How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Do your kids eat their five servings a day? Here's a unique way to encourage them to eat more fruits and vegetables.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Do your kids turn their nose up at the sight of fruits and vegetables? This can be a frustrating experience for you as a mom since you know how good they are for them. If your child isn’t enthusiastic about eating fresh produce, you may be encouraged by a study that suggests a unique strategy to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.

2. According to this study, the results of which were published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, kids eat more fruits and vegetables when they’re offered ones that are home grown. It seems that children prefer the taste of produce grown from a home garden over those purchased at the grocery store. When the researchers looked at preschool children, they found they were twice as likely to eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables per day when the fruits and vegetables come from a home garden.

3. This study doesn’t make clear whether the children preferred the home grown vegetables exclusively because of taste or whether they may have partially appreciated them because they were grown at home. It would seem that a child might eat more fruits and vegetables if he had helped with the gardening, the picking, and even the preparation of the fresh produce.

4. Having a home garden and allowing your child to take part in the cultivation of the produce might be an excellent way to help him cultivate a taste for fresh fruits and vegetables while educating him about various aspects of plant life and the importance fruits and vegetables play in promoting health. You could also involve your child in the process of preparing meals with the fresh produce you’ve gathered from the garden. If you’re unable to plant a vegetable garden, consider taking your child with you to the local Farmer’s market where you can get home grown produce and show him all of the various options available.

5. Few kids are getting the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables each day that are needed for optimal health. This is of concern since the childhood years are a critical time for fostering a love of healthy foods that can positively impact health later. When children eat fruits and vegetables on a daily basis, it also ensures they’re getting adequate quantities of fiber which can be lacking in a child’s diet.

6. Would planting a home garden with your child be a good way to help your child get his five servings a day? Planting a vegetable garden might be an interesting spring project and would provide a good opportunity to spend more time with your child. Plus, you’ll be rewarded with fruits and vegetables the whole family can enjoy.

[marias23]

on 11/22/2009 Take a look at "The ABC's of Fruits & Vegetables and Beyond" for a book that will help get kids to have a friendly attitute towords these important foods. Teacher approved and used.