Think about your children...

Nothing upsets me more than seeing children fed rubbish.  I don't mean the occasional lolly pop or packet of chips but utter rubbish for most meals. To all the parents out there that don't take responsibility over what their child eats please think of this:

Think about how they think when they see you putting that cheeseburger into your mouth.
Think about how the food you are giving them is helping their bodies to live and grow.
Think about how you are completely shaping all their views and ideas of food by exposing them to certain foods and eating habits.
Think about what trans fats, sugar, additives and nasties are doing wirling through their blood stream.
Think about the way you discipline their behaviour; could it actually be that they are like this because of what you feed them?
Think about giving them that chocolate bar to shut them up whilst doing the shopping - it will be once, twice and then soon enough the child will learn that it will be always.
And by far the most valuable thing to think about is how their food and eating habits will impact the rest of their entire lives - how they live, grow, their choices and how they will feed their own kids.

Taking part 

•  Involve your child in choosing 

which fruit or vegetables they 

would like.

•  Take your child fruit and vegetable 

shopping and let them see, smell 

and feel the fruit and vegetables 

with you.

• Let your child help wash and 

prepare fruit and vegetables. Use 

this opportunity to explore new 

colours and shapes.

• Encourage their skill learning by 

letting them make a simple salad 

to serve themselves.

• Count out grapes or berries 

together in a bowl.

• Grow some vegetables or herbs 

in the garden or pot. Let your child 

water and nurture the plant.

2. Enjoyment

• Remember to enjoy meals 

together with your children 

whenever possible. If children see 

you eating and enjoying a wide 

variety of fruit and vegetables, 

they are more likely to join in.

• Sometimes children may prefer 

their vegetables raw to cooked.

• Children may refuse new foods if 

mealtimes are stressful, so try and 

focus on the positives about the 

meal and avoid arguments.

3. Presentation

• Keep a bowl of fresh fruit handy, 

and vegetables such as peas, 

cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and 

mushrooms in the fridge to grab 

for a quick snack.

•  Make vegetables and fruit look 

great on the plate. Serve different 

coloured fruit and vegetables, 

chop them on a special plate. 

•  For reluctant eaters, keep trying 

a new fruit and vegetable once a 

week. 

4.  Include fruit and vegetables 

wherever possible

• Include vegetables and fruit in a 

range of ways, and at most meals 

and snacks. 

• Rather than searching for new 

recipes, try to increase the variety 

or amount of vegetables added to 

your favourite family recipes such 

as pasta sauce, soup or stir-fries.

• Include vegetables and fruit in 

snacks too. Try corn on the cob, 

jacket potato, plain home-made 

popcorn, sliced vegetables with 

salsa or dips, muffins, pikelets or 

cakes made with added fruit or 

vegetables. Enjoy frozen fruit or 

vegetable segments, skewers of 

fruit, stewed fruit, fruit crumbles, 

and tinned fruits in natural juice. 

5. Keep trying

•  Children need a chance to learn, or 

sometimes re-learn, to enjoy fruit 

and vegetables. Your job is to make 

them available. Remember that 

children may need to see a fruit or 

vegetable ten or more times before 

they are ready to try it.

• Always include a small serving on 

children’s plates; encourage them to 

try, but let them decide whether or 

not to eat.

• Perhaps offer some crunchy raw 

vegetables before the main meal, 

when children are often most 

hungry.

• Resist the urge to prepare options 

to the meal you have prepared. 

Children may choose to leave 

certain foods, but will learn 

to accept the meal offered if 

alternatives are not offered.