Battles over broccoli can be a familiar struggle for plenty of parents.
But why are fruit and vegetables important, and how can we persuade kids to eat more of them?
Lucy Wood, from the Early Years Dietitian, says a varied diet full of fruit and veg is important “for long term health”.
“An easy way to think about it is: all the different colours of fruit and veg have different benefits for our health, which is why we have the cliche of 'eating the rainbow'.”
Fruits and vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals which are important for long term health, as well as fibre.
Despite these many benefits, parents need to avoid pressuring kids.
“The more we try [to get them to eat these foods], the less they are likely to,” says Lucy.
Why do some kids dodge fruit and veg?
Fruit and vegetables can be tricky because they vary so much in texture and taste, says Lucy.
“There’s a reason why kids lean towards things like crisps, chips and crackers. They’re very consistent.”
“Whereas if you bite into a banana or a blueberry or a bit of broccoli, they can be different every time.”
Flavour might also play an important role in how kids react to veg in particular.
“Historically, bitter flavours might have been poisonous or lower in energy,” says Lucy.
She adds that naturally sweet flavours are often found in more calorific food. “That’s what our ancestors would have been looking for back in the day,” says Lucy.
Tips to bring more fruit and vegetables into your child's diet
Don’t pressure. Make meals sociable
Lucy suggests making mealtimes sociable, 'safe' points in the day, rather than trying to teach kids by “pressuring” them to eat certain foods.
“If there is any action to get a child to put food in their mouth, then that is pressure,” says Lucy.
Instead, she suggests focussing on making meals feel like relaxed, sociable moments. That might mean eating around a table, or sitting down and eating together with kids.
“Once a child finds their own motivation to eat, they’ll carry on doing it. Removing the pressure is really important.”
Get hands on
Try putting food in the middle of a table and allowing your child to discover it themselves, suggests Lucy.
“If you put it on their plate and tell them they have to eat it you could be worsening their fussy eating in the long run.”
You could also experiment with using hands instead of cutlery for certain food types to help get kids excited about mealtimes.
“When we eat Indian food, sometimes my kids ask if they can use their hands and they love it,” says Lucy.
“With a bolognese they wouldn’t dream of eating it with their hands, but the second I’ve made naan bread it becomes an opportunity to eat in a different way.”
Variety is key, and don’t overlook frozen
Lucy says there’s no need to worry about eating one particular fruit or veg over another.
Instead, she suggests thinking about “trying to get in as many types as you can” across 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.
And you don't need huge portion sizes either:
“A portion fits in the palm of your hand. It doesn’t need to be half a punnet of fruit.”
“We also know that frozen fruits and vegetables are more accessible for lots of families. They might even be better because they’re frozen at source and may maintain more nutrition.”
Don't try to 'hide' fruit and veg (all of the time)
Smoothies and blended pasta sauces might help kids eat more greens in the short term, but it’s also worth thinking about the long game.
“Some families will lean towards making smoothies, but in its whole form, any fruit or veg is going to be better than if it’s been processed and made into a smoothie or puree.”
According to the NHS, crushing or blending fruit or vegetables into a juice or smoothie releases the sugar they contain, which can be a concern for your child's dental health.
Lucy also cautions against 'hiding' veg in other foods when it may lead to distrust.
And, ultimately, this is a short term fix that avoids the task of expanding your child's palate!
Let them help out
“Get them involved washing courgettes, peeling carrots and chopping cucumbers,” says Lucy.
“This means that when they’re eating later they can recognise the food they helped prepare.”
Older kids can do things like prepping packed lunches, and little ones can help with shopping too!
to always supervise children when using cooking appliances and utensils and ensure they only handle safe ingredients.
Get experimental
It’s not just pineapple on pizza – most people have unconscious rules that can stop us experimenting with food, suggests Lucy.
Rules around when we eat and how we combine certain foods can mean we miss chances to get more fruit and veg into kids’ diets.
“If you say to your kids: “there are no rules, you pick what we’re having”, they might suggest something weird and different," Lucy says.
“If that means you’re eating bolognese with chips or egg fried rice with pineapple, then fine!”
She adds: “If you can instil interest and excitement in children around food, it’s infinitely more likely they’ll eat it.”
Don't underestimate the classics
“A portion of baked beans is one of your five a day,” says Lucy.
And tinned food, “like spaghetti hoops, a lot of people love them. They’re one of your five a day because the sauce is just tomatoes and they’re fortified with vitamin D - though you can only count them once; no matter how many you eat!”
Don't bribe them
Easier said than done. But, Lucy says, bribing kids around food can be a slippery slope.
“If you tell a child they can get down from the table if they eat X, or if they eat X they can have a treat, you’re making it worse,” she says.
“You’re telling them one food is bad and you put the reward up on a pedestal. And the fruit or veg gets liked less and less.”
