11 ways to help your children eat fruit and vegetables

Eating fruit and vegetables is important for everyone. They provide essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. They also support heart health, help strengthen the immune system and reduce the risk of many types of cancers.

Here at Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare (JHAH), we recommend you introduce your children to fruit and vegetables as early as possible, and ensure they eat them every day. They can be introduced as pureed or cooked from the age of five months, and chopped, seedless and skinless fruit can be introduced from the age of 10 months.

Here are 11 tips to help your children eat more fruit and vegetables.

• Lead by example and consume fruit and vegetables in front of your children
• Encourage your children to eat fruit and vegetables at a young age
• Include your children when grocery shopping, and encourage them to select fruit, vegetables and other healthy options
• Explain the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables and avoiding unhealthy food
• Slice fruit and vegetables into fun and interesting shapes, and child-sized portions
• Serve a variety of brightly colored fruit and vegetables
• Keep fruit and vegetables washed and ready in the refrigerator as a convenient snack
• Serve fruit and vegetables with milk or yogurt as blended smoothies. Do NOT add sugar
• Add fruit to their breakfast plate or to desserts
• Add vegetable slices to sandwiches, rice or pasta dishes, and soup
• Include washed and cut fruit and vegetables in your children’s school snacks

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