Quantity of veggies vs variety

amother

Cobalt

Fri, Jul 20 2018, 10:42 am

I like many (though definitely not all) vegetables. As for my DH and kids, they each have 2-3 vegetables that they like, and the rest they don't like (well, in the case of some of the kids, they might like them but have so far refused to try). The vegetables that they do eat, they eat enough of to satisfy the ideal quantity of vegetables they should eat. We all eat a variety of fruits, so everyone gets "the rainbow" even if they, say, only eat green vegetables.

I have gotten some criticism from family for not doing more to increase the variety. The thing is, I know so many people who are absolutely desperate to get their kids to ANY food that comes comes from a plant, or to get them to eat more than a tiny nibble, I'm honestly grateful that I don't have to have this fight. The kids eat their preferred veggies with no fuss and in more than sufficient quantity. Would I like them to learn to like more? Of course. And on the occasions when I prepare a vegetable that only I eat, I always offer them some to try. But no, I don't attempt to introduce something new more than every month or two because I don't have the energy for a fight or to prepare something that only I will end up eating. Am I wrong here? Should I do more to expand the palette? Or can I just be happy that they eat mostly reasonably balanced meals without a fuss?