I don’t remember intentionally putting a piece of fruit or a green veggie on my plate until I was an adult. I’ve learned how to prepare fruits and vegetables and that’s helped me learn to love them, but my kids have always been big devourers of healthy snacks. I’ve never been much of a food pusher, and I willingly let my children indulge in sweets. I’ve found a few ways to make fruits and veggies more appealing so they don’t shirk at leafy greens.

1)      Education. With a background in health education I’ve taught my children a lot about what fruits and vegetables do inside your body once they’ve been swallowed. My children love to eat carrots and feel like their eyes are sharper or that the blueberries they eat are consuming the “free-radicals” roaming around inside of them (They actually understand what free-radicals and anti-oxidants are.). Like anything in life, if the student understands why something is important to them personally then they’re more inclined to make better, educated decisions.

2)      Gardening. A friend of mine grows amazing vegetables in her garden year round and lets us benefit from her green thumb as often as we want. I owe her my life because my children love eating the vegetables they’ve helped pluck from her garden. In their minds, it’s much cooler if they’ve helped participate in the gardening process from the ground to their plates. They now love lettuce, tomatoes, and squash thanks to her summer garden.

3)      Farmer’s Markets. In some cases, you don’t have the resources for a garden and the farmer’s market is a great alternative. We’ve gotten to know a lot of the local growers in our area and they’ve introduced a lot of new foods to my kids. I’m shocked at what they’ll try for a stranger at the outdoor market, but not for good ol’ Mom at the dinner table. I don’t take it personally, but instead use it to my advantage.

4)      Cook together.My oldest girls freaked out when they saw me put an eggplant into our shopping cart one day. They both insisted there was no way that could be edible, but once we were in the kitchen making eggplant parmesan together they couldn’t control their excitement to sample the goods. Anytime children take ownership in a new program they’re more likely to get onboard and less likely to resist the change. Besides, kids love to cook up creations so you won’t have to twist their arm to get them to pitch in.

5)      Smoothies. Want your kids to eat more fruits and veggies? Dust off your blender and load them up with anti-oxidants in a simple smoothie (see recipe below). They suck their nutritious drinks up with a straw in a heartbeat. By contrast it would take them 30 minutes or more to eat the fruit equivalent. Some moms I know use powdered vitamins or yogurt to increase the nutritional content. I even sneak in sweet or tasteless vegetables like carrots and spinach. I also put a little flax seed into my creations to boost the fiber and healthful benefits and call it ‘magic pixie dust.’

 

Question: How do you get your kids to eat their five-a -day?

 

Smoothie Recipe

1 small scoop of fruit sorbet (They come in lots of flavors – peach, mango, pomegranate.)

3 cups of fruit and/or veggies (strawberries, bananas, blueberries, pineapples, oranges)

¼ cup of water

 

Chop fruit and blend together. Enjoy!