The Big Chomp is all about making the act of eating veg fun.
Fun lies at the heart of Eat Them to Defeat Them – for children fun is the key determinant of food choice and enjoyment.
Eat Them to Defeat Them is a game, a story, a joke. The kids know the veg are not really evil or taking over the world. What’s more, they know it’s a ruse to get them to eat vegetables…but it’s funny, unexpected and so they go with it and give the veg a go, then another go and another and before we’re done it’s just become normal.
An essential part of our success is putting children and their parents, carers and other influencing adults on the same side. All too often vegetables have become a currency in a battle of wills between child and carer. We have to break that cycle.
That’s where The Big Chomp comes in. The Big Chomp is a challenge to eat veg in the most fun and silly way. Maybe it’s chomping like a rapid rabbit like nibbleing on stick of celery or carrot, hoovering up a row of peas, popping a tomato inside your mouth or full-on face-planting your gnashers into a head of broccoli.
Here’s the challenge to you adults…..
You need to join in, lead the way. Show the kids your best chomps and encourage them to do the same. Turn an after-school raw veg snack or a vegetable side into a game, have fun, and let out your battle cries such as:
“Eat Them to Defeat Them!”
“It’s crunch time!”
“You’re going down peas!”
“Hasta las vista broccoli!”
Once your child has demolished that vegetable don’t forget to put a sticker on their reward chart and show them how happy it makes you with affection and praise. And remember a mess only takes a few minutes to tidy up but shared happy memories and good eating habits generally stay for ever.
Why not start by watching our chomping video together, and then share your chomps on social media with the hashtag #EatThemToDefeatThem
Happy chomping!
