How do I encourage my children to eat fruit and vegetables?

Encouraging children to eat fruit and vegetables can sometimes be a struggle. However, research has shown that the more fruit and vegetables are available and easily accessible for children ie; chopped up and ready to eat, the more likely they are to eat them. Providing a variety of different fruits and vegetables is one way to encourage your children towards healthy eating habits, however you need to be patient. There is some evidence that children need to try new fruits and vegetables up to eight or nine time before they are liked or accepted. 

As a parent you can help this process by being creative in the way you serve up fruit and vegetables. For example, prepare vegetables in different ways to vary the texture such as raw, microwaved, mashed, baked, grated into a casserole or frittata (like a baked omellete) blended up as a pasta sauce or as a soup.

Fruit juice or fruit drinks should not be considered as a substitute for real fruit.  Fruit juice is often regarded as a healthy choice as it contains Vitamin C. However one small glass (125 ml) of most juices provides a child’s daily requirement for Vitamin C. More than this provides excess sugar and kg that can contribute to weight gain.  A piece of fruit is a better choice than juice.

Easy fruit and vegetable ideas:

             

Try and make fruit and vegetables a part of every meal or snack, for example:

• Top breakfast cereal with fruit

• add chopped or pureed fruit to yogurt as a snack

• make a smoother with fresh, frozen or canned fruit

• As a topping on toast, i.e. Banana, mushrooms, tomatoes

• chop up fruit or veggie sticks for your child’s lunchbox

• In Summer, freeze fruit on a skewer as a snack

• add veggies to a stir-fry, chopped up in meat loaf or a casserole or on a home-made pizza.

Select fruit and vegetables in Season – it will taste better and is usually cheaper than those that are out of season.