Every single night while I’m preparing dinner, hungry little dwarfs are circling around my legs in search for something to eat (like right now or I’ll die!).

Often this goes hand in hand with whining sounds that will only stop as bellies are getting fueled.

Not only does this make me lose precious time in getting a decent meal on the table, it’s also a real patience tester (big time!), and a true challenge to find appealing yet healthy snacks that won’t fill them too much before dinner. Often I wish I could just open a bag of chips that would instantly keep them quiet and get them out of the kitchen (but I can’t obviously because then I’d have to resign as a nutrition consultant).

Sounds familiar? Then read on…

Recently, I discovered a highly effective and simple solution that works like a charm.

Every night, right before I start making dinner, I fill a bowl with a colorful array of raw veggies (which most kids love), and leave it on the kitchen island, dinner table, or right where they’re playing or drawing. Sometimes I add a dip like hummus or cream cheese, but usually I just keep it to the veggies.

Every single time, my kids happily work their way through the whole plate, feeling satisfied but not full before dinner.

I suspect the success of this strategy not only resides in their empty stomachs, but also in the fact there are no other foods to choose from at that moment. Making it very clear that if they want to get rid of that nasty feeling called HUNGER, they’d better eat up those veggies. 

This wonderful little trick has many benefits:

• They’re not starving anymore
• It keeps them out of my legs while I’m cooking
• The whining stops (and my pulse rate drops with it)
• They’ve already had a great deal of veggies before dinner, which makes it easier to accept the occasional pickiness when it comes to veggies during dinner.