal, it's worth the effort.