5 Easy Ways to Increase Your Child’s Fruit Consumption

Summer calls for fruit salad and frozen yoghurt… 

Dietary guidelines recommend children (well, all of us) eat a variety of fruit every day. So whether you have a fussy eater or just lack some inspiration, 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

Get your children involved in preparation as much as possible. This builds their interest and encourages them to try new foods.

• 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

Try our go-to homemade icy pole recipe

• 1 mango, peeled and diced
• Juice ½ lime
• 4 tbsp coconut cream

Blend all ingredients, pour in a mould and freeze overnight.

Easy variations:

• Swap coconut cream for Greek yogurt
• Add sliced strawberries to the moulds before filling with mango mixture
• Stir pulp of 1 passionfruit through the mixture

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.