Across the world there are millions of parents trying to get their kids to eat more fruit and more vegetables. For most, trying to get kids to eat their five a day isnโt easy. It takes a lot of persuasion, some sneaky recipes and a lot of patience.
If you are struggling to get your kids to eat the right amount of fruit and vegetables each day then here are just a few new ways you can try to encourage them:
Serve It On Bright, Bold and Patterned Dinnerware
One way to get kids excited about eating vegetables and fruit is to serve it on dinner sets that are bright, bold and full of color.
Make the food look more inviting by distracting them with beautifully designed Corelle Dinner Sets from World Kitchen. These dinner sets are designed to complement whatever food you are serving on them so a salad, cooked veg or even some fruit looks extra exciting for your kids to enjoy.
Try cooking a curry or pasta dish but using zucchini noodles instead of spaghetti and serving it on Corelle Dinner Sets. This way the meal looks fantastic even if it does contain enough veg to last a lifetime.
Think About The Portions
Although you want your kids to have their five pieces of fruit or veg a day, you want to make sure that you donโt overwhelm them if they are normally against any healthy food.
Crowding their plate with a pile of lettuce or broccoli might not get them to eat any of it and it might even be more than they actually need a day anyway.
Try one small banana, some slices of cucumber, a handful of grapes, 5 cherry tomatoes and an apple to start with.
Try And Grow Your Own At Home
Seeing how food is grown, the work that has to go into growing the vegetables/fruits and how you should take care of them can help kids to be more engaged with eating them.
Start a little vegetable patch and try growing different ingredients that you would normally cook with so that your kids can see just what goes into the perfect dish.
Easy things to grow are green beans, peas and potatoes dependent upon your type of soil.
It’s all about trial and error so donโt be disheartened if it doesnโt go according to plan first time around. Having a backyard garden can be fun!
Try New Recipes
The easiest way to get kids to eat as many vegetables and fruits as possible is to cook them into different recipes. A creamy soup, curry or casserole that has different vegetables cooked into it will taste great and your kids will be none the wiser that they are eating all the things they normally complain about liking.
Rich meals that are family favorites are also great for disguising vegetables in like spaghetti Bolognese or chilli.
Take the time to introduce your kids to vegetables and fruits now and the knowledge will last a lifetime.