Our house dinner time vegetable eating rules.

[Epacris]

These vegetable eating rules have evolved over the last 6 months or so and they’re working really well for us so I thought I’d share them.

Vegetable eating rules apply to:
- all dinners at our house
- adults and children equally (unless otherwise stated)
- visitors (unless it is a big, crazy party and then there are no rules, doesn’t happen very often).

1. Vegetable serving sizes at dinner time are based on 2 ½ cups per adult per day and 1 cup per child per day less an assumed daytime (lunch) intake of 1 cup per adult and ½ cup per child. i.e. At dinner time adults get 1 ½ cups, kids get ½ cup.

2. The above (point 1) may be adjusted for adults and children up or down if there is known vegetable consumption (or lack of) throughout the day.

3. There will be at least 3 types of vegetable. The vegetable server will have due regard for known vegetable dislikes and will only serve a token amount of disliked vegetable. (e.g. DS doesn’t like beans so he only get ½ a bean, Grandma Sue doesn’t like broccoli so she only gets 1 small floret). The total vegetables served still needs to be in accordance with the quantities in point 1.

4. If a person is accidently served a large quantity of disliked vegetable they can swap vegetables with other people on the table. If no one is willing to swap, an adult will show mercy and help eat the disliked vegetable as long a token amount is eaten by the person who doesn’t like it.

5. Encouragement and praise for eating vegetables will be provided by all people at all times.

6. If all vegetables are eaten, the eater is allowed to demand dessert.

7. If ¾ of vegetables are eaten, including the token disliked vegetable, and/or an adult deems that there has been a “good effort” the eater is allowed to ask for dessert. It will be provided in almost all circumstances but may also depend on other dinner time behaviour (e.g. sitting and eating nicely, using cutlery, making conversation, not washing hands in water glass throughout meal).

8. Dessert will only be proved if all people eating dinner have satisfied point 6 and 7.

And I just wanted to add, probably 3 or 4 nights a week we don’t have dessert. We either just forget, we’re just not hungry, something more interesting happens and we get distracted, or there isn’t anything good for dessert.

Anyway, I hope you find these rules interesting/helpful.

[onthefly]

What are the trading rules for disliked vegies? Is it strictly one to one, or is further negotiation allowed?

[Cranky Kitten]

Heh, your rules made me giggle a bit - they're kind of awesome!

My DD however doesn't have a problem with most vegies, it's meat that she tries her best to avoid unless it's chicken. Of course, there are some vegies I simply don't serve because DH and I both hate them (brussel sprouts, broad beans) but other than that most things get dished up at some stage or another.

Question though - does the rules cover situations where someone really likes a particular vegie? Can they request proportionally more say, peas than beans?

[JLeigh29]

That is absolutely awesome Epacris! I think I subconsciously do that here. Do you count potato and sweet potato as veges or carbs or both?

Can I add another?
9. The variety of vegetables served should be changed daily so that the exact same combination of vegetables is not served two nights in a row. Vegetables served should be of AT LEAST two different colours.

[Phteven]

I love your rules.
I have my boys convinced that fruit is desert so if they eat all their veges they can have some fruit

[helle]

Oooh! I like them. Fair rules I think jacks a bit young still tho, so in the mean time I'll continue to hind them XP

[Little Chicken]

I love your rules.
I have my boys convinced that fruit is desert so if they eat all their veges they can have some fruit

Same here! DD1 loves sharing an apple with her Daddy for dessert

[Cranky Kitten]

Ours is berries and melon. DD is in 7th heaven if I give her a plate of watermelon, honeydew and blueberries for dessert.

[AnyDream]

I love your rules.
I have my boys convinced that fruit is desert so if they eat all their veges they can have some fruit

Oi! Fruit totally IS dessert!

[Epacris]

thanks for your feedback ladies.

What are the trading rules for disliked vegies? Is it strictly one to one, or is further negotiation allowed?

Its starts off as one for one and then gets a bit more flexible depending on the level of stress, other dinner time behaviour, desire/need for dessert (theirs and mine). But the vegetable server (me) pretty much knows what most of the disliked vegetables are now so it doesn’t happen all that often. Although, liked vegetables can be randomly disliked (and then liked again) for absolutely no apparent reason, hence the need for this rule.

Of course, there are some vegies I simply don't serve because DH and I both hate them (brussel sprouts, broad beans) but other than that most things get dished up at some stage or another.

Ergh, I hate brussel sprouts too! But (rarely) I do buy them and make myself eat a token amount, thems the rules. But capsicum repeats on me horribly, so I believe I have a medical reason for not eating it so I don’t ever have too.

Question though - does the rules cover situations where someone really likes a particular vegie? Can they request proportionally more say, peas than beans?

Yes, yes, yes but you can’t get out of eating a token amount of disliked vegetable (unless you have a medical reason as above).

The reason for this is because quite often a disliked vegetable can suddenly become a liked vegetable again for no apparent reason.

Do you count potato and sweet potato as veges or carbs or both?

Sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots - all veges.
Potato with skin - vege.
Potato without skin (e.g. mash) - carbohydrate.

9. The variety of vegetables served should be changed daily so that the exact same combination of vegetables is not served two nights in a row. Vegetables served should be of AT LEAST two different colours.

Yes, yes, yes!!! I forgot that one, I might have to make that rule 3a.

[Epacris]

Oh, and, I did just want to add, my kids (DS particularly) used to eat vegetables with absolutely no problems at all. But then when he was about 3 it started to become more and more problematic.... and so the rules have evolved.

And my kids used to think that fruit was dessert but somehow that changed too. I blame the grandparents! Dessert (when we have it) is usually a small bowl of custard or a small cup-cone with ice cream. They usually eat their ice creams on the back step together (it’s so cute!).