A-Tips for parents:
- Provide fruits and vegetables as snacks. Keep fruits washed, cut up and in plain sight in the refrigerator
- Serve salads more often
- Try out vegetarian recipes
- Include at least one leafy green or yellow vegetable for vitamin A such as spinach, broccoli, winter squash, greens or carrots each day
- Include at least one vitamin C-rich fruit or vegetable, such as oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, melon, tomatoes and broccoli each day
- Add a fruit or vegetable as part of every meal or snack
- Be a role-model, eat more fruits and vegetables yourself 1
B-More things you can do:
- Be sure your child is getting the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables each day
- When shopping for food, start in the area of the store where they keep fresh fruits and vegetables and stock up.
- Avoid buying high-calorie foods such as chips, cookies and candy bars
- Limit or eliminate how much fruit-juice you give your child and make sure it is one hundred percent juice, not juice “drinks”
- Eat as a family whenever possible: research shows that kids eat more vegetables and fruits and less fried food and sugary drinks when they eat with the entire family 1
By choosing health-promoting food, you can establish good nutritional habits in your child that will last for the rest of his/her life 1
Dr. Leina Eid
Pediatrician