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Encourage your children to eat more vegetables by having fun with them this Vegie Month.
Published: 03 Mar 2025

March is Vegie Month, and Northern NSW Local Health (NNSWLHD) is encouraging parents and early childhood education and care services (ECECs) to take on weekly vegie challenges.

Vegie Month helps to increase children’s vegetable intake through exposure to vegetables in a fun way.

NNSWLHD Director of Aboriginal Health, Oral Health and Health Promotion, Kirsty Glanville encourages everyone to rise to the vegie challenge this month.

“Last year, more than 40,500 children from 670 early childhood services took part in Vegie Month across NSW, and our local Health Promotion Team lead this health initiative,” Ms Glanville said.

“Vegie Month is a fun way to engage children, educators and parents in small changes that can make a big difference. This year we hope children get involved at home too.”

Following the success of last year’s Vegie Month, early childhood educators said children were more willing to try both familiar and unfamiliar vegetables.

Each ECEC receives a resource pack to bring vegetable-based activities to life. Children are exposed to vegetables through games, experiments, songs, stories, art, discussions, and gardening.

One Vegie Month home challenge runs each week. Challenges include asking children to help prepare vegetables, choosing one vegetable for a snack, or to eat the rainbow by trying differently coloured vegetables.

The good news is that you don’t have to have young children to take part in Vegie Month.

Anyone can jump on board, with the weekly challenges to be shared every Sunday evening during the challenge through the NNSWLHD Facebook page.

Data released in 2022 from the National Health Survey shows that just one in 20 (4.6 per cent) children and adolescents aged 2-17 years meet the Australian Dietary Guideline (ADG) recommendations for daily vegetable intake.

The ADG recommends four to five vegetable serves each day for children, depending on their age, to ensure good nutrition that supports growth and development.

Unfortunately, in 2022, fewer children met the daily vegetable recommendations than in 2017, and the number of children who do not usually eat any vegetables tripled. 

“You may need to try a vegetable more than 10 times before you learn to like it. So, no matter what your age, keep giving vegies a go!” Ms Glanville said.

To get involved in Vegie Month challenges during March, follow www.facebook.com/northernnswlocalhealthdistrict

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Encourage your children to eat more vegetables by having fun with them this Vegie Month.