Parenting Advice

Food Talk
Contributing Writers - Janice Newell Bissex, MS, RD & Liz Weiss, MS, RD, The Meal Makeover Moms

Ask young children to name their top-10 favorite foods and chances are most will say French fries, chicken nuggets, pizza, mac and cheese, cookies, cake - you get the picture. Much to the chagrin of moms, broccoli, carrots, and spinach are rarely on that list.

Getting kids to eat their vegetables can be a tough sell. That's one reason the Produce for Better Health Foundation unveiled a new campaign, "Fruits & Veggies -- More Matters. Since 90% of children (and adults) don't eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day, the program is timely to be sure. So, how many fruits and vegetables should you eat? Well, that depends on your age. Take an active 5-year old girl for example. She needs about 2 cups of vegetables and 1 ½ cups of fruit every day. A baked potato, half a cup of baby carrots, and a half cup of green beans would cover her veggies for a day!

Here are some ideas to veggify your child's diet:

• Shred/grate a Carrot: Peel and shred a carrot and mix it right in with your favorite tuna salad sandwich. Add finely grated carrot to muffins and cupcakes (see recipe below.)
• Make a Smoothie: Blend together 1 1/2 cups mango juice or fruit & vegetable juice (such as Juicy Juice Orange Mango Harvest Surprise), one 10-ounce bag frozen mango, and 1 cup vanilla lowfat yogurt.
• Dice It Up: Sauté a finely diced red bell pepper with your lean ground beef in recipes such as Sloppy Joes.
• Kick Up the Flavor: Turn steamed broccoli, asparagus, and even Brussels sprouts from so-so to sensational by drizzling with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of Parmesan cheese and kosher salt.
• Be a good role model. Focus less on trying to modify picky eating habits and more on modeling vegetable consumption for children. When parents place an array of healthy foods on their plates, the children are more likely to follow.
• Eat together as a family. Families who eat together eat a more nutrient-packed diet - and enjoy the benefit of quality time together at the table.
• Offer new foods over and over again. On average, parents give up after just 5 tries but studies show it can take up to 20 attempts before a young child learns to love a new food.
• Give kids "some" control. Give your child a large spoon so he can serve himself the vegetables at dinner. And don't forget to give your kids the opportunity to choose between lots of different foods ... like broccoli and carrots!

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