A diet rich in fruit is essential for optimum health – but try telling a kid that.
If you have a nagging feeling that your children aren’t getting sufficient amounts of fruits into their tummies, you’re probably right. According to recent research, an astounding 60% of children are eating less than the recommended daily intake of fruits. Loaded with vitamins, minerals, and high in fiber, fruits are a necessity for healthy growth and development. The reasons why are countless!
To start, fruits are an instant energy supplier. It’s a natural source of vitality and will help kids stay alert and active longer. Fruits are also naturally low in calories, and its powerful combinations of flavonoids, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, phytochemicals and the countless micro and macronutrients this makes fruits wonderfully easy way to give kids the nutrients and vitamins they need.
All of this begs the question: how do you actually get a child to eat more fruits? Here are 7 easy ways you can guide them to a more balanced, fruit-rich diet. Trust us, not only will they be eating fruits, they’ll be loving it, too.
Lead By Example
Why not make eating fruits a fun family activity after dinner? If you make it a habit to snack on fruit when your kids are around, they’re more likely to pick up an apple when they’re feeling peckish.
Familiarize them with fruits
A lot of children say “no” to fruits because they’re afraid of its unfamiliarity. This is not because they dislike the taste. You can get them used to certain fruits by keeping them on display in a fruit bowl in your home, talking to your kids about it, and subtly sneaking them into meals that they enjoy so they can slowly get familiar with the flavor.
Children are curious little creatures, and may take more kindly to fruits that have been sliced into bite-sized pieces than whole fruits.
In fact, a study of 14 elementary and middle school cafeterias showed schools that sold sliced apples received 71% more apple sales than schools that sold their apples whole.
Get children more excited about fruits by making it fun. Stickers of their
favorite cartoon characters will work great. Research has shown that
kids are twice as likely to pick up the piece of fruit in their lunch box if it has a picture of a cartoon character on it. A simple yet effective method.
Making fun no-cook creations with the kiddies will make them proud and eager to taste their fruity culinary delights. This can be as simple as fruit salads or as cool as real-fruit popsicles. Either way, kids will love eating what they helped make.
Get kids involved in the grocery shopping process and they’ll be more likely to eat what they’ve chosen at home. Giving children the chance to explore and discover different colors, textures and shapes will get them more interested in tasting the fruit.
Allow kids to learn that fruits comes in different forms. They can eat the same fruit whole or they can drink it in a juice. Teach kids that fruit can be frozen, canned, and dried to take on different tastes and textures. It’ll be like a mini science experiment – they’ll love participating in it!
