How to get your tween to eat more fruit

Are you battling to get your tween to eat more fruit?

Fruit is a great source of fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. So it’s hardly surprising that eating fruit every day has been shown to help reduce the risk of developing some of the most common chronic conditions, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer.

The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recommends that children eat at least five servings of fruits per day, yet many children don’t eat near enough of the recommended amount.

Here are a few ways you can encourage your tween to eat more fruit.

• When grocery shopping, allow your child to explore the fruit aisle while explaining the health benefits of fresh fruit to them.
• Visit a farmers’ market together and let your child choose their favourite fruits.
• Make fruit more enticing. Arrange it in nice bowls or on pretty plates. Slice a variety of fruit and put them on skewers for fruit kebabs.
• Fruit smoothies are fun to make. Simply combine your child’s favourite fruit with milk or plain yogurt and let them turn on the blender.
• Fruit can be used to top your child’s cereal or yogurt. Try bananas, peaches, strawberries, or blueberries, or mix it up for variation.
• Instead of chocolate chips, try blueberries or bananas in or on your child’s pancakes.
• Always include a piece of fruit or individual containers of fruit (without added sugar) in your child’s lunch and provide it as an after-school snack.
• Frozen fruit is a great option for summer. Grapes, bananas, and berries freeze nicely and are just as healthful frozen as fresh foods.
• Make a “fruit first” rule. Before giving your children sweets, chips, or other less-than-healthy snacks as a snack, remind them they must first consume some fruit.
• Try baking with fruit. Baked apples, pears, and peaches all bake well and taste delicious when served with a dab of vanilla ice-cream or a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top.