Is this a cherry? Asked Christopher.
We were sitting in the living room with my son and his sleepover buddy Christopher, watching Harry Potter.
We had just finished dinner, and as I usually do after dinner, I served fruit.
My husband and I were somewhat shocked, not sure if we actually heard it right.
It was really shocking to us that a 9 year old had to ask that question.
It reminded me of another incident during the summer, when we hosted a small pool party and one of our friend's son asked when he picked up a Nectarine - "what is this?" and said after tasting it: "no, never had it before...
" I came from a Mediterranean family that had not been influenced yet by western culture, and every meal was complemented with fruits and vegetables.
A breakfast is just not the same without a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil and lemon juice.
The best treat we could have as kids on a hot summer day (other than ice cream) was a cold juicy watermelon! Fortunately, but not coincidentally, my son picked up my eating habits, and added to them a few of his own.
When my son was 8 months old, we went to the market one day and they had samples of red grapefruit.
I gave one to my son and he devoured it - smearing it all over his face and clothes.
I thought it was a fine time to introduce him to good eating habits and continued to serve him a variety of fruits every day.
I routinely stock up at least three kinds on fruits and serve them regularly.
My son is also accustomed to eating salads with us as first course.
I am often amazed at the success of this strategy when I see him finishing up his plate while his friends push away the salad and wait for the main course.
If you ever wondered what you can do to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, here are 10 tips to get you started: 1.
Go out shopping with your kids and let them pick the fruits and vegetables that they like.
2.
Tell your kids about the benefits of the fruits and vegetables that they eat, for example: carrots are really good for your eyesight! Or - oranges have lots of Vitamin C - which will help you fight this nasty cold! 3.
Have a "reward" system, where every time your kids are willing to try a new fruit or vegetable - give them a point.
Make sure they know they don't have to finish it if they don't like it, but they have to eat at least a few good bites.
When they get to 10 or 20 points, they get a reward of some kind.
This technique worked great with my son - he'll try anything now.
4.
Have fruits out on the kitchen counter with a few varieties - apples, oranges, pears, and tell your kids they are free to have fruits any time they feel like it.
You can also stock a tray full of grape tomatoes and mini carrots in the refrigerator.
5.
If you have a drawer full of snacks such as chips and candy bars that the kids help themselves to during the day, consider restocking it with fresh fruits instead.
6.
Give your kids fresh fruits for snacks at school, and/or supplement that sandwich lunch with fruit instead of chips.
My son really likes an orange with his PB & J sandwich.
You can also use celery sticks with peanut butter or carrots with (light) ranch dressing.
7.
Let your kids help with making the salad for dinner - they can wash the vegetables and tear the lettuce, and maybe even cut the tomatoes and cucumbers if they're old enough.
Kids love eating what they make.
8.
Make sure you always have a good variety of fruits and vegetables at home, and serve them with different dishes.
For example - serve a spinach salad with dried cranberries and Mandarin oranges, or Spring Mix salad with sliced pears and Raspberry dressing.
Add carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms to spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, etc.
9.
Make fruit smoothies with your kids.
This is one of my son's favorites.
10.
Last but not least - set a good example by eating lots of fruits and vegetables yourself, and actually enjoying it.
You can't expect your kids to eat and like fruits and vegetables if you don't.
We were sitting in the living room with my son and his sleepover buddy Christopher, watching Harry Potter.
We had just finished dinner, and as I usually do after dinner, I served fruit.
My husband and I were somewhat shocked, not sure if we actually heard it right.
It was really shocking to us that a 9 year old had to ask that question.
It reminded me of another incident during the summer, when we hosted a small pool party and one of our friend's son asked when he picked up a Nectarine - "what is this?" and said after tasting it: "no, never had it before...
" I came from a Mediterranean family that had not been influenced yet by western culture, and every meal was complemented with fruits and vegetables.
A breakfast is just not the same without a salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olive oil and lemon juice.
The best treat we could have as kids on a hot summer day (other than ice cream) was a cold juicy watermelon! Fortunately, but not coincidentally, my son picked up my eating habits, and added to them a few of his own.
When my son was 8 months old, we went to the market one day and they had samples of red grapefruit.
I gave one to my son and he devoured it - smearing it all over his face and clothes.
I thought it was a fine time to introduce him to good eating habits and continued to serve him a variety of fruits every day.
I routinely stock up at least three kinds on fruits and serve them regularly.
My son is also accustomed to eating salads with us as first course.
I am often amazed at the success of this strategy when I see him finishing up his plate while his friends push away the salad and wait for the main course.
If you ever wondered what you can do to get your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, here are 10 tips to get you started: 1.
Go out shopping with your kids and let them pick the fruits and vegetables that they like.
2.
Tell your kids about the benefits of the fruits and vegetables that they eat, for example: carrots are really good for your eyesight! Or - oranges have lots of Vitamin C - which will help you fight this nasty cold! 3.
Have a "reward" system, where every time your kids are willing to try a new fruit or vegetable - give them a point.
Make sure they know they don't have to finish it if they don't like it, but they have to eat at least a few good bites.
When they get to 10 or 20 points, they get a reward of some kind.
This technique worked great with my son - he'll try anything now.
4.
Have fruits out on the kitchen counter with a few varieties - apples, oranges, pears, and tell your kids they are free to have fruits any time they feel like it.
You can also stock a tray full of grape tomatoes and mini carrots in the refrigerator.
5.
If you have a drawer full of snacks such as chips and candy bars that the kids help themselves to during the day, consider restocking it with fresh fruits instead.
6.
Give your kids fresh fruits for snacks at school, and/or supplement that sandwich lunch with fruit instead of chips.
My son really likes an orange with his PB & J sandwich.
You can also use celery sticks with peanut butter or carrots with (light) ranch dressing.
7.
Let your kids help with making the salad for dinner - they can wash the vegetables and tear the lettuce, and maybe even cut the tomatoes and cucumbers if they're old enough.
Kids love eating what they make.
8.
Make sure you always have a good variety of fruits and vegetables at home, and serve them with different dishes.
For example - serve a spinach salad with dried cranberries and Mandarin oranges, or Spring Mix salad with sliced pears and Raspberry dressing.
Add carrots, celery, onions and mushrooms to spaghetti sauce, soups, stews, etc.
9.
Make fruit smoothies with your kids.
This is one of my son's favorites.
10.
Last but not least - set a good example by eating lots of fruits and vegetables yourself, and actually enjoying it.
You can't expect your kids to eat and like fruits and vegetables if you don't.