By Dinah Torres Castro
Parents often ask how they can get their kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Here are some tips to get you started:
- First of all, have fruits and vegetables available for “anytime” snacks. Make snacks an activity your child will enjoy, such as dipping. Children love to dip because it is fun! Let them dip apples in peanut butter (as long as there are no known nut allergies—if your child has a nut allergy, try using sunflower butter or butters made from other nut substitutes), carrots in low-fat ranch salad dressing, or peppers in hummus.
- Some parents feel better sneaking pureed and grated fruit and vegetables into soups, stews, casseroles, and baked items. Carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, beets, and applesauce are all great options for sneaking extra nutrition into your child’s food. They add flavor and nutrients, and your kids will never know. If this gives you peace of mind and makes life less stressful, then go ahead and do it. Just remember that you are not teaching your child to eat and enjoy these foods, and you still have the task of exposing your child to the actual fruits and vegetables. Studies show that children may need more than fifteen exposures to a food before they start eating and perhaps enjoying that food. You just have to keep trying!
- When shopping for food, select plenty of fruits and vegetables. Canned and frozen options are also nutritious and economical choices. Be sure to choose lower-sodium canned vegetables, and canned fruit packed only in 100 percent juice. You can also guarantee freshness by shopping at local markets, such as farmer’s markets, for seasonal fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid buying high-calorie foods such as chips, cookies and candy. If your child doesn’t see these items in your home, she may not ask for these treats and will be more likely to eat fruits and vegetables.
- Limit fruit juice and offer real fruit instead. If you do offer juice, make sure they drink 100 % juice and not “juice drinks”.
- Be a role model by eating more fruits and vegetables yourself. Make sure your child sees you eating and enjoying fruits and vegetables.
- Use creative recipes to get kids to eat vegetables. I remember planning a pizza night with my kids using a recipe with pizza toppings that included ground turkey, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, and peppers. Pizza night was always sacred in our house and they looked forward to it. When they saw the recipe, I was suddenly faced with a potential mutiny! My son led the charge, refusing to even help, and accusing me of ruining the recipe. I managed to rally the girls into helping me finish assembling the pizza. When it was baked, we sat down to eat and my son argued that he was only eating the cheese and the crust. After seeing the girls (his former crew-mates in the mutiny) taste and confirm that it was very good, he gave up and tasted the pizza. Hmm…I felt vindicated. Not only did he eat the pizza, he asked for seconds, and this recipe became a family favorite. Be creative and have your children get involved in making new dishes, planning meals, or even starting a garden. The more you involve them, the more opportunities they will have to be exposed to the fruits and vegetables you want them to eat.
- Visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/ to find out how much of each food group your child needs.
For more information:
http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/fcs3/fcs3557/fcs3557.PDF
Dinah Castro is a Bilingual Family Well-Being Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at 631-727-7850 ext. 351 or at dc258@cornell.edu.