Get Kids Eating More Fruits and Vegetables: Action Idea and Download

If kids aren’t getting at least half their plate of fruits and veggies, what can be done to meet the challenge? The first step is to THINK ABOUT IT. Nothing changes until someone gets used to thinking about how to eat more fruits and veggies.

English: veggies (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Action Idea: Fruit and Veggie Challenge Solutions*

Directions:

1. Gather students and discuss the following solutions to eating more fruits & veggies. Allow kids to brainstorm ideas that will work for them.
   • Make fruits & veggies more available. To see more solutions, and specific actions to take, go to our Monthly Action Idea page and click on March Action Idea.
2. Activity Idea: How many colors can you get into a salsa?
   • Either write the following recipe ingredients on a board and discuss them or try out the recipe!
   • Identify the fruit and veggie colors represented in the salsa.
   • Send the recipe home and encourage kids and their families to try it.

Cranberry Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:
4 oz. 100% cranberry juice
1-1/2 cups diced tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh sliced cranberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup diced avocado
1/2 cup diced pineapple
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno peppers
2 garlic cloves
optional: black pepper
Baked chips for dipping

Directions:

1. Place juice into a saucepan. Boil about 5 minutes. Let cool.
2. Dice or slice the fruits & veggies, then place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Crush the garlic cloves, measure 1 tsp. and place in the mixing bowl. Add a dash of pepper, if desired.
4. Pour the syrup over the mixing bowl contents and stir thoroughly.
5. Serve with baked chips.

Download: Fruits and Veggies – Variety Adds Appeal

It’s important to eat more fruits and veggies. It’s so easy to fall into the rut of choosing the same ones and growing tired of them. Add some interest and appeal to your produce choices by trying the following ideas.

• Toss a Salad. Either fruit or veggie salads can provide a variety of tastes, colors, healthy fiber and antioxidants.
• Click on the link to find all the tips on the download link.

*This lesson is found on page 69 of the Balance My Day™ nutrition curriculum, Grades 6-8. For more like this, check out HKC resources in our Online Store; be sure to check out the Table of Contents and sample pages.

Applying for a 2013 PEP Grant? These lessons and tips are perfect for helping you meet the nutrition education needs for increasing kids’ fruit and vegetable intake. See our PEP Grant Help page for more info.

Pizza, Vegetables, and a Side of Healthy Balance

Healthy Balance

Despite what the media headlines may lead you to believe, Congress has not declared pizza a vegetable. The bottom line is the tomato paste on the pizza still counts as a vegetable serving according to federal regulations for school lunch programs. (If you want more explanation than that, read this article from the LA Times: ‘Pizza vegetable’ controversy is hot potato.)

But, honestly, the real bottom line? We all need to find some healthy balance when it comes to nutrition for kids. Childhood obesity did not start overnight, and it won’t get fixed overnight either. Don’t get caught up in the blame game. The true solution to this epidemic is that many solutions are needed, which must mesh into a new culture of health for all of us. While Congress may not have approved the changes many thought would be approved, it’s up to all of us to do the best we can, with what we have, where we are. Many schools are already making strides in offering appealing and tasty meals (see www.traytalk.org), without additional reimbursement, and we can learn from them.

Many individuals are taking action themselves to help their schools offer healthier foods and more active play, without pay or recognition, because they know it’s the right thing to do. The people who make these changes will often tell you the closer you get to healthy balance, the reward is in the health itself. In a culture of health, kids will be eating better, moving more, and enjoying a healthy balance – what can you do to help reach that goal where you are?

New Kids’ Contests for Making Half Your Plate Fruits and Vegetables

    

I have some exciting new kids’ contests to share with you as we come to the end of “Fruits & Veggies-More Matters” month!

• The first one is the Stirring Up Health National Middle School Recipe Contest.
  • The goal is to engage the kids you know to create or modify a recipe to make it healthier, using USDA MyPlate guidelines. Two of the categories are Fruits and Vegetables.
  • The contest is open September 1, 2011 – March 2, 2012 to all kids currently enrolled in 7th or 8th grade. Prizes include: Chef for a Day for 5 National Winners: A J&W University chef will prepare YOUR recipe with you at a school or youth group event!
  • Go to the Kids’ Recipe Contest web page for entry rules, sample recipes, and past winners with the chefs who came to their schools!

• The second one is the MyPlate Fruits & Veggies Video Challenge.
  • Create short videos (approximately 30 seconds) showing how you’re adding fruits and vegetables to your diet without spending a lot of money.
  • 3 categories:
    • Tips for kids
    • Tips when eating at home
    • Tips when eating away from home
  • The goal of the challenge is to encourage healthy eating habits using MyPlate, which includes making half your plate fruits and vegetables.

• The third one is, admittedly, not a contest but a pledge. We think it’s so important that you personally take action that I want to challenge you to take this pledge today. It’s to join America’s More Matters Pledge for fruits and veggies. You could make this one into a contest by challenging kids to see which class or group can have the most taking the pledge!

It has been fun to share all these resources with you this month. Let me know if you want more along this line!

Related articles

• 5 Kids Activities for Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)
• Favorite Kids’ Fruit and Vegetable Cooking Activities (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)
• Continue the MyPlate series? Start a new one? (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)

Favorite Kids’ Fruit and Vegetable Cooking Activities

There’s a lot to be learned when you get kids cooking! In keeping with the theme of “Fruits & Veggies-More Matters” month, I want to share with you some of my favorite kids’ cooking activities using fruits and vegetables. Whether you teach in a classrooom, lead a group like Girl Scouts or 4-H cooking projects, or just want to show your own kids how fun cooking healthy food can be, here are some great online resources to refer to:

• Healthy Cooking with Your Kids – Produce for Better Health Foundation: fruit and vegetable recipes, tips, and more
• Chef Solus – Nourish Interactive: cooking game with lesson plan and more
• Kids in the Kitchen – Junior League: recipes and video cooking demos of Fruity Kebabs, Trail Mix, and more
• LANA Preschool Program – Learning ZoneXpress: tasting and cooking activities like Fruity Bugs and Veggie Bagel Face and more
• The Thrill of Skill and other Educator Resources  – Home Baking Association: cooking skills activities and checklists, recipes like Pumpkin Pancakes and Apple Dumplings, and more

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• Best Blogs for Getting Kids to Eat More Fruits and Vegetables (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)
• 3 Kid-Friendly Fruit and Vegetable Recipes (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)

5 Kids Activities for Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Month

September is Fruits and Veggies-More Matters Month! Find out how to help kids celebrate with these fun challenges and activities:

1. Take the Eat Your Colors Challenge -this is from a My Healthy Challenge monthly publication, which includes 5 challenges to eat your colors. Challenge yourself and challenge the kids. For more info, click here: http://www.healthykidschallenge.com/newsletter-signup
2. Join America’s More Matters Pledge to Fight Childhood Obesity – From the Produce for Better Health Foundation, pledge to improve your own fruit and veggie intake, your family’s, or your school’s. Got to http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=12135
3. Take the MyPlate Makeover Challenge – Consumers can upload a snapshot of their meal plate, showing how they made half of it fruits & veggies, to the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Facebook page. Receive a coupon and be entered in a drawing for a free weekly $100 grocery gift card!
4. Use the Eat a Tasty Rainbow activity pages – for kids 5 and under, and kids 6 and over. These are from the Colorful Plates section of the Healthy Balance Toolkit  http://www.cigna.com/health_money/healthyKids/families.html
5. Try the CDC’s recommended “30 Ways in 30 Days to Stretch Your Fruit & Vegetable Budget”.  Involve kids in trying all the ways they can eat healthier AND stay within a budget. http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/publications/index.html

Throughout September I’ll be posting anything and everything to do with kids and fruits & veggies – favorite online resources, blogs, recipes, and more. Send me your favorites and I’ll include them too!

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• Fruits & Vegetables: Part 2 of the Healthy Kids Challenge Way to Teach MyPlate to Kids (healthykidschallenge.wordpress.com)