5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Child’s Fruit Consumption

Summer calls for fruit salad and frozen yoghurt…

Dietary guidelines recommend eating a variety of fruit every day.Here are some easy tips to help you encourage fruit consumption with your children.

Add fruit to meals you already prepare

• Top cereal with fruit
• Add fruit to pancakes or yoghurt
• Make a smoothie
• Add mango, apple or nectarines to salads

Kids in the kitchen

Try and get your children involved in preparation as much as possible. This builds their interest and encourages them to try new things.

• Older children may like to help make rainbow fruit kebabs or skewers
• Younger children can help prepare funny fruit faces or creatures
• And everyone loves making fruit icy poles or frozen yoghurts for a treat

Encourage variety and buy in season

Different fruit can help protect the body in different ways, so it’s important to choose a variety of colours every day:

• Green (such as apples, grapes, kiwi fruit)
• Orange (such as oranges, mango, peaches)
• Yellow and red (such as strawberries, banana)
• Purple (blueberries, plums, grapes)

Grow your own  

Children enjoy digging and watching things grow. Gardening can help foster a child’s interest in nutrition and nature and develop skills such as responsibility.

• Even with limited space you can plant a fruit tree or strawberry patch.

Be a role model

Regularly eat and enjoy fruit snacks with your child or let them see you pack fruit with your lunch.