Ways to Combine Kids, Fruits, & Veggies

For some strange reason, it can seem like an endless uphill battle to get kids to eat healthy snacks like fruits and veggies. With the constant barrage of inviting junk food advertising and the easy access of chips, pretzels, and cookies in the super market, it’s easy to see why kids’ first choice is often the junk food option. However, there are a number of enjoyable ways to get kids to like and eat healthier snacks.

One easy way to combine kids, fruits, and veggies is to allow children to assist in preparing snacks and meals. When they get to participate, kids are much more likely to want to eat their healthy creations. Instead of bringing them to the supermarket to shop for fruits and veggies, try visiting your local farmer’s market and allow them to pick the fresh produce.

The options for healthy whole food snacks made from fruits and veggies is plentiful. There are many resources online and offline which can give parents fabulous ideas for encouraging healthy snacking. One great idea is to have kids pick out their own fruit to make smoothies in the blender. Or, create fruit or veggie kabobs. By making a fruit smoothie or kabob, it’s an easy way to introduce kids to a variety of fruits in a fun and engaging way.

Veggies are also great for fun snack options like ants on a log (celery stalks with peanut-butter and raisins) or veggie wraps. When you make these veggie snacks with organic produce and organic dips like peanut butter or hummus, it’s encouraging them to develop healthy food habits in a very “hands on” way.