How to Help Your Kids Love Veggies

How to Help Your Kids Love Veggies

Helping Your Kids Love Real Food, One Bite at a Time

Part 1: End the Dinnertime Battles

If getting your kids to eat vegetables feels like starting a war, you’re not alone. In this first episode of the How to Help Your Kids Love Veggies series, I’m taking you behind the scenes of our family’s journey from chicken nuggets on repeat to kids who willingly eat — and even enjoy — their veggies.

You’ll hear the real story of what it took to go from dreaded mealtimes and constant food battles to building a healthy food culture in our home — one that shapes my kids’ tastes, attitudes, and lifelong relationship with food.

We’ll talk about why “food culture” matters, how it’s already at work in your home (whether you realize it or not), and the mindset shifts that can help you start changing it — without guilt, perfection, or living in the kitchen.

This isn’t just about broccoli. It’s about creating an atmosphere that makes healthy eating normal, joyful, and sustainable for your whole family. And it’s the foundation for everything we’ll cover in the rest of this series.

Share your story with me! I want to hear what you're experiencing at the table - the good, the bad and the ugly about your dinnertime escapades so I can speak to where you're at in your journey. Let's encourage each other, mama! Send me a voice memo here: https://chavahwellness.com/tired-mommy-revival-podcast#ask-a-question

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Episode Transcript

Jerusha Jantz, Holistic Wellness Coach for Christian Moms: Welcome to Tired Mommy Revival. (00:01):
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Hey mama.
Are you running on coffee fumes,feeling like brain fog, fatigue
and anxiety, or running the show?
Do you wake up dreading the dayahead already overwhelmed by the
endless to-do list, and unsurehow you'll make it through.
Do you long for the energyto enjoy motherhood?

(00:23):
And care for yourself, but feelstuck and unsure where to start.
Let me remind you ofsomething life changing.
You were created for more, moreenergy, more clarity, more joy.
Hi, I'm Jerusha, certifiedHolistic Wellness Coach.
Wife and mom to two wild boysand one baby girl in heaven.

(00:46):
I know the exhaustion you'refeeling because I've been there
barely making it through the day.
Relying on coffee and chocolate tosurvive and wondering why nothing
I tried ever made me feel better.
Then God stepped in andrevealed a powerful truth.
A woman's body is beautifullyand uniquely designed to thrive.

(01:07):
When we align with how God createdus, we can boost our energy bust
through fatigue and step into thevibrant, joy filled life he has for us.
Mama.
I'm living proof thatit's possible these days.
I wake up, refreshed, nourished my bodywith intention and navigate the chaos
of motherhood with patience and peace.

(01:28):
Most days, and I wannahelp you do the same.
If you're ready to swap exhaustion forenergy, brain fog for clarity and guilt
for grace, you are in the right place.
Each week we'll dive into practicalstrategies, faith-filled truths,
and empowering tools to renew yourhealth, body, soul, and spirit.

(01:48):
Are you ready for this?
Let's do it, mama.
Welcome back.
I am so excited to be back with you.
For those of you who don't know,I took a little break last week.
We had a very busy July as a family,and we also came out with 10 new
episodes here on the podcast too.

(02:10):
And while it was a great month, it wassuper busy and as we gear up to head back
into school this week, I just needed alittle bit of a break, just one week to
kinda get some things together and feelrefreshed to come back here with you guys.
If you are not on my email list, makesure you click the link in the show notes.
I'll make sure to put a link down there.

(02:32):
Sign up because all the insiderinformation is from the email, and I
promise not to spam you in any way.
I just let you know what's going onin the show and any bonus or valuable
content that might serve you right whereyou're at in your wellness journey.
So feel free to sign up there, but Iam so glad to be back here with you.

(02:53):
We've been talking a lot about nutritionlately, including the last episode
about why vegetables are the single mostvaluable thing you can put in your body
to fuel your health and your wellness.
And if you're a mom, I know what you'rethinking: my family needs this too.

(03:15):
But if you are a mom, you also know thatscooping a pile of greens onto your kids'
dinner plate can feel like starting a war.
A dinnertime battlethat rivals World War I.
The moment you reach for thespinach, the negotiations begin.
How many bites do I have to take?
Do I have to eat that?

(03:38):
Can I just have mac and cheese instead?
I know the drill.
So today I wanna take you behindthe scenes into my own journey from
picky eaters to peaceful meals.
I'll share what shifted in our home.
Why it matters for your kids' futureand how you can realistically change the

(03:59):
way your family thinks and tastes food.
Yes, even if it feelsimpossible right now.
This is the first episode in a brandnew series I'm calling How to Help
Your Kids Love Veggies , and we'regonna help your kids love real food.
Yes, even one suspicious bite at a time.

(04:20):
Because this isn't just aboutgetting kids to eat more broccoli.
This is about building something deeper.
A food culture in your homethat nurtures health, joy, and
a foundation your children willcarry for the rest of their lives.
For our family today, mykids by many standards, would

(04:43):
probably be considered crunchy.
When they sit at the school lunchtables, they're often the ones getting
the questions like, "why is your foodgreen?" Or, "what kind of bread is
that?" Or even, "what is that?" LikeI packed something completely foreign.
At home, when I ask what they want fordinner and give them an option, they might

(05:05):
pass over a tomato and cucumber salad andactually ask for a spinach salad instead.
They eat a variety of vegetableswithout screaming about the
green things on their plates.
They're even open to tryingnew foods, most of the time.
When we visit friends and someone asks,"is there anything your kids won't eat?"

(05:26):
I usually say, "honestly, not reallyunless you're serving Brussels sprouts".
But listen, this didnot use to be the case.
If current me walked up to past me sevenyears ago and said, "Hey, your kids are
going to love spinach salad someday".

(05:46):
I would have laughed in herface and cried a little and told
her not to give me false hope.
Because back then that sounded impossible.
Honestly, I would've wonderedwhose kids she adopted because
it certainly couldn't be mine.

(06:07):
So let's rewind a bit.
Picture me seven to eight years ago.
At the time I only had my oldest son.
He was about six, and I hadbeen growing in my own health
journey, but it was a lot.
I was at the end of a four year stretchas a single mom, and I often felt
like I was just trying to survive.

(06:29):
In that season, I was cooking healthierfoods for myself, but there was no
way I was experimenting on my kid too.
I didn't have the capacityfor the meltdowns.
So he got what he liked, chicken nuggets,mac and cheese, or quesadillas on repeat.
Usually with some fruit and maybe anoccasional veggie if I could sneak one in.

(06:53):
But at some point I knew deep downwe couldn't keep going on like that.
As good as I felt eating healthier,I knew he needed that too.
To my dismay, he hated all of it.
Almost every dinner began withthe phrase, "this is disgusting".

(07:14):
Tantrums followed any hint of green.
Dinner was a nightmare.
I dreaded mealtime.
There was whining, yelling, andmore than a few nights where
someone went to bed hungry.
And I'll be honest, manynights I just wanted to quit.
But something inside of mekept saying, "don't give up.

(07:38):
He needs this. Keep going".
So I did, for years.
We had a few small wins alongthe way, but a lot of battles.
I tried hiding veggies in his food andkeeping him out of the kitchen so he
wouldn't see what I was sneaking in.
My plan was to maximize his nutritionand minimize the fight, but I quickly

(08:05):
realized it wasn't sustainable.
As he got older, he started to noticemore: the grocery bags, the ingredients
on the counter, what was on my plate.
I couldn't hide it forever.
I needed him to love his veggies.
But how?

(08:26):
Then around the time we had oursecond son, something shifted.
I realized I had a fresh start.
This time I could introduce veggie lovefrom day one, and thankfully our youngest
was more than happy to go along with it.
He has had his picky moments, sure.

(08:46):
But he was pretty much crunchifiedfrom the beginning, and it made
the journey so much easier.
That was also when I stumbledinto something brilliant,
something that changed everythingfor our family food culture.
It wasn't magic.
There were no overnight results.
It definitely wasn't perfect, but it wasa game changer, and it was the start of

(09:13):
saying goodbye to picky eating for good.
And here's the thing I learned along theway: your home already has a food culture.
Whether you've been intentional about itor not, your kids are absorbing messages
about food every day, what you buy,how you talk about meals, whether you

(09:35):
rush through dinner or sit and connect.
How you treat treats, snacks, veggies,fullness, and even your own body.
Food culture is the atmosphere aroundfood in your home, and it shapes

everything (09:50):
your kids' tastes, their mindsets, their attitudes, and their
relationship with food long term.
The good news is that youcan reshape that culture.
You can take it from chaotic,or processed, or guilt-ridden to
life-giving, nourishing and full of joy.

(10:14):
That's what the series is about.
Not rules or restriction, but reformation.
Because food isn't justphysical, it's spiritual,
emotional, and it's generational.
It's a way we steward our health, but it'salso how we teach our kids to care for

(10:35):
the body God gave them and that matters.
That's legacy work, mamas.
As parents, we are thegatekeepers of our home.
We decide what comes in the pantry,we shape the options, we set the tone.
And while that can feel overwhelming,it's also incredibly empowering.

(10:58):
It means you don't have to changeeverything overnight, but you can take
the next step forward with purpose.
So if you're a mom listening to thisand thinking, "that sounds amazing, but
I don't know if it could ever be me".
I get it.
I really do.

(11:18):
I've been there, in the messydinners, the tears, the food
fights, the guilt, the exhaustion.
But let me tell you, itdoesn't have to stay that way.
This series is about helping yourkids learn to love real food.
One small, doable,grace-filled bite at a time.

(11:43):
Not through guilt, not throughperfection, and not by forcing kale into
a smoothie and praying they won't notice.
Because this isn't just aboutgetting kids to eat more vegetables.
It's about changing what's normal inyour ., Rewiring their taste buds.
Reframing their mindset.

(12:03):
And building rhythms that lead toenergy, joy, and long-term health,
without the battles and burnout.
And the best part, youdon't have to do it alone.
I'll be walking with you every stepof the way, sharing what's worked
for us, what didn't, and what canhelp you plant seeds of health your

(12:24):
kids will carry with them for life.
But before you go, I'dlove to hear from you.
What's your current food battle?
What are the dinner tablephrases you hear on repeat?
Do I have to eat this?
How many bites?
Can I be done now?
Share with me what's going onin your home, what food feels

(12:46):
impossible to introduce right now?
And how is it affectingyou emotionally as a mom?
I know this journey can bediscouraging and exhausting, but
I also know you're not alone.
So I want to invite you toshare your story with me.
Head to the link in the shownotes and leave me a voice memo.

(13:07):
It's super quick and easy.
Tell me where you're at, what'sworking, what's not, and what
support do you need to move forward?
I am listening, literally!
And who knows?
You might even be featuredin a future episode.
I want this series to meetyou where you are and speak to

(13:28):
your real day-to-day struggles.
So don't be shy, mama.
Let's do this journey together.
I can't wait to hear from you.
Next time we're taking a big step backfrom the dinner table to talk about the
most important foundation for raisinghealthy eaters, which is actually mindset.

(13:51):
Before you swap recipes or sneakspinach into muffins, you've got to
shape the atmosphere in your home.
The way your family thinksabout food, talks about food,
and experiences food together.
We will dive into how to promote agrowth mindset around healthy eating.
Help your kids connect nutritionto what they already care about.

(14:14):
And build awareness around how foodmakes them feel, without shame,
guilt, or all or nothing rules.
Because when you start with mindset,you're not just changing what's on
the plate, you're changing the foodculture in your home for years to come.
Until then, take heart, mama.

(14:35):
You're not in this alone.
And small steps reallydo lead to big wins.
You got this.
Mama, I hope this episode blessedyou and reminded you that you were
beautifully and uniquely made to thrive.
If today's conversation spoke to yourheart, I'd love for you to take a
moment to leave a rating and review.

(14:56):
Not only does it encourage me,but it helps more tired mamas
discover the hope, healing, andenergy they've been searching for.
You are not in this alone.
Make sure to hit subscribeso you never miss an episode.
Together we will reclaim yourenergy, renew your health, and revive
your spirit one step at a time.
Until next time.

(15:16):
Remember, you are beautifully designed byGod to live with energy, clarity, and joy.
You're not just surviving mama.
You're stepping into the vibrantlife you were created for.
I'm cheering you on.