Even as an adult it can be tough to consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables within your day. Convincing children to eat more fruits and veggies can be even more of a challenge! To make matters worse, we are constantly bombarded by fast-food solutions that may make selecting a healthy option more difficult than ever before. A report from the CDC indicates children are eating more fruit, but fruit and vegetable intake among children is still low.
Below I’m sharing my top 10 favorite ways to increase fruit and vegetable intake in my own diet as well as in childrens'.
Start their morning with fresh fruits every day. Add fresh fruit to a bowl of oatmeal or cereal.
Mix up their choices between fresh, frozen, or canned. Try to avoid added sugar by skipping fruit packed in heavy syrup.
Keep some fresh fruit and vegetables cut up in the refrigerator at eye level. It will be visible and ready for a quick and easy snack!
Offer vegetables paired with a dip. Try hummus, guacamole, pesto, or even ranch dressing.
Pair vegetables with foods that your child enjoys. Sometimes being a little creative with the vegetables peaks their interest
Add chopped vegetables to pasta sauces. Finely chopped carrots, celery, onions, spinach or squash blend easily into a tomato sauce.
Allow your child to help make a salad and then give it a special name. Let them proudly serve it to everyone at dinner time.
Even if they don’t like a fruit or vegetable the first time, don’t give up! Children need to be offered a new food as many as 10-15 times before they will eat it.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, set a good example by eating lots of fruits and vegetables yourself. Have a continuous dialogue around fruits and vegetables, talking openly about where our food comes from, how it is processed, and how it ends up on the table. You may start to enjoy those vegetables more yourself!
