Eating habits
As a parent or caregiver, you play an important job in shaping your children’s eating habits. You have a role in deciding where meals and snacks are served and what foods to offer your children. Positive experiences with food will help your children develop healthy eating habits.
Having regular meals and snacks at similar times every day creates a healthy routine. If your children eat throughout the day, they may not be hungry when it’s time for a meal or snack.
Family meals can be an opportunity to provide positive role modelling and allow you to lead by example. Children learn from watching adults. By seeing you eat vegetables and fruit your children are more likely to do the same.
Video resource: Eat together role modeling from Raising our Healthy Kids
Planning to enjoy vegetables and fruit helps to improve your eating habits. For example:
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Check grocery store flyers.
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Plan meals and snacks including vegetables and fruit for the week with your family.
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Make a shopping list for what you need to buy.
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Look for sales within the store.
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Buy fresh produce in season.
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Buy frozen and canned vegetables and fruit to maintain a well-stocked freezer and pantry.
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Look for "no name" or store brands; these usually cost less and have the same quality as more expensive brands.
School Lunch your kids will munch
Meals ideas
Enjoy vegetables and fruit with every meal! Think about what meals you currently provide to your family and how you can add vegetables or fruit to these meals. For instance, you can add:
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Onions, canned mushrooms or peppers to spaghetti sauce or have a tossed salad on the side.
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Sliced banana or fresh or frozen berries to cereal.
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Some lettuce, tomato, peppers, avocado or cucumber to sandwiches or have sliced veggies on the side.
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Leftover veggies to soups, salads or casseroles instead of throwing them out.
Tips
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Try preparing vegetables in different ways - raw, baked and steamed.
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Wash and chop vegetables ahead of time for tomorrow night's dinner and store in a closed container in your refrigerator.
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Cook extra supper to have leftovers the next day.
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Round out meals with fresh or canned fruit.
Snacks
Vegetables and fruit are great options for snacks! Making snacks does not have to involve a great deal of preparation, searching for recipes, or complicated "kid-friendly" ideas! Options can simply be fresh fruit, fruit cups, frozen fruit with yogurt, or veggie sticks and hummus or dip.
Keep in mind to:
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Have fresh, frozen or canned veggies and fruit in your house.
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Keep carrots, pepper and celery sticks cut up in the fridge so they are ready to eat at anytime.
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Enjoy veggies & fruit as snacks at home.
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Pack veggies & fruit in your family's lunch bag.
Video Resource: Enjoy Vegetables and Fruit for Active Kids
Prepare snacks in advance. If healthy snack are available, people are more likely to choose them when hunger strikes!
