10 Ways To Make Your Child Eat Fruits

Does your child screw his nose every time you offer a bowl of diced apple? Or he prefers a big chocolate to a bowl of fresh fruits and cream? Are you worried that your child is not eating enough fruits? Then read on!

Fruits are the organic desserts offered to humans by the Mother Nature. Colorful, big and small, round and long, sweet and sour – fruits – the natures own candy are packed with nutrients. The colorful fruits are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Fruits such as berries, grapes and pomegranates are high in antioxidants, which fight free radicals in the body and also keep cancer at bay. There are a variety of fruits available in the market, you can grow them in your home too, for free – despite this, the consumption of fruits in children is low.

Why Do Children Detest Fruits?

Look around. Everywhere you will see advertisements promoting the consumption of processed foods. All your child’s role models are endorsing unhealthy and fatty snacking options. How often do you see a child munching apple on his way to school? Not seen yet, because he is rather sucking on unhealthy chocolate! No wonder, children of today are turning obese and unhealthy. Not only this, many kids are diagnosed with other health issues because of the increased intake of fatty, processed foods

10 Tips To Make Your Child Eat Fruits

Below are a few tips to help you encourage your kid to pick and enjoy fruits:

1. Make them visible: Kids will reach out for the items that are visible to them and in their vicinity. So keep junk away and store ample of fresh fruits and veggies. Cut fruits, cover the bowl with a cling film and place it such that it’s the first thing seen by your kid when he opens the fridge. Similarly, keep bananas, oranges, apples etc. on the table or kitchen top, where it can be easily accessed by your kid.
2. Talk to the kids: Yes, though this may sound tricky, but communication is the key to start healthy eating. Tell your kids how good fruits are when they are growing and how they protect the kids from being sick. Also explain the effects of unhealthy foods. Tell them facts, clear, simple and crisp.
3. Make interesting dishes: With fussy kids, you need to try new things. Instead of serving fruit straightaway, think about following recipes, which can be prepared quickly and easily:
   • Fruit cream
   • Fruit chaat
   • Smoothies
   • Icecream with fruits

   Like you serve raita and salad as side to the main course in every meal, add freshly sliced fruits to their snacking regime! It should come naturally and each one on the table should finish them off

4. Plant at home: Who does not like to reap the fruits of seeds sown by them? Ya, by the time the mango tree grows, your kid would probably be searching the web for tip on including fruit in his kids diet! Plant fruits which grow quickly, for instance, papaya, peach, pear, apricot etc. Plan a visit to fruit garden so that your kid can see the entire process of growing fruits. He can even pluck a few, with the permission of authorities, of course!
5. Don’t set the rules: In the conquest of making your kids eat healthy, do not forget that they do deserve a treat every once in a while. Inform your child, but let him make his choices. Banning chocolate will only make your child chocoholic in later life. Exercise restriction, do not impose control
6. Take him shopping: Let your tot explore grocery mart and pick the fruit of his choice. Let him touch and smell different fruits and buy one he desires. This way he can experience the wide variety of fruits available in the market and maybe try all one by one!
7. Serve them differently: Sometimes, presentation can solve the problem! Instead of simply slicing up the fruits, line them up in skewers and your fruit kebabs are ready! Likewise, you can poach or grill fruits, which add novelty to your kid’s diet
8. Add to the lunch box: Do not restrict fruits to just after-dinner or breakfast. Most of us crave for sweet after meals, what could be a better option than fresh and sweet fruits? Add a fresh orange or apple along with the lunch box, so that he can munch on it during short break
9. Team it up: Explore recipes which break the monotony. Try making apple crumble pie, banana toffee or simply fruit dipped in chocolate. These exotic dishes present fruits differently altogether and intensifies the dining experience
10. Be a good role model: “Charity begins at home”, so before you tell your kid to gobble fruits, you need to be one eating them. Kids build trust and do not feel isolated for having to do something they do not enjoy. Eat fruits together with your kids and do not leave anything behind

Do not try to force kids to eat something or use punishment to have your way. With kids, you need to practice patience. Try to be creative, present colorful platters of fruits cut in different shapes. Involve your kids in peeling and laying the fruits on plate. You need to start early and be consistent. It is beneficial to consume plenty of fruits whilst you are breastfeeding and also fruit pureed fruit pulps to babies when appropriate. This will help them to develop a taste for fruits.
Eat well, live well!