While kids should be eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, all too often getting them to consume healthy foods can be a chore. But it’s important: obesity is the #1 childhood health problem in the U.S.
Vegetables and Fruits of One Color for Certain Days
One way to encourage kids to eat fruits and vegetables is to make a game of the colors. Theme a certain day of the week. Have “Purple Thursday,” for example. Grape juice or fresh purple grapes as a breakfast fruit. Blueberries to pack with lunch. Purple eggplant parmesan for dinner, for a nice vegetarian dish.
The list is virtually endless. “Orange Monday,” for example, could feature oranges with breakfast and have green bell peppers stuffed with cheese and orzo for dinner. “Green Tuesday” might feature artichoke hearts for lunch and spinach salad for dinner.
Even white comes into play. “White Friday” might feature white grape juice for breakfast, jimaca sticks at lunch, and baked turnips for dinner.
Rainbow Games
Alternatively, you might mix and match colors. How many colors can fit into one meal? Kudos for creative layers of red, green, and orange bell peppers, or imaginative desserts made of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and bananas.
Kids love games, of course, so once you’ve established how colorful and fun fruits and vegetables can be, turn them loose in the menu department. It’s like coloring with healthy food!
Another advantage? Color games with food can turn them on to vegetables kids might not get a chance to eat often, or might turn their noses up at. Turnips are great, but not every child’s favorite. Ditto eggplants. But give them a chance and see what develops.
See how you can make fruits and vegetables a fun experience? You play a key role in your child’s nutrition and health, so might as well be creative about it. If you want to know other things that can help with your kid’s fitness, check out our programs.
