By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album

Reviewed by Agata Kowalewska, PhD, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida

This post is part of a series in honor of “Fruits and Veggies—More Matters!” month. Visit the campaign on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

Although I don’t generally brag about it (for fear of either jinxing myself or being shunned by other parents), my kids are pretty positive about vegetables. Now, it’s true that one child hates cherry tomatoes while the other adores them, and one likes beets while the other thinks they’re gross, and so on and so on. (Sometimes I think this is a conspiracy.) But on the whole, they’re not too picky. And they like all kinds of fruit, too.

Even Veggie-Eating Kids May Not be Getting Enough

So when my older child got a school assignment to fill out a food diary tracking her daily servings of all the food groups, I figured she would do really well! But at the end of the week, I was dismayed to find that even my collards-loving child just wasn’t eating the daily amounts of fruit and vegetables recommended for kids her age under MyPlate guidelines. (To see how much is recommended for adults and children of various ages and activity levels, click here for vegetables, and here for fruits.) For one thing, she’d recently sworn off bananas, our once-reliable breakfast fruit. (I never said my kids were perfect!) We rarely drink juice, so other than the occasional applesauce or berries on cereal or yogurt, that was one whole meal a day that was usually without any fruits or veggies at all. And school snack? That’s a hard one. Though we own a small container with a built-in ice pack, she doesn’t often go for fruits and veggies at that time and place.

Why All Those Servings Again?

As a nutrition-conscious mom, though, I know the importance of making sure my kids get in as many servings of fruits and veggies as they can, even if they don’t always hit the MyPlate goal. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can protect against heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer. The fiber in these foods improves our digestion (really important for kids too!) and helps us to feel full. And finally, fruits and vegetables are naturally low in calories. Eating more of them and less of other, more energy-dense foods can help protect children from developing childhood obesity

How Can We All Do Better?

My kids definitely aren’t alone in not meeting these daily goals set by nutrition experts. According to the CDC, 60% of kids don’t eat as much fruit as recommended, and a whopping 93% don’t eat the recommended amount of veggies! But how can my family—and yours—fit more servings of these foods into our day? It can seem intimidating, especially when kids are picky and when our days are jam-packed with work and other activities.

Give it Time

One really key thing experts want parents to know is that it can take time for children to like new foods. In fact, it may take as many as 20 exposures to a new food before children decide they like it, or at least tolerate it. (I’m looking at you, okra.) So don’t give up—and try not to take it personally if they try something and don’t like it. (For more on handling the family dinner table gracefully, and what to do when a child declines food, see Turning Off the Family Dinner Pressure Cooker). Allowing kids to prepare and cook their own veggies can also help increase interest and acceptance of these foods, so when you have time, make room in the kitchen.

Use Shortcuts

Another reminder for busy families: eating more produce doesn’t have to mean a ton of prep work. If convenience is king in your house, it’s perfectly fine to turn to bagged salad and precut or frozen fruits and veggies (which are just as nutritious as fresh). The salad bar at your grocery store can be a timesaver on a busy night, and some vegetables, such as legumes and tomatoes, are great canned. Don’t forget about dried and freeze-dried fruits and veggies for snacks! Sometimes these options may cost more, but not always. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

With all this said, I’ve set a family goal to incorporate more produce into our daily meals and snacks. And I’ve been working on a list of recipes and serving suggestions that can help all of us include more kid-friendly fruit and veggies into our families’ lives. I’ve tried to make it an interesting one, with some ideas you may not have heard before. The list is quite a long one, so we’ll be posting it separately, along with a link to our new Pinterest board for Kid-Friendly Fruit and Veggies. Let us know what you think, and please feel free to chime in with your own ways to “make more matter,” this month and every month.

(Photo credit: Addy with her celery person by San Jose Library. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)

Further Reading:

Tips for Getting Your Kids to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

MyPlate Ways to Fruits and Vegetables for Your Child

MyPlate Kids: Kids’ activities and games about nutrition

Fruit and Vegetable Calculator: How Much Do You Need?

References:

CDC. (2014). Children eating more fruit, but fruit and vegetable intake still too low. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0805-fruits-vegetables.html.

Ellyn Satter Institute. (2014). How children learn to like new food. Retrieved from http://ellynsatterinstitute.org/htf/howchildrenlearntolikenewfood.php

USDA. (n.d.) How many vegetables are needed daily or weekly? Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-amount.html

USDA. (n.d.) How many fruits are needed daily or weekly? Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/printpages/MyPlateFoodGroups/Fruits/food-groups.fruits-amount.pdf

USDA. (n.d.) Why is it important to eat vegetables? Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/vegetables-why.html

USDA. (n.d.) Why is it important to eat fruit? Retrieved from http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/fruits-why.html

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