My ADA

You Can Get Your Kids to Eat Fruits and Vegetables. No, Really.

March 14, 2007

Trying to get your children to eat more fruits and vegetables but feeling at a loss? Try these ideas and you may be surprised.

• Ask your kids what their favorite fruits and vegetables are and how they like them prepared.
• Take your kids grocery shopping with you and have them pick out new fresh, canned or frozen fruit and veggies to try.
• Make mealtime fun; let your children help you prepare fruits and veggies at home. They can tear up broccoli, wash vegetables and toss salads.
• Kids like to have control. Put out small bowls of raisins, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, crunchy noodles and chopped fruit, and let them make their own salads.
• Pick a dressing children will like. Kids tend to lean more toward sweeter dressings like honey mustard rather than vinaigrette.
• Children can also make their own wraps or tacos, loaded with beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumber, avocado and tomatoes.
• Let the kids stuff baked potatoes with salsa, guacamole, broccoli or cheese.
• Serve chopped vegetables like baby carrots, celery stalks, Jicama sticks, asparagus spears, broccoli and cauliflower florets with salsa, low-fat ranch dressing, flavored hummus, peanut butter or guacamole.
• For a fun snack, dish up boiled edamame (soybeans in the pod).
• Add pureed or finely chopped veggies to soups, sauces and casseroles.

Special National Nutrition Month Tip of the Day written by ADA National Spokesperson Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD