How to Introduce Green Juice to Children | 5 Easy Tips!

_EAC3963 (2)Drinking your daily dose of leafy greens and other nutrient dense, hydrating veggies and fruits is easy for us old folks, but what about getting the little ones to drink green juices and potions?  Sometimes the young pallets have super-taste buds, are finicky about colors and smells, and may just have a problem with something not coming in a pretty or cool comic book themed juice box.  I believe that if we can introduce live juices to our children at a young enough age, they will not only grow to appreciate fresh produce, but (dare I say it) enjoy the taste of natural juice (gasp)!  Children are basically mental sponges from birth up to the age of six, and are ready to learn anything and everything.  Let’s teach them how to appreciate and fall in love with real food, real juices and allow them to live the healthy lives that they deserve.  Here are five strategies I use to get my boys to drink green juices:


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Keep it simple at first
  1. Juice what they love and know: If your young star seed or indigo baby loves apples, then start off by juicing fresh apples for them.  This is a great way to introduce their taste buds to the real, natural taste of juice.  Juice what they like to show them how delicious nature can be.  This is a great way to educate them on where juice really comes from, not just from a carton or jug, but from the actual plant.  Eventually they may prefer the fresh taste over the store bought, because there is nothing like homemade.  When juicing fruit bases, you can try to add small complimenting boosters like a tiny stalk of celery, red pepper piece, a carrot, ginger or lime/lemon.  Ease their pallet into the new green world.  one juice at a time.

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    Fresh OJ base with a spike of kale, chard, cucumber, celery and green apple. Don’t be afraid to use honey or agave if the oranges juiced too tart.
  2. Spike their Punch: A great cheat is to just spike their regular juices with a small does of greens, like a tablespoon or two.  Just one kale leaf, or only one cup of spinach will pack a might punch in a child’s body.  This amount is small, but it is one kale leaf more than the plain juice they had before. Also, it’s great to consider diluting fruit juices down due to their high sugar content.  Instead of only diluting it with water, try adding a little juice of a cucumber to add fresh silicon.  Silicon is the mineral that will contribute to their much needed bone health.

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    Involved and in control
  3. Get them Involved: I’m sure that I am preaching to the choir on this one, but it really is a great way to introduce green juice to children.  Children love to control EVERYTHING they can, and can we blame them?  They learn something new everyday, have growing pains, probably lucid dreams and now we expect them to drink THIS?  They have enough going on that is out of their control, so to let them control what greens to juice, and to have control of the juicer is empowering for them.  Show them that they are responsible for what they put in their body as well.  My boys love to watch these gigantic, curly kale leaves get demolished by this kitchen contraption, and to have it turn into a liquid on top of that–awesome!  Children get so excited over some things that many adults view as simple, so why not take advantage of that excitement.  Put stickers of their favorite character on the juicer, take them to the store and have them pick out their leafy greens, let them help to peel/prep, and allow them to juice with your supervision.  You’re kitchen will be a hot mess, but your children will be happy-healthy campers.

  4. Ice Ice Baby: Frozen anything, is always a treat in my home.  There are now tons of ice pop trays for purchase, where you can add in whatever you want, and the kiddos will devour them.  Or simply freeze your fresh green juice in small ice cube trays (the really small ones) and drop one in their beverage.  They might love it, or hate it, but it’s worth a try.

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    Time to turn up, the green way!
  5. Syringes and sippy cups: I know I am not alone with the opinion that some children enjoy taking medicine in those little syringes nowadays.  Why wouldn’t they, it’s so sweet and colorful!  Sometimes when I want to get a little green boost in my boys, I’ll lace a little juice with honey or agave and give it to them in the syringe.  They love this because we make it a game of superhero elixir injections (smh I know, I know–boys).  After they take a shot or two, we start flexing muscles, jump in place and just turn up with all the live enzymes they just devoured.  Lastly, using their favorite cup, or a themed children’s cup can help for those that are cautious about new colors.  Many times the color of a juice can be off-putting to a child, so put a veil over it and allow them to just focus on taste.  This could be another way to get them involved and excited by maybe letting them pick out a special cup that’s dedicated to their juices and smoothies.

I hope this information helps anyone trying to better a child’s nutrition.  They are the future, and they deserve the best of the best whenever possible.

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About Jeanette 137 Articles
This is me being me so that you will be you. I'm a woman who smiles till my cheeks ache, crochets until my fingers twitch, hugs the hell out of my Hubby and children and in between these things I make the time to read, cook, write and attempt to inspire others to do something to improve their overall health.