Fruit and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, the current NSW health statistics show that children are not eating enough fruit and vegetables with 60% eating enough fruit and only 5% eating enough vegetables. The figures are about the same for adults.
As many parents can attest, getting children to eat more fruit and vegetables can be challenging. Making small changes to how they are presented and included may help.
For picky eaters, try finely chopping or grating vegies into a meal. This will help disguise the vegies and is a useful way to increase vegie intake. Pasta bolognaise is a popular dish where you can hide some nutrient-packed vegetables. Try our bolognaise sauce which contains 2.5 serves of vegetables in each serve!
Creating faces or objects from vegetables can encourage children to eat and enjoy them, especially if they help. From cutting the vegetables to creating the picture, involve your child every step of the way. Using a variety of vegetables will help make the picture more appealing and also means they get a range of nutrients.
Cutting fruit into different shapes can help turn an ordinary fruit platter into a much more enticing treat. Try using sticks to create fruit lollipops, cutting watermelon slices into the shape of ice-blocks and using cookie cutters and melon ballers to create unique shapes. Again, get your kids to help!
For something different, try chargrilling fruit kebabs and serving alongside some natural yoghurt for a healthy dessert.
Let them choose what fruit and vegetables they would like to try by getting them to build their own lunch box on our interactive Lunch box builder.
You don’t need to make a fuss, but being a role model and letting your kids see you enjoy fruit and vegetables helps kids learn to enjoy them too.
See our blog on 6 tips for delicious vegies.
Most importantly – keep offering fruit and vegetables! Just because they say no one day doesn’t mean they will do the same tomorrow.
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Some images on this site have been supplied by Cancer Council Western Australia's Crunch & Sip website
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