How much?
A young child should have about 2 serves of fruit and 4 of vegetables a day, and a teenager should have up to 4 serves of fruit and 7 serves of vegetables.
One government health campaign – Go for 2 and 5 – advises 2 fruit and 5 vegetable serves per day as a good general rule. See also Better Health Victoria, which goes into detail on the benefits of eating fruit and vegetables, preparing them, and encouraging kids to eat them.
Choosing well
Which fruit and vegetables to choose will depend on your child’s taste preferences, what’s available and your budget.
Getting your kids into fruit and vegetables
Making fruit and vegetables fun is one way to interest children in trying different varieties. The Sydney Markets Fresh for Kids website is packed with great material that is designed to appeal to children. It includes games, quizzes, competitions, recipes, snack ideas and lots of interesting information.
Fruit and vegetables in season
There are two advantages in buying fruit and vegetables in season: they taste better and they cost less. Staples like apples and potatoes don’t change much, but strawberries and other such fruits vary greatly from season to season. See some tips on buying in season.
Growing your own
Growing your own is not only cost-effective, it makes fruit and vegetables more ‘real’ for children. It’s even better if they do the planting themselves, then help you pick, wash and serve them. See some tips and ideas on growing your own.
Fresh is not the only way
While fresh produce is good, there’s nothing wrong with canned (low salt), dried and frozen fruit and vegetables. They can be stored for long periods so they’re always on hand, and can be a convenient alternative to fresh produce.