Feeding children can be extremely challenging. While their nutritional needs are high in proportion to their body size, there are many barriers that frustrate us as parents. Making a fuss about eating fruit and veg is often one of them and often a source of tension at the dinner table.
We have a tendency to make things harder for ourselves but research actually suggests simply smiling while eating could be the key. Researchers have found that children are more likely to try foods they do not normally like if they see adults smiling while they eat them. Children as young as five are more willing to taste vegetables they previously rejected if they see an adult clearly enjoying them. Children are susceptible to the emotions of others, and so adults may unconsciously influence their food choices. Again, it goes back to being a good role model. It’s hard to convince a child to eat broccoli if you won’t eat green vegetables. So eat vegetables, salad and fruit yourself, and make sure your child is watching.
Take them to the supermarket and let them pick out vegetables they want to have for dinner. Young children love to play grown-up so let them weigh their choice, bag it, and place it on the counter. At home, let them wash, peel, and slice it and help choose how to cook and flavour it. Get them to touch it and smell it. Having them see how the food is prepared is less intimidating and having a sense of ownership makes them more likely to eat it.
Get them when they are hungry. If they’re hungry, they’ll eat. Before dinner, try serving fresh vegetables, such as carrots, cucumbers, and bell peppers, along with a hummus or yogurt-based dip.
Specific strategies
Use specific strategies when tackling vegetables: for example, with a young child, making faces with cut-up veg may help get them from his plate to his mouth. Calling broccoli “trees” or cauliflower “brains” can make them much more interesting.
Making food mini-sized also can make it more kid-friendly. Add vegetables to smoothies and blend together with sweet fruits like berries or apples for a better alternative to fizzy drinks. Grate carrot into Bolognese sauce; it is pretty undetectable.
Get them to build their own pizza using their favourite vegetables. Use a tortilla wrap or pitta bread as a base. A healthy dip such as hummus may make raw vegetables more appealing to children as they love dipping and eating foods with their fingers.
Try roasted vegetables. Sometimes children don’t like vegetables because they’re too mushy or taste too strong.
Roast them instead to get a flavour and consistency children like. Roasting can make them soft on the inside and crispy on the outside, rather like chips. It also brings out a vegetable’s natural sweetness, so they don’t taste as intense as they might raw. Drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with some Parmesan cheese before roasting.
When it comes to fruit, this is generally easier to tackle as it is naturally sweet and children like that. Again make colourful fruit kebabs that are fun to eat. Add some chopped fruit to jelly mixes, and put in the freezer for a tasty dessert after dinner, make your fruit look interesting and make into different shapes using the apple peeler.
Think about times away from home: have fruit in the car for long journeys so they have something to munch on. Put it in colourful boxes or bags, again emphasising the fun aspect.
Take advantage of peer pressure. If your child has a friend who is an adventurous eater, invite them over for dinner and serve up a new vegetable. Peer pressure may work in a good way and your child may be more likely to try a new food if their friend is bold enough to try it first.
Lastly, don’t be discouraged if your child doesn’t like a new food immediately. Children are naturally resistant to new foods. Just because they don’t like it the first time it doesn’t mean they won’t eat it ever again. Reintroduce foods every once in a while and try preparing them different ways or cutting it into different shapes. Eventually they develop a taste for new foods.
Portion sizes for children
Childhood is a time of rapid growth and development, and a time when many habits and behaviours are set. Our likes and dislikes of foods are formed in the first few years of life, so children who eat a variety of fruit and vegetables are more likely to continue to eat them as teenagers and adults.
We are all familiar with the five-a-day message, and we know that a portion of fruit and veg is roughly 80g. This is an adult portion size. Children need less, but they should still be encouraged to eat at least five different portions a day.
There is no specific guidance on portion size for children, as this varies with age, body size, appetite, and physical activity, but a good guide is an amount that fits into the palm of their hand.
We know from the results of a large detailed study of Irish children’s diets that many are not getting enough fruit and veg and essential nutrients and are filling up on highly processed foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.
We need to turn that around and balance what they eat over the week, however difficult that may be. But the earlier we start introducing different types of fruit and veg, the better for the children.
The table below shows what a portion looks like. It makes the five-a-day target easier to visualise.
A small glass of fruit juice will count, but juices should be limited in a child’s diet as they can provide extra sugar, but without the fibre of the whole fruit. Although there is no denying juices have more nutritional value than fizzy drinks, children often don’t stop at just one glass. And excess calories, from any source, can lead to weight gain. The same applies to smoothies, children should not rely on smoothies to get their five a day.
Encourage your child to choose from a rainbow of colours, for example a red tomato, purple grapes, orange carrots, green broccoli and yellow peppers to ensure they get all the nutrients they need for healthy growth and development.
If your child hates most vegetables, give them the ones they do like regularly and extra fruit. Keep challenging them with new vegetables and encourage them to try new tastes and textures as their taste buds develop.
I would also advise offering small enough portions so that they can finish their meal. This gives them a sense of accomplishment and sets the stage for eating healthy foods at mealtimes.
Offering smaller portions of foods first (carbohydrates, meat and vegetables) also helps when it comes to getting children to eat their vitamin and minerals. Try to resist giving them seconds of anything until they finish their vegetables. But don’t force them either if they really don’t like it, or are full.
The “no thank you bite” rule can be useful when introducing a new fruit or veg. Tell your child he has to take a bite before refusing something on his plate.
For more tips on how to get more fruits and vegetables into children’s diet, see Topfruit.com. Paula Mee is a dietitian and member of the INDI. She works in Medfit Proactive Healthcare; medfit.ie Tweet @paula_mee
