positively refuses to eat any vegetables. There's little hope of reasoning with a three-year-old about vegetable consumption, so often a more roundabout approach is needed.

As pre-schoolers sometimes refuse certain foods just because they have seen their peers refuse them, it often is wise to simply ignore this behaviour for several days. Try serving vegetables to your child about a week after the first "vegetable rebellion'', and see if the objection to vegetables have simply become a thing of the past.

If refusal to eat vegetables drags on into a second week, it is worth asking yourself why your child still won't eat them. Are the vegetables perhaps over-seasoned or over-cooked? Many times, especially vegetables of the cruciferous type, such as cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and kale. Mildly flavoured vegetables cooked just until tender are more appealing to young eaters.

Many children will happily eat a variety of raw vegetables, such as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, especially if they are served with a little light salad dressing or seasoned plain yogurt to use as a dip. Involving young children in the washing or preparation of vegetables at mealtime increases the likelihood that they will at least taste a little of the item that they have helped to prepare. Even very young children can wash bell peppers or cherry tomatoes, tear lettuce for salad, snap fresh beans, or unwrap a packet of frozen vegetables for the cook.

Quite often it's possible to serve vegetables in appetising ways that appeal to both children and adults. Some examples include coleslaw with chopped red apple or pineapple, the classic raw carrot and raisin salad, scalloped potatoes, Oriental stir-fry dishes, soups and casseroles containing vegetables, baked potatoes with interesting toppings, tomato-type sauces with pasta and ordering your favourite pizza with peppers and mushrooms.

Some parents have tried some clever ways to slip vegetables past Junior's taste buds without she or he even noticing. For instance, it's easy to add some grated carrots, peppers and onions to your favourite meatloaf recipe.

Minced vegetables can also be added to sandwich fillings like tuna salad.

Instant potato flakes can be used to thicken soups and cream sauces, carrots can be baked into muffins and purees of leftover vegetables can be added to casseroles and pasta dishes with no one being the wiser! It's important not to turn a minor vegetable rebellion into a major power struggle between parent and child. If a food is refused, simply remove it when the meal is over, without any comment. Offer the item again at a later date and set a good example by enjoying a wide variety of foods yourself.

If your child's refusal to eat vegetables continues for months, it's reassuring to know that the nutrients found in vegetables are also to be found in fresh fruits. A few extra daily servings of fruit can give you some peace of mind while you wait for your child's tastes to mature a bit.

BOUNTIFUL -- Mrs. Louise Watson holds some of the vegetable produce she sells each day at the Paget Produce Market. The market is owned by Mr. Derek (Butch) Corbet. Pick some up, then try to disguise them for the kids.