Candyce Toh's daughter is not a fussy eater and loves her veggies. Here's why

Making a child eat vegetables can be a real challenge. Who knows that better than a parent! No matter how hard you try, kids are able to come up with innovative excuses to avoid anything green on the plate. 

But it looks like celebrity mum Candyce Toh has cracked the code and managed to get her daughter Azalea to love what most kids despise – vegetables and greens! 

What’s even better? She’s sharing her secret trick with all her followers. 

The mum of one recently took to Instagram to share creative tips to help fellow parents who just don’t know how to get a child to eat vegetables! 

Candyce Toh knows how to get a child to eat vegetables

In her stories, the famous mum shared that while people might think that Azalea is a good eater, she is not. It is indeed quite difficult to make her sit at the dining table.

She added that her daughter had the bad habit of making excuses to get up from her chair. As a result, she’s often lost her temper at Azalea several times during meals.

Candyce then went on to share how she instilled healthy food habits in Azalea. 

• Lead by example and eat lots of vegetables

Candyce said that both she and her husband, Hong Junyang, eat lots of vegetables. They are not particularly fond of them, but they do so because they know it is healthy.

And mind you, these vegetables are sans any seasoning.

The power couple like to eat their veggies water-boiled and Azalea too has developed a liking for these “clean” veggies. 

• Develop a habit of clean eating from a young age 

Candyce shares that she’s always given her daughter bland food without any seasoning. The only addition to her food is a home-made “powder.” 

Here’s how they make it: Her mother-in-law gets silverfish from the market. They fry it without oil and then it is powdered in a blender. It is sometimes added over her fish and meat. 

Mummy Candyce makes it a point to see that her daughter is not given super salty food often and hence, she prefers vegetables over meat. She believes that salty and seasoned meats taste good and once kids develop a taste for it, they won’t touch the vegetables.

• Respect your child’s decisions about food

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Candyce shares that it can be a struggle to make her daughter try new food, so bringing her to places with limited food choices could actually be a pain. “But, there’s nothing McDonald’s can’t solve,” says the mum, who clearly respects her daughter’s food choices. 

As for her meals, Candyce gives her daughter two main options for dinner. These include: 

• Steamed minced pork, tofu and boiled vegetables, or
• Steamed fish and boiled vegetables with rice and soup

During the weekends, they usually order in or Candyce likes to prepare something special for her, for instance, pasta, fried bee hoon, or a burger. 

These are indeed great ideas for a quick fix healthy meal. But don’t forget what experts say too! 

Quick tips to make your fussy eater eat plenty of greens

Sociologist Dina Rose says that kids need to taste a new food almost 10 to 15 times before they can finally accept it. So the best way to get them to like a food item would be to be persistent. 

Try to introduce any new food in small portions and avoid pushing them to finish everything on their plate. 

Additionally, if you also enjoy different cuisines and dishes, try to innovate your child’s meals too. Replace unhealthy ingredients with the healthy ones and hide greens and veggies in meals. Slowly but surely you will succeed.

ALSO READ: Sheila Sim's 9-month-old daughter eating broccoli is a must watch

This article was first published in theAsianparent.