The American Heart Association recommends that children eat at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal as part of a healthy diet. With a wide variety of fruits and veggies available at most grocery stores, it's easy to meet that goal. Feeding your kids the recommended servings of fruits and veggies daily helps ensure that they stay healthy and strong.
Fiber
Fruits and veggies are a good source of fiber. Fiber is an important part of maintaining good digestion. Eating plenty of fruits and veggies rich in fiber will help prevent uncomfortable bouts of constipation in your child. Constipation can cause abdominal pain, nausea, pain while using the bathroom, and loss of appetite. Fiber-rich fruits and vegetables include beans, peas, brussels sprouts, spinach, sweet potatoes, raspberries, blueberries, pears, bananas and apples.
Calcium
Most people know that dairy products are a good source of calcium, but several fruits and vegetables are calcium-rich as well. Most of the calcium in your body is used to keep your bones and teeth healthy and strong. Your bones are constantly rebuilding themselves, and calcium is what new bone is made of. Your body needs calcium for other things, too. It helps your muscles work, helps blood vessels expand and contract, helps your body secrete enzymes and hormones, and helps your nervous system function. Broccoli, spinach, kiwi, oranges, cherries, plums and figs all provide calcium.
Potassium
Potassium helps your whole body function smoothly. It's very important for maintaining a healthy heart, muscular function, and digestion. Potassium-rich fruits and vegetables include bananas, pomegranates, bok choy, cooked yams, cooked spinach, dried apricots, yellow tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli and baked potatoes with the skin on.
Vitamins
Fruits and vegetables provide a variety of vitamins that help keep your body in good working condition. Carrots, mangoes, lettuce, apricots, butternut squash, watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit and kale provide vitamin A, which is important to your eye, skin, dental and bone health.
Vitamin C helps your body heal itself. It also helps your teeth, bones and cartilage stay healthy. Foods rich in vitamin C include bell peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, grapefruit, oranges, honeydew, guava, watermelon, tomatoes, spinach, cabbage, chili peppers, lemons, papaya, strawberries, raspberries and pineapple.
Vitamin B9, also known as folic acid, helps your body grow new cells. Folic acid also helps to prevent birth defects. Getting your child in the habit of eating foods rich in folic acid may help when she's older and ready to become a mother, since she'll be used to eating foods that can keep her baby healthy. Foods that provide vitamin B9 include beets, asparagus, leafy greens like lettuce, collards and spinach, green beans, strawberries, watermelon, avocados, artichokes, papaya, blackberries, brussels sprouts, oranges and cauliflower.
The Bottom Line
Giving your child a variety of fruit and veggie choices will help ensure his overall good health. Try to give whole fruit rather than juices for the best nutritional value, except in the case of orange or grapefruit juice. A good rule of thumb is to provide a diet that contains lots of differently colored produce, so that your child will receive the benefits of many types of fruits and vegetables.
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