On average in the UK adults eat between two and three portions of fruit and
vegetables a day and primary school children consume an average of four
portions.

So what can you do to ensure that your children are getting 5 a day?

The best tip I can give you is to make fruit and vegetables part of every meal
and snack:

For breakfast you could add slices of chopped banana or apple to cereal, you
could stir berries into porridge, or you could simply offer your child a banana
or apple whilst they wait for their toast or cereal to be ready.

Fruit juice only counts as one portion, so offer them fruit juice at breakfast time
diluted with water. The fresher the better, so if you have time squeeze
oranges yourself.

If having fresh fruit is a problem, keep a pack of frozen berries in the freezer
and defrost them as needed. They are often cheaper when berries are out of
season in the UK. Puree fresh or frozen berries and use them as a sauce with
ice cream or yoghurt.

Have a smoothie for breakfast. Just simply blend a banana, some fresh or
frozen berries, some milk or milk alternatives (oat milk, soya milk or rice milk)
and a handful of oats if you’d like it to be a bit more substantial.

In addition to offering fruit as a snack, why not try olives for a change – they
could put them on the ends of their fingers.

Banana chips are also a great snack idea. Don’t offer too much dried fruit
though as it is high in sugar.

You could chop up peppers, celery, carrots and let them dip them in
hoummous or another dip.

Most children love cherry tomatoes, so offer them as a snack, rather than biscuits.

At dinner and lunch time ALWAYS offer a minimum of two vegetables and
vary them from day to day. If you are serving a dish that doesn’t naturally
contain vegetable then cook them as a side dish.

Always, always offer them fruit as a dessert, rather than anything sweet. If you
offer them a biscuit or cake first they may not have room for fruit, and you’ve
replaced nutritious calories, with empty ones.

Play with chopped fruit and veg: make faces or scenes with chopped peppers,
broccoli, sliced cucumber, celery and mushrooms. Try chopping vegetables
into interesting shapes with cookie cutters.

If your child rejects a fruit or vegetable don’t give up. It can take a child up to
20 times to try a new food. Don’t put any pressure on them to try it. Just gently
encourage them to play with it, smell it and lick it. Eat it in front of them so that
they can see that you enjoy it.

And finally another great way to get kids interested in fruit and veg is to get
them involved with growing them, or at the very least picking them either from
your garden or from a “pick your own” farm.

So good luck with your family’s 5 a day challenge – you never know you might
start eating more too!

If you are interested in an individualised programme to improve your
child’s diet or would like help with other health issues, please call Emily
Fawell DipION, Nutritional Therapist on 07967 639347 or contact me via
email Emily@4wellpeople.co.uk