5 Reasons Why Making Your Kids Eat Their Veg Will Help Your Business

Ignore conventional wisdom, listen to your gut and stand your ground to get the results you desire.

In business, as in life, I have found it both a struggle and essential for success to stick to my values.

Raising kids brings to the surface the values that you find most important. One of those things for me is healthy eating.

And who could argue with that?

Not everyone will agree on exactly what constitutes a healthy balanced diet, but most people would agree that eating your veg – especially the mean greenies- is the cornerstone of healthy eating.

Personally I think fresh, whole foods, as low processed as possible are the optimum fayre for any human large or small.

Unfortunately, most parents will agree that these are not always the easiest things to get picky eaters to try.

Since weaning the two boys I have always prepared home cooked meals and they know just about every vegetable from asparagus to zucchini.

Despite my efforts, they are not keen.

Some kids will wolf down vegetables. These are probably the little beasts who go to bed at 7pm and sleep for 12 hours.

If one of these rare weans is entrusted to your care, then you won’t relate to this example or empathise with the small win I had the other evening.

Anyway, despite my youngest's protestations (the older one has slowly begrudgingly agreed to eat his greens) I continue to put the veg on his plate.

I make soups, stews and pasta sauces with obvious ’veggiterribles,’ as he calls them. And for the past 5 years I have had kick back, besides the ‘honeymoon period’ of weaning when he ate everything with gusto until he learnt the power of the word ‘no.’

Sometimes he hides them, and I find wizened carrots behind the sofa days later. Sometimes I just sigh and serve up the pudding anyway. On occasion he even eats them, when he forgets himself.

Such are the caprices of children.

I have been given the well-meaning advice over and over to blend the vegetables into the sauce to ‘trick’ them. It didn’t work when I tried and besides, I felt that was beside the point.

I believe in the importance of eating vegetables so I make sure their presence is known. Not shamefully blended to a puree to deny their existence.

When it comes to your beliefs, values and principles you should never have to deny them. Never resort to underhand methods in order to pretend something is what it’s not.

Has that led to years of wasted food scraped dolefully into the bin? Countless mealtimes where I have resorted to bribery over the poisoned chalice of offering pudding?

Sadly yes.

But then the other day I had a small breakthrough.

I made my usual Bolognese sauce, complete with onions, diced carrots, tomatoes, garlic, herbs and mince; rummelled it up with the cooked pasta and sprinkled cheese on top, which I melted (I know, sounds delicious, right?).

Normally I would get a wail of sadness from my boy for incorporating different elements into one creation, but on this occasion, the wee fella happily ate it. All up. And didn’t complain.

He said: “Hey mummy, I like your cooking.” High praise indeed! I was so happy.

But not surprised.

Of course, my persistence was eventually going to pay off. The trouble is so many parents are looking for an easy win. I am not immune to this. But a lot of things worth doing in parenting, life and business are the result of a long effort applied in the right area.

So, what can you learn from this:

1. Persistence pays off:

I put veg before my kids at all meals, even if they don’t eat – hey I won’t force them - they know it’s expected and even just the familiarity with that food makes it more likely they will choose it when they are grown up. Apply persistence in your business and you will reap the rewards.

2. Ignoring ‘conventional’ wisdom helps you tap into your own

There is just so much parenting (and business) advice out there – a lot of it useful, but the person doling it out doesn’t know you or your context. Better to know what is most important to you. That way you will be better equipped to come up with your own answers to specific issues.

Question anything that is presented to you as conventional wisdom – if it helps you then use it if not, feel free to cast aside.

3. Being true to yourself and your core values will give you peace of mind and get the desired results

I hinted at this above. If you spend time thinking about what is really important to you and act from this self-knowledge then you will not only find yourself on your right path but will inspire others who find your business or service resonates with them. They will be your ideal customer.

4. Facing up to resistance will pay off… eventually

Nothing is more challenging to the busy parent than greeting weans, who not only don’t appreciate your efforts, but downright see them as some sort of awful treatment.

Sometimes doing what’s right is tough. Like me hanging in there with my picky eaters for years, it might take a long time until you see the results you want. It will be worth it when it all comes together.

5. Standing your ground helps you achieve your goals.

Don’t stumble along the path of least resistance- where many lost sheep wander confused and aimless. Stick to your values, offering your clients or customers a service or product you are passionate about and you will be rewarded much more handsomely than if you followed the herd.

And when the new wave of challenges come, you will have the confidence to know you can face them.

If you are ready to put into words what makes you great, I can help you by transforming who you are and what you do into marketing copy that outshines your convention-hugging competitors. Email me at rachel@rachelhunterwriting.co.uk