Let’s start with some facts:
- Fruit and vegetables bring amazing health benefits
- We need to educate children about the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables
- Children need to adopt a healthier diet to avoid health and obesity problems in later life
All simple statements, but in practice it’s not so easy getting kids to eat more healthily which is exactly why it needs to be made fun and interesting.
Fruit is often considered by children as the boring alternative to crisps, chocolate and cakes. And sadly, despite the outstanding health benefits, maybe there is some truth there. Oranges, apples, plums and all the usual run-of-the-mill fruits, salads and vegetables that parents try to smuggle into the lunchbox could well be considered bland.
But apples and oranges are not the be all and end all of fruit. What about the more interesting, exotic fruits and vegetables that readily available on our supermarket shelves? Foods that not only taste delicious and can be incorporated into interesting dishes, but that also look and feel interesting too, stimulating the imagination and sparking natural inquisitiveness into where they came from.
There is a plethora of mouthwatering recipes involving exotic foods just waiting to be tried; keep them simple and your kids can help you with the preparation giving them hands-on experience as well as the opportunity to learn a range of new skills and boost their knowledge of worldwide cultures at the same time. For example, how delectable do these sound?
- Avocado pear salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber and crispy lettuce leaves
- Pineapple fruit salad with ice cream, strawberries, citrus fruits and of course, pineapple!
- Mango pancakes with strawberry jam
- Green banana and carrot mash with vegetarian sausages
- Sweet potato baked chips with a sour cream and chive dip
- Butternut squash and blueberry treat
- Plantain ice cream
Children will never fail to find these dishes fun to make, and they will suddenly realise that healthy foods can actually taste good too.
You could also enhance your educational efforts by including educational resources such as books and toys into the healthy eating curriculum. Take a look in your local bookstore, search online or if you are a school or nursery teacher, consult your resources supplier and you will soon come across specialist products that are designed to help younger children recognise and learn about worldwide, exotic foods and healthy eating.
Children are the future; so make sure their future is healthy and packed with the goodness of fruit and vegetables! Make learning about healthy eating fun by introducing children to the exciting world of exotic fruits and vegetables!