Your SEO optimized title

How to Teach your Kid to Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Most of us know that fruit and vegetables are really important, but getting them into kids’ tummies can be a challenge.

Parents might also find it hard to get fruit and veggies on the menu, when simple pre-prepared or takeaway foods seem easier to buy but don’t pack much of a nutritional punch.

But how do you get kids to eat more of these foods? What can you do to help your kid love healthy fruit and vegetables?

Here are some tips for parents :

Eat as a family whenever possible. Research shows that kids eat more vegetables and fruits and less fried foods and sugary drinks when they eat with the entire family.

When shopping for food, start in the area of the store where they keep fresh fruits and vegetables. Stock up. That way you know you always have some on hand to serve your child.

When shopping for food, start in the area of the store where they keep fresh fruits and vegetables. Stock up. That way you know you always have some on hand to serve your child.

Avoid buying high-calorie foods such as chips, cookies, and candy bars. Your child may not ask for these treats if they are not in sight.

Provide fruits and vegetables as snacks. Keep fruit washed, cut up and in plain sight in the refrigerator.

Try out vegetarian recipes for spaghetti, lasagna, chili, or other foods using vegetables instead of meat.

Include at least one leafy green or yellow vegetable for vitamin A such as spinach, broccoli, winter squash, greens, or carrots each day.

Include at least one vitamin C -rich fruit or vegetable, such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, melon, tomato, and broccoli each day.

Be a role model -eat more fruits and vegetables yourself.

Get gardering -One of the benefits of gardening is that it can get children excited about trying the new foods they’ve grown while they learn about seasonality and how their food is produced. Gardening can also be great exercise and can promote mental wellbeing, so it’s a healthy activity all around!

Whether you’ve got a veggie patch and fruit trees that kids can help with or a few pots on the balcony, give gardening a go and see if it encourages your child to eat something new.

Kids in the kitchen -Teaching your children how to cook by letting them help with age-appropriate activities in the kitchen can help them to learn to love different foods and develop healthy eating habits.

Give food a disguise -For really picky eaters, some families swear by grating or cutting up vegetables into fine pieces and cooking them into a meal their child likes. Spaghetti Bolognese, for example, can be packed with grated carrot, celery and zucchini that little ones won’t even notice.It’s also important for children to see the fruit and veggies they are eating – try making them the star of the show. Making food look fun can encourage your child to eat and enjoy it. Try cutting fruit into interesting shapes, or encouraging your child to make a picture or story out of fruits and veggies as they put them on their plate.

Pay attention during pregnancy -Research shows that eating a variety of healthy and nutritious foods during pregnancy and while breastfeeding can impact whether children will like fruits and veggies as they grow up.

Don’t force them to eat things they really don’t like

There are a lot of reasons kids might not want to eat certain foods, from taste, to texture, to experimenting with exerting their control over a situation.

It can be frustrating when your child refuses to eat a food, but forcing a child to eat something they don’t want to eat rarely helps them get over their aversion, and can make the problem worse.

Instead try these tips for encouraging picky eaters to try new foods, including fruit and veggies:

Children are often tired at dinnertime and less likely to try new foods. Introduce new foods at other mealtimes.
Put a communal bowl of salad or cooked vegetables on the table so children can serve themselves with the amount and type of food they want to eat.
Encourage your child to become familiar with a new food by exploring what it looks, smells and feels like. Let them know they can try it by taking a bite, but they don’t have to swallow it if they don’t want to.

How much fruit and vegetables should my child eat every day?

Depending on their age, children need to be eating between 2 and 5 serves of veggies every day, and 1 – 2 serves of fruit.

Why is eating fruit and vegetables so important?

Fruit and vegetables do so many great things for little bodies. They provide a whole host of minerals and vitamins that help the body grow and function properly, like B-carotene for maintaining normal vision, vitamin C for a healthy immune system, and folic acid for healthy growth and development, just to name a few.

They’re also a great source of fibre, which helps keep the bowels regular, and can reduce the risk of heart disease, some cancers and diabetes.

It can be hard to think about our kids battling a disease like heart disease, when it seems like a problem for a much older person. But setting up healthy habits during childhood is a great way to help children grow into healthy adults who continue to live a healthy lifestyle.