{"id":3991,"date":"2014-01-24T10:37:37","date_gmt":"2014-01-24T15:37:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=3991"},"modified":"2014-01-25T12:33:49","modified_gmt":"2014-01-25T17:33:49","slug":"how-to-get-your-kids-to-eat-fruits-and-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/?p=3991","title":{"rendered":"How to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"

It may take a little creativity and marketing, but it can be done<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Nina\u00a0Gundecha<\/strong>, Columnist, The Times<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"UTHealthyEatingColLogo\"<\/a>All parents have faced the wrath of a five year old who refuses to eat his spinach because he doesn\u2019t like the look of it\u2026 the taste of it\u2026 the smell of it\u2026 or, the texture of it.\u00a0 In fact, he likes absolutely nothing about it and there is nothing you can do at that moment<\/i> to get the five year to pick up fork and deliver spinach into mouth!\u00a0 Unfortunately, this pattern can persist for the next ten years, unless parents engage in a little strategizing to outwit that five year old!<\/p>\n

Now that 2014 is upon us, we thought that we would share a few of our favorite tips to help parents and kids enjoy the benefits of healthy eating \u2013 beginning with a goal of incorporating five fruits and vegetables into every meal.\u00a0 Some of the tips are common sense and easy to implement, while others will require a bit of planning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We can summarize the ideas into three key themes:<\/p>\n

1. Change the image of vegetables\u2026 do a little PR and rebranding!<\/p>\n

2. Make it fun and involve kids in the shopping, meal planning and preparation \u2013 ask for their suggestions!<\/p>\n

3. Do not force an overnight change in behavior \u2013 kids have to want<\/span> to eat a certain food at a certain time and they need to think it\u2019s their idea!<\/p>\n

\"Kidsveggies\"<\/a>There are a lot of good reasons to get kids to like vegetables and adopt healthy eating habits, including improved nutrition, decreased obesity, digestive health, better sleep and improved school performance.<\/p>\n

Improved Nutrition:<\/p>\n

Children\u2019s growing bodies require good nutrition, and fruits and vegetables contain a multitude of vitamins, minerals and other healthy compounds. Citrus fruits and strawberries are rich in immune system-boosting vitamin C, carrots are loaded with eye-healthy vitamin A and spinach is a good source of iron and antioxidants.<\/p>\n

Decreased Obesity:<\/p>\n

Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which can make kids feel fuller and less receptive to unhealthy snacking impulses!\u00a0 Substituting one portion of fruits and veggies for a sugary snack can play a dramatic role in avoiding obesity. A USDA study of 3,064 kids ages 5 to 18 linked higher fruit consumption to healthier body weights.<\/p>\n

Digestive Health:<\/p>\n

High-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables, help the digestive system function properly. As fiber passes through the digestive system, it absorbs water and expands, promoting normal digestive functioning.\u00a0 Fiber can be found in a lot foods that kids like, including dried apricots, dates, plums, nuts and granola.<\/p>\n

Improved School Performance:<\/p>\n

Studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics have linked better eating habits with improved school performance.\u00a0 A recent study of 5,200 Canadian fifth graders found that the kids with healthy diets were up to 41 percent less likely to fail literacy tests.<\/p>\n

Here are our Top Ten Tips for getting kids to eat healthier in the New Year:<\/b><\/p>\n

1. Start with breakfast:\u00a0 Include fruits in cereal. Start the day with a smoothie.\u00a0 Add veggies to an omelet.<\/p>\n

2. Harness the power of fruit and veggie snacks:\u00a0 Try fruit roll ups, dried fruit, kale chips.\u00a0 Do a taste test, but don\u2019t tell kids what is in it \u2013 let them guess!<\/p>\n

3. Disguise the veggies!\u00a0 Put the veggies in things that kids already like\u2026 Zucchini bread, muffins, mac & cheese, cauliflower mashed potatoes, red peppers stuffed with mac \u2018n cheese?<\/p>\n

4. Taste matters. \u00a0Add a little vanilla, cinnamon, raw cacao, berries or nuts to jazz up otherwise bland food.<\/p>\n

5. Presentation matters.\u00a0 Create interesting shapes, textures and color combinations.\u00a0 This will go a long way and will create interest in trying something new next time.<\/p>\n

6. Make it fun and create a challenge.\u00a0 Learn about a new fruit or veggie every week.\u00a0 You will be amazed at how motivating this can be.\u00a0 Create a weekly contest and see how quickly your kids will learn everything about Kale!<\/p>\n

7. Rebrand the vegetable.\u00a0 Call them \u201cveggies\u201d instead of \u201cvegetables\u201d.\u00a0 This sounds less intimidating and more approachable (\u201cthe art of rebranding the vegetable for kids\u201d).<\/p>\n

8. Be good role models.\u00a0 Show your own personal enthusiasm.\u00a0 Don\u2019t eat unhealthy snacks in front of your kids and don\u2019t keep unhealthy snacks in the house.<\/p>\n

9. Have kids help you in the kitchen.\u00a0 Food brings families together.\u00a0 Take kids shopping with you and let them choose from a list of options.\u00a0 Involve them in weekly meal planning.<\/p>\n

10. Use a pull versus push strategy. \u00a0Respect your kids\u2019 appetites and understand that behavioral change takes time.\u00a0 It\u2019s a gradual process.\u00a0 Don\u2019t force foods the food on kids\u2026 let the kids come to the food.\u00a0 Trust us, with the right strategies, they will\u2026 Kale chips will soon replace Doritos!<\/p>\n

Let us know if you found this article helpful and check out some of our healthy eating recipes at www.wordpress.com\/terrafoodsksq<\/a><\/p>\n

Eat Well and Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Nina\u00a0Gundecha is the co-owner of Terra Foods Market located in the Market at Liberty Place, 148 W State Street Kennett Square, PA, 19348
\nTel. 610-444-4708. <\/em>You can visit them at Facebook at https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TerraFoodsKSQ<\/a><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It may take a little creativity and marketing, but it can be done By Nina\u00a0Gundecha, Columnist, The Times All parents have faced the wrath of a five year old who refuses to eat his spinach because he doesn\u2019t like the look of it\u2026 the taste of it\u2026 the smell of it\u2026 or, the texture of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3990,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,7],"tags":[2657,2656,892,2659,2658],"class_list":["post-3991","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-featured","tag-fruits","tag-healthy-eating","tag-kids","tag-terra-foods-market","tag-vegetables"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chescotimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}