Fruits and vegetables are an important part of your diet and your children's diet. But kids don't always gravitate toward green beans and apples. You can do thinks to make fruits and vegetables more attractive choices and to teach your kids the importance of eating healthy. If you start introducing different fruits and vegetables to them when they're young, you can encourage them to be more adventurous, and healthier, eaters.
Kid-Friendly Food
Cut fruits and vegetables into small pieces that are easy for children to handle. Offer baby carrots, broccoli "trees," apple slices, orange sections and pineapple slices. Don't give grapes or very small pieces of fruit to children under 2, since these could present a choking hazard. Make a fruit "pizza" with fresh fruit arranged on a cookie crust. Make a face out of vegetables on a sandwich or pizza, with a tomato mouth, red pepper eyebrows and broccoli "hair."
Offer Variety
Serve sweet potato oven fries instead of French fries. Offer a variety of dips with fruits and veggies, such as low-fat ranch dip with carrot sticks and fat-free caramel with apples. Try some new varieties, such as star fruit or baby eggplants. Mix up fruit-filled smoothies made with milk, low-fat yogurt or juice and a variety of fruits. Stir fruits or veggies into homemade muffins and quick breads. Include vegetables on pizza and fruit on cereal.
Involve Children
Let your child choose fruits and vegetables to include in lunches or eat as snacks. Search together for recipes they can help prepare, such as sweet potato fries or carrots with dip or an apple salad. Or dig up a garden in the back yard and let your child plant carrots, green beans or strawberries. Growing his own vegetables could encourage your child to eat them.
Set An Example
Children learn from their parents. If you eat lots of fruits and vegetables, it's more likely your child will do the same. Researcher Leann Birch reported in the August 2001 issue of "Obesity" that parents' eating practices shape their children's eating habits. Setting a good example by eating fruits and vegetables and showing how much you enjoy them can induce your children to also give these healthy foods a try.
