10 Fun Ways to Incorporate Fruits and Vegetables to Your Child's Diet

Why Do Kids Need to Eat Healthy Fruits and Veggies?

Various fruits and vegetables offer a wealth of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Consuming them has numerous benefits:

1) The nutrients act as a shield against ailments, thus ensuring overall well-being.

2) It leads to a child's growth and development.

3) Eating them facilitates optimal digestive system functioning and fights constipation because of their high fibre content.

4) Reinforces the immune system to combat illness.

10 Creative Ways of Adding Fruits and Vegetables to Your Child's Diet

Do you have a picky eater at home? Don't worry! We have got you covered with these creative ways to include fruits and vegetables in your child's diet:

Homemade Fruity Ice Popsicles 

Become a magician for your kid. Make your own icy, fruity, frozen magic wands at home and cast a spell on your little ones.

How to Prepare?

1) Choose any seasonal fruit, wash it, and chop it into bite-sized pieces.

2) Collect a pinch of salt, freshly squeezed lemon juice (to brighten the flavour), honey, or any other natural sweetener.

3) Place the chopped fruit in the blender along with the mentioned ingredients.

4) Blend them in a blender till smooth. 

5) Freeze the blended mixture in popsicle moulds (use the silicon ones).

Homemade Sauces

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Try making different sauces using nutritious fruits and vegetables bursting with nutrients and flavours.

How to Prepare?

Tomato Salsa

You can go for homemade tomato salsa, adding zucchini, carrots and garlic. You can also include corn kernels. Did you know you could use it as a base for your kid's all-time favourites - pizza & pasta? Surprise, surprise!

Hummus

You can make hummus using chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, lemon juice and red peppers. To boost Vitamin C, spinach or parsley can be added.

Guacamole

Create scrumptious guacamole by blending ripe avocados with fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, and lime juice for healthy fats.

Power-Packed Fruit Smoothies

Fruit smoothies are rich in nutrients! Just blend in the fruit of your kid's choice with yoghurt and milk. Add chia or flax seeds, almond butter or peanut butter, and some ice. After that, blend all the ingredients in a blender, and you are ready. Trust us when we say this - Your child will love them!

Healthy Spaghetti (Nutrient-Rich Pasta for Your Kids)

As explained above, cooking pasta with homemade tomato sauce is a sure way to delight your kids. Yes, with its rich texture and delectable flavours.

How to Prepare?

1. Heat butter and oil in a pan. Let the butter melt.
2. Saute sliced onions for 2-3 minutes till they soften.
3. Add chopped carrots, celery, and garlic, and cook for two more minutes.
4. Add homemade tomato sauce, basil leaves, red chilli flakes, oregano, salt and pepper. 
5. Simmer them for 10-12 mins.

Serve the freshly cooked spaghetti and season with salt and pepper.

Savoury Pancakes

They are a delectable yet healthy twist to your breakfast that employs multiple vegetables and fruits for your child to savour.

All you have to do is boil the spinach until it becomes tender. Make a puree and creamy cheese sauce. Further, use this as a filling between layers of pancakes.

Pro Tip: You can create a fruity filling too!

Shape Fun Fruit and Vegetable Mania 

Slice, dice, and chop! Yes, you heard it right. Cut those colourful fruits and veggies in different shapes and smiley faces. Doing so makes them irresistible for your kids to eat. And they won't be able to keep their hands off.

Fruit Kebabs

Imagine your kids savouring a plethora of health and happiness on a stick. Indeed, it's a treat to sore eyes.

Please encourage your child to get creative with their fruity combinations! Making snack time an exciting and healthy adventure is the key. 

Rainbow Plate

Yes, it is yet another way of making nature's bounty of assorted fruits and vegetables a reality for your kids. How? By using different colours of fruits and vegetables and decorating a plate. Involve your kids in choosing the fruits and veggies of their choice. Doing so will surely boost your kid's interest because of the sense of ownership of prepping their plate.

Veggie Garden Pizza

To create a slice of veggie paradise, use pita bread for the base and let children spread tomato or homemade pizza sauce across it. Further, they can add colourful veggies and cheese. All you must do is help them bake it and gorge on the yummiest pizza.

Storytime Delights 

How does bonding with books and bites sound?

An interesting pairing. Couple up reading a story about a specific fruit and vegetable and tasting that fruit or vegetable afterwards. You can even take a quiz and ask questions about that fruit or veggie.

To Sum it Up

Children's preferences keep shifting much like adults. As they are too naive to understand what's beneficial for their health, it's your responsibility to safeguard their interest for their holistic growth and development. By making informed choices about their nutrition, you're setting the foundation for a healthy and vibrant future.