Being a mother of a 3-year-old, I find it challenging sometimes to get my daughter to eat vegetables. Fruits seem to come easy for my little one as many of you may find to be the case. The key to getting our children to love fruits and vegetables is we must first be an example and establish fun family time with our children early in life.
Constant showings of television promos on healthy eating continue to share the benefits to eating healthy for adults and children now and in the future. A diet high in colorful fruits and vegetables will provide a variety of vitamins, minerals and fiber that children need to grow. Studies show that eating fruits and vegetables can help your child maintain a healthy weight, keep bowels regular and decrease the chance of diseases such as heart disease and cancer.
Getting kids excited about fruits and vegetables, however, can be a challenge. You may offer fruits and vegetables at mealtimes but your child refuses. If you have a picky eater who won’t touch a plate with leafy greens or an unfamiliar vegetable, you may be wondering what to do. Below are some tips that work well for very young children.
• At the grocery store, let children pick their own fruit or vegetable.
• For variety, try a different color each week.
• Or fill the shopping basket with a fruit or vegetable from every color in the rainbow.
• Let them play with their food. Use slices, dices, pieces and whole fruits and vegetables to be creative.
• Make colorful, funny fruit and vegetable faces. Make a game out of it — Who can make the funniest face? — and then eat them together.
• Make an edible landscape. For example, use a banana slice as the sunshine, broccoli as trees, leafy greens for grass, etc.
• Give fruits and vegetables a funny name.
• Let children help prepare fruits and vegetables. Provide them with their very own apron to assist. They can:
• Wash fruits and vegetables before cooking or eating.
• Snap the peas or break apart the broccoli
• Tear the lettuce for salads and sandwiches
• Measure the vegetables before cooking
• Peel fruits and vegetables
• Slice soft vegetables with a plastic knife
• Read books about fruits and vegetables with your child.
Introduce children to gardening to teach them how fruits and vegetables grow. Purchase your child a play shovel and gardening gloves, and watch as your child’s mind begins to change. Plant seeds together, and watch them grow. This is also a great way to introduce science to children at an early age.
Set a good example. Eat and enjoy fruits and vegetables with your child.
Have your child eat with another child who loves fruits and vegetables.
Start now to establish a lifetime of healthful eating habits for your children!
• Jennifer Russell is an area child and family development agent for the Mississippi State University Extension Service. You may contact her at 453-6803 or jtb20@ext.msstate.edu.
