Making Fruit & Vegetables fun for kids!

Creating a healthy diet is vital for your child’s health, growth and development, and fresh fruit & vegetables are a key component. Bright, colourful and delicious, fruit and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, all of which Better Health suggest can reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases such as heart disease, type two diabetes and obesity, as well as lowering blood pressure, reducing cholesterol and promoting a healthy immune system.

Health Direct recommends the following daily intake of fruit & vegetables, for children:

¡ 2 to 3 years: 1 serve of fruit & 2½ serves of vegetables.

¡ 4 to 8 years: 1½ serves of fruit & 4½ serves of vegetables.

¡ 9 to 11 years: 2 serves of fruit & 5 serves of vegetables.

¡ 12 to 13 years: 2 serves of fruit & 5 to 5 ½ serves of vegetables.

However, raising healthy eaters with the right attitude to food, and getting them to consume the recommended daily intake of fruit & vegetables, can seem overwhelming, so here are some simple yet fun tips & tricks, to get your little ones enjoying fruit & vegetables:

Make Shapes

Cutting or arranging a variety of fresh fruit & vegetables into fun & interesting shapes such as butterflies, hearts and caterpillars, makes fruit & vegetables more enticing for kids, and while it may seem daunting, it’s quick, easy and not only fun for the whole family, it’s also an opportunity for your children to be creative and exercise their artistic skills. Why not use shape cutters or simply your imagination, to cut or arrange your favourite fruit and vegetables into a delicious array of brightly coloured animals, shapes & objects.

Get In The Kitchen

Getting your children involved cooking is a great way to get them interested in fruit & vegetables as well as in the multitude of ways a piece fruit or a vegetable can be prepared and enjoyed. Exposing children to different preparation methods and different dishes or flavours, may provide them with an opportunity to discover fruit or vegetable items they like (E.g., A child may not like a raw tomato but may discover they like it cooked), and the sense of pride they feel after completing the cooking process of a meal, can also encourage them to try it.

Cooking is also a great way to teach your children how to follow instructions, measure, count, problem solve and create!

Prepare Fresh Fruit Frozen Pops

A homemade, fruit icy pole/icy pop is the perfect item to enjoy this summer! Nutritious, refreshing and sweet, an icy pop is a colourful, yet fun & delicious treat that kids can enjoy making and eating. Simply combine the fruit/s of your choice with juice in a blender, pour the mixture into an icy pop tray, add paddle-pop sticks and place in the freezer, to create a frozen pop the whole family will love!

Enjoy A Smoothie With Leftover Fruit

There’s no better way to encourage your children to enjoy some fruit or even vegetables, than with an invigorating smoothie. This versatile drink can be made with any combination of fruit, vegetables, dairy or seeds, to suit any dietary requirements. A great way to use leftover fruit and vegetables, smoothies are an easy and delicious way to ensure your children are consuming fruit and vegetables, as well being fun for them to make.

Bottom Line

Fruit and vegetables are an integral part of any child’s diet, with consumption of the daily recommended intake essential to a child’s health and well-being. A natural source of crucial nutrients, fruit and vegetables can assist a child’s blood pressure, cholesterol absorption, weight, heart health and immunity.

Ensuring your children are getting the recommended daily intake can be a fun, simple and stress-free process, with smoothies, frozen pops, shapes and time in the kitchen…so why not buy some fruit & vegetables, and get creative with your kids!!