Child’s Play: Making Fruits and Vegetables Fun

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Helping your children have healthy eating habits is the first step patents can take to prevent childhood obesity.

Getting your kids to eat healthy foods can be a challenge. Try to gradually get them used to eating more fresh foods. While you’re introducing your kids to new-to-them fruits and vegetables, make it palatable for them. Try chopping up some strawberries, oranges and bananas to put in their Jell-O or yogurt, or mince carrots, zucchini and spinach and mix them into in hamburger or turkey patties.

In recognition of National Fruits & Veggies Month – More Matters, check out our ideas for getting your kids interested in—and consuming more of—fruits and vegetables.

Give them independence. Each day, have your kids choose a different vegetable that they would like to have for dinner that evening. Giving them a choice helps them feel grown-up, gets them interested and included in the process, and eliminates the feeling that they’re being made to eat something just because Mom or Dad said so.

Make cooking a form of playtime. Get your kids to help you create menus, accompany you to the grocery store, and work with you to prepare meals. Make kitchen time fun--let them wash fruits and vegetables, shred lettuce for salads and sandwiches, break string beans and broccoli florets and mash potatoes. Kids can also peel and pull apart oranges, pick grapes, or peel bananas for a healthy fruit salad. Kids who are engaged in the process of planning and making the meal will be more apt to eat because they were part of the decision making. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy eating the fruits (and veggies!) of their labor?

Grow your own produce. In the summer, plant a garden with your kids. Choose from a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. When your kids watch what they’ve planted grow into something that they can enjoy during a meal, they’ll feel proud and excited—and more likely to eat it.

Take a field trip. Plan a family day trip to the farm. Depending on the season, you can pick a variety of fruits and vegetables there, such as blueberries, peaches, apples, strawberries, zucchini and pumpkins. Take your fresh produce home and get the kids to help you make a special treat. Make an apple or blueberry pie, zucchini bread or peach ice cream.

Check it out. Check out some kid-friendly cookbooks from your local library. Let your kids choose what meals they want to prepare and have them make a list of the ingredients they need. Take them to the grocery store to buy their ingredients and have them help you prepare the meal that night.

If you’re interested in finding more ways to get your kids to eat healthier, try calling a Wellness Coach if you have access to a service like Health Advocate. Your coach will be able to tell you about other fun ways to help your kids up their fruit and veggie intake. You can also seek advice from your child’s pediatrician about nutritional questions and issues. Additionally, there are plenty of online resources you can use to find ideas to get your kids more interested in fruits and vegetables, such as:

www.foodchamps.org – This site offers fun games for kids of all ages; the games focus on the benefits of eating healthy foods.
www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/take-your-kids-to-the-supermarket-day - This site features fun activities you can do at the supermarket to help you get your kids excited about fruits and veggies.

Tips to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet

September is "Fruits and Veggies More Matters Month," so it's a great time to talk about how to incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet!  Fruits and veggies are very versatile foods.  They can be added to many meals as a healthful topping.  Many of them taste good cooked as well as raw.  Let's explore some interesting ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into your meals and snacks.

Here's how to get veggie-fied and fruit-afied...

• Top this!  Having cereal?  Top it with sliced strawberries, blueberries, or sliced bananas.  Top salads with dried fruits, bite-size chunks of apples and pears, or mandarin orange slices.  Toss some fresh berries into your yogurt or on top of a dish of ice cream.  Slice fresh peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes to use as toppings on a homemade pizza.
• Keep 'em reachable.  Leave a bowl of fresh fruit that doesn't need to be refrigerated, like apples, bananas, and navel oranges, on the kitchen counter; when you're craving a sweet treat, these fruits will be easy to grab, and the colorful fruit basket is likely catch your eye before a sugary or salty snack food.  Keep individual servings of carrots, celery, and grapes in sandwich bags in the fridge so you or your kids can quickly grab them for a snack.
• Get soupy.  You can make a hearty and healthy fall/winter soup from low-sodium broth, a can of beans, and your favorite veggies.  If you're pressed for time, use canned or frozen veggies; if you have the time and you enjoy cooking, why not chop up your own veggies?  Either way, it's a simple and healthy one-pot meal, and leftovers can be frozen for future lunches and dinners.  In the spring and summer, puree berries to make colorful chilled soups that could function as appetizers or desserts.
• Grow your own.  Get the whole family engaged in creating a backyard garden.  Don't have a backyard?  Plant tomatoes or herbs in pots.  This is a family project that allows you to reap some truly delicious rewards.  Check out this "Fruits and Veggies More Matters" how-to guide on growing your own garden.
• Break free from the norm.  Is your family bored with having green beans as a side dish night after night?  Visit the grocery store and scour the produce and frozen sections to find new and interesting fruits and veggies to try.
• Transform old favorites.  Love lasagna?  Consider making a vegetable lasagna.  Swap out chicken parmigiana for eggplant parmigiana.  Replace your child's peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a peanut butter and banana sandwich.  Baking a cake?  Add some applesauce to the mix for extra moisture.
• Skip the bun.  Instead, use lettuce as a wrap for shredded sandwich meats.  Wrap your pulled pork, chicken or beef for a taco, or Sloppy Joe meat in a large lettuce leaf.
• Drink 'em.  If you have a blender, you can turn some of your fruit and veggies into smoothies.  Pour your smoothie into a reusable travel mug, and now you have a good excuse to skip the pre-work Starbucks run.
• Use them as an excuse for a field trip.  If your family is looking for a fun weekend activity, take the kids to a local produce stand or farmer's market and encourage them to help choose some fresh fruits and veggies for the whole family to enjoy later.  In the fall, go apple picking or to a pumpkin patch.

For the best advice on adopting a more diet with fruits and vegetables, talk to your primary care physician or a nutritionist. If you're in-between doctors or don't have a nutritionist, consider asking an advocacy service for help. Services such as Health Advocate and Health Proponent can connect you to a variety of medical providers who can help you and your family achieve your dietary goals.