If your kids are past the stage of hiding the greens, veggie kebabs might be the answer.

Getting your kids to eat healthy food – it’s a headache that few parents are ever spared, but with child obesity reaching alarming levels, this uphill struggle is more important than ever before. Unfortunately for you, genetics is simply not on your side.

According to scientists, human beings are more likely to be attracted to sweet and fatty foods because of the high amount of calories and nutrients they tend to contain. Once upon a time, when supermarkets weren’t packed with wall-to-wall crisps and chocolate, it was a struggle for our ancestors to gather enough food to meet their daily minimum requirements.

Thankfully, life is more plentiful for many of us these days, but that ingrained craving for the sweet and sinful still hasn’t left our systems. To make life even more complicated for health-conscious mums and dads, it seems some researchers even believe that an aversion to bitter tastes may be another natural human disposition, stemming from the fact that a bitter flavour in nature is often an indicator that toxins or poisons are present. So far, it’s not looking good for healthy dinners.

Never fear. There are a million and one ways to get your kids to eat healthy, hearty meals without having to resort to begging and bribery – all it takes is a stocked pantry, some creative thinking, and maybe a spot of well-meaning parental trickery here and there.

Sneak a little leek or cauliflower into your mashed potatoes

Start your kids off with baby steps – and maybe some baby carrots. Sweeter vegetables such as carrots, corn, sweet potatoes, capsicum peppers and squash may all be a little bit easier for kids to palate than broccoli or spinach. These brightly-coloured veggies are still packed full of vitamins and can be served in a number of different ways to help wean your kids onto the idea that vegetables can be delicious. They may not be replacing Nutella or Smarties in your kids’ hearts, but at least they’re a step in the right direction.

If you’ve got a good blender or a smoothie machine lying around at home, it may be just the ticket to get your kids to eat al little hit healthier. Really finicky eaters might even give parents trouble when it comes to consuming fruit. But a tasty smoothie is a great way to get around that and an even better chance to subtly sneak some veggies into the mix.

All you need for a good smoothie is plenty of fresh fruit and maybe a little yoghurt or milk, then you’re free to sneak the healthy stuff in right under their noses… literally.

Berries are a great place to start for any kid-friendly smoothie; they’re already delicious and sweet all on their own, plus their distinctive red and purple colourings make it easier to mask the ingredients you’re trying to fly in under the radar.

Celery, spinach and even broccoli can be cunningly added to a smoothie without changing the sugary taste. Careful to avoid turning your smoothie into a messy, greenish-brown mixture. It may be delicious and healthy, but it won’t help you win over your fussy little eaters. Make sure to steer clear of adding sugar, but for a little bit of extra sweetness, a teaspoon of honey might not go amiss. For a cool summer treat, you can even freeze smoothies into ice-cream moulds to make some delicious home-made ice lollies.

Once you’ve got the blender out, consider the fact that pureeing your veggies may be another great way to get kids to eat them. The last time your children ate vegetable puree, they were probably still waking you up at 3am and wearing nappies, but it might be time for it to come back into fashion. No, I’m not suggesting you tuck them into a highchair and try to coax it into their mouths. In fact, they should never see it coming.

You can sneak pureed vegetables into meals they already willingly eat. Any pasta with a thick sauce is perfect for this job, you can blend marrows, aubergine, onions or bell peppers easily into the sauce of a lasagna to produce a dish that’s just as tasty as it is healthy. Sneak a little leek or cauliflower into your mashed potatoes and pack your burgers and meatballs full of spinach and mushrooms.

Yes, vegetables are good for us, but that doesn’t have to translate into being boring or unpalatable. Head to that spice rack and add a little pizzazz to your greens by any means necessary. A lot of people, when preparing bitter veg such as cauliflower of broccoli, will simply boil the plant until done, but this may leave your veggies mushy and overcooked… not something you’d have much luck serving to anyone, let alone a picky child.

There are plenty of ways to cook vegetables (if indeed you want to cook them at all), but my personal favourite is grilling. Lightly grilled veggie kebabs will retain some of their delicious raw crunch even after they cook and can be basted with some tasty marinades or rubbed with spices before cooking to ensure even better results.

Let’s face it, most kids start out hating vegetables - whether it’s because of genes, poor cooking, or following a bad example. In all likelihood, you can take a little trip down memory lane and remember a time when anything green was pushed off your plate in disgust.

Most of us grow out of it as we grow older and make our own decisions about what we choose to consume – and that’s where good healthy eating habits really come in handy.