•  Organic Fruits and Vegetables •  Quick and Healthful Snacks for Kids

We're making progress. The average American diet includes more fruits and vegetables than it did a decade ago. But most of us -- not to mention our kids -- still fall shy of the five daily servings recommended by the National Cancer Institute. And remember: That number represents the minimum. Very active teenagers and adults should hit six or seven servings, the experts say. Getting your child to five a day may take a little ingenuity, especially if he loves cheese puffs, but it's a worthy cause.

Why? For kids, fruits and veggies are the best source for numerous vitamins and other fortifying nutrients. What's more, fruits and vegetables contain a wide variety of nutrients that have been shown to fight cancer. Increasing daily consumption of produce does more to prevent the disease than any other measure besides steering clear of cigarettes. It also lowers the risks of heart disease and diabetes. You may not think of these illnesses as threats to young people, but it's important to get their eating habits off to a good start, and furthermore, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes is on the rise among American children.

What can you do to make sure your child reaches the recommended goal? It's easy, say the experts who run the nationwide 5 A Day campaign. Try these tips:

A 6-ounce glass of orange, grapefruit, cranberry, or tomato juice represents one serving. (If your child likes tomato juice, you may want to buy a low-sodium variety.) Read labels to make sure the product is 100 percent fruit juice, and steer clear of fruit drinks that are mostly sugar and water. While juice packs a nutritional punch with vitamins and minerals, it's still a good idea to work in whole pieces of fruit, too. In addition to vitamins and minerals, it's a great source of fiber. If your kid loves cereal, slice a banana, peach, or plum into the bowl. Or sprinkle raisins, dried apricots, strawberries, or blueberries over the top. In the wintertime, you can buy bags of frozen berries and defrost them in the microwave. Studies show that people who start the day with at least one serving of fruit stand a much better chance of getting to five by bedtime.

Send your child off to school with a bag of crunchy carrots, a bunch of grapes, an apple, a banana, or a package of dried fruits. If he's a somewhat adventurous eater, keep him interested with more exotic options: Offer mangoes, persimmons, kiwis, and papayas (all sweet sources of vitamin C), or make mini-sandwiches by putting slices of avocado in between crackers (look for a brand without hydrogenated oils). When you're pressed for time, single-serving containers of canned fruit packed in its own juices, or a single-serving container of fruit juice or tomato juice is a terrific portable snack.

When the munchies strike, most people reach for whatever's handy. So keep a bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. Store a bag of baby carrots, celery sticks, and sliced sweet peppers within your child's reach in the refrigerator. Instead of cookies or chips, keep plenty of one-serving boxes of raisins in the cupboard.

It's okay to compromise: If your child won't eat a plain banana, he might go for one spread with peanut butter. If he turns his nose up at broccoli, try sprinkling a little grated cheese on top of steamed broccoli (but don't douse it in a processed cheese sauce). Let him put ketchup on his baked potato (ketchup is more nutritious than you may think, anyway). Mix chunks of fresh melon with two tablespoons of raspberry yogurt. You get the idea.

Although fresh generally tastes best, frozen is nutritionally comparable and can be ready to eat in just a few minutes. Even canned fruits and veggies pack plenty of nutrients, so keep them on hand for the times you discover you've used up everything in the freezer. With cans of sliced peaches, pears, and pineapple (packed in water or unsweetened juice -- not heavy syrup), you can quickly toss together an appealing fruit salad for an after-school snack. To make your family's favorite casserole more flavorful as well as more nutritious, add frozen or canned corn, canned diced tomatoes, or frozen peas. When you make lasagna, slip some frozen chopped spinach into one layer. Choose frozen vegetables that aren't topped with butter or sauces; they're more healthful and less expensive.

Put sliced tomatoes and lettuce (romaine or red-leaf is a better choice than iceberg) on sandwiches; serve a cup of vegetable-noodle soup (you may want to call it simply "noodle soup" around your child); or offer carrot and celery sticks instead of chips.

Microwaving is a great way to prepare vegetables. Because it's so fast, the nutrient loss is much less than occurs with boiling or even steaming on the stove. Just make sure you use only microwave-safe containers. For even cooking, cut veggies into bite-size pieces, and set the bowl's lid slightly ajar or cover the bowl loosely with wax paper, so that steam can escape. Remove vegetables when they're barely tender and let them stand three to five minutes.

Show your child where fruits and vegetables come from by having him help you plant and tend a small garden. Radishes are particularly easy to grow, and kids love digging them up. Consider putting in a raspberry bush: Your child will love plucking off the sweet berries. If you don't have a yard, purchase a big terra-cotta strawberry pot (the kind with openings on the sides) and grow strawberries out on a sunny balcony or stoop, or you can cultivate herbs and cherry tomatoes in window boxes. For a fun and educational day out, take your child to one of the "U-pick" farms where he can gather luscious fruits to bring home. He'll feel closer to the earth -- and become more willing to sample its bounty.

During the summer, serve a scoop of ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sorbet with fresh berries on top. Or just slice up a chilled watermelon! For a great winter dessert, slice apples into a baking dish and sprinkle them with cinnamon, raisins, a little sugar, and a dab of butter. Preheat the oven to 250, and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Blueberry crumble is a delightful surprise in midwinter: Use thawed frozen berries and combine rolled oats, a little brown sugar, and a few drops of melted butter for the topping. If you're on the run, mix a bowl of your child's favorite fruits, and serve it up with a fig bar.

Once these little changes become habit, you'll find they don't take any more effort than buying tortilla chips and candy bars does now. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your child's diet will go a long way toward keeping him healthy. Just as important, it will encourage him to make healthful food choices for himself as he grows up.

References

Last updated August 25, 2009
Copyright © 1999 Consumer Health Interactive

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