Most kids have food aversions and are usually reluctant to eat these two main foods: fruits and vegetables. According to data, 93% of children do not consume enough veggies, and 63% fail to eat sufficient fruits at any given period. For many parents, this can be a huge challenge to overcome. The mission to provide kids with essential nutrients can be a struggle. Fortunately, if you haven’t yet explored other options to get your kids munching on more fruits and vegetables, here are some ideas.
Be creative with new recipes
Texture, taste, color, and flavor are the four main elements determining whether a child will be interested in a new recipe. Research has shown that kids have 10,000 taste buds. This likely contributes to their hard-to-please disposition to certain foods. Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom for parents. As long as you are willing to try out new recipes and ready to incorporate fruits and vegetables, it’s an effective plan.
For example, you can try an easy to make zucchini banana bread recipe as a new all-time favorite for kids. The strong banana flavor often combines very well with zucchini, making both the perfect main ingredients for home-baked bread. You can also try apple pancakes with a bit of syrup to stimulate your child’s palate. Another recipe to try is an applesauce dip with bits of shredded carrots. This can be served with fries and chicken. While trying out fruit and vegetable recipes is awesome, you may want to tone down on excessive artificial flavorings. That will likely make your kids lose interest in whatever new recipe you whipped up.
Add fruits and vegetables to existing favorite meals
Have you tried topping it with fruit portions if your child loves cereal? Usually, fruits from the berry family do well with cereals. Moreover, when you use strawberries or blueberries, the color splash on cereal can generate interest. The trick to this technique is to identify your child’s current favorite foods. It can be easy to add a twist when you get that right. As a tip, it helps to start with just a sparse addition of fruits.
Another time, you can add very little diced veggies. Over time, you can increase the quantities with little to no resistance from your young ones. Do not forget to alternate the fruits and vegetables over the months. In the meantime, bear in mind that any drastic change to their favorite foods can turn them off.
Gradually reduce your stock of unhealthy snacks
When you have kids, there is always the leaning toward snacks like soda, candies, cookies, and chips. For many households, these are instant reward snacks. Aside from the possible sugar rush kids experience after consuming these sweet snacks, they are also unhealthy when consumed frequently and so it may be better to re-strategize. You can start by gradually reducing your stock of unhealthy snacks at home. As you adopt this, consciously replace them with fruits and vegetables.
The trick is to make them visible to generate your child’s interest. For example, oranges, plums, peaches, apples, melons, and tangerines can stay for some days outside the refrigerator. You have nothing to worry about as long as they are kept in a clean bowl in a cool, dry place. Root vegetables can also go a week without refrigeration. It’s all up to you to create child-friendly delicacies from these two food groups.
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