If you are trying to get your kids to eat more fruit, it can be a challenge. Some kids love fruit. Some will act like you are trying to poison them. Here are five tips to get them to eat more fruit:
- Presentation. Children will often prefer sliced and/or peeled fruit over whole fruit. A whole apple, for example, can be intimidating. Or you can take it a step further and come up with fun ways to present fruit to your kids. Try pancakes that look like an owl with blueberries for the eyes and a raspberry beak. You can cut fruit into interesting shapes or do skewers of fruit. Follow our instagram page for additional ideas on fruit presentation.
- Share. If you eat it too then children are more likely to try it, regardless of what the food is. Eating fruit as a snack in front of your children can make them curious enough to try something they have previously turned their nose up at.
- Make fruit available. Instead of putting out a bowl of candy, put out a bowl of cherries. Avoid hiding fruit in the crisper, and set it out every day at meal or snack time. Children will try fruit out of curiosity if it is there. Put out different fruits. Although your kids should eat fruit, there is seldom a need to force them to eat a fruit they dislike.
- Let your kids pick out fruit in the supermarket. By letting your kids choose their own apples from the shelf ca
n help invest them in the process. And it can help make sure they get fruit that suits their appetite. Remember to prewash fruit & keep it in refrigerated in containers. - Home-made juice (with no added sugar). Get a juicer and make juice with seasonal fruits (and vegetables). Smoothies can also be a good way to encourage your kids to get their five a day, as can homemade popsicles (which can be made without added sugar or artificial sweeteners).
Most children want to like fruit – they have a sweet tooth. They just need to be encouraged to try it.
