By Elizabeth Pivonka, Ph.D., R.D. President, Produce for Better Health Foundation
Kids are lagging their parents in eating fruits and vegetables by nearly a full serving. A USDA study finds adult consumption of fruits and vegetables increased half-a-serving from 3.9 servings per day during the period 1988-1991, to 4.4 servings per day in 1994. Kids on the other hand, only increased from 3.1 to 3.4 servings per day. Here are a few tips to get the kids up to 5 a day:
- Offer 'em often. Ever notice how kids "love" green beans one day and "hate" them the next? Sometimes it takes several exposures to a food before a child learns to like it. Have heart, don't give up!
- Try 'em fresh. Foods sometimes taste more bitter to children than adults. Raw vegetables don't have quite the bitter taste, and crunchy vegetables versus overcooked ones are generally more appealing.
- Dip 'em. Find low fat dips-either salad dressings or dips in the produce department-for vegetables. And try caramel or chocolate dips for fruit. You'll be surprised at how many fruits and vegetables will be consumed if a dip is served with them.
- Make 'em fun. Try making cars with your produce by filling celery sticks with peanut butter, using cut carrot coins as wheels, and raisins on top of the peanut butter for people. Or make smiley faces on your pancakes with pureed fruits placed into a squeezed catsup or mustard bottle.
- Let 'em watch. If children grow up exposed to fruits and vegetables and they see you eating your fruits and vegetables, they're more likely to eat them as adults. One of the main reasons adults claim they eat their fruits and vegetables is because they learned to eat them as children.
Don't forget, we all need to eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day for better health.
For more information about 5 A Day, send a self-addressed stamped envelope
to Kids Eat Vegetables, The Produce for Better Health Foundation, PO Box 6035,
Newark, DE 19711. (NAPSI)
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