5 a day fruit and veg, how many do your kids eat?

[missrandom]

How much fruit or veg do your kids eat each day? I can get mine to eat about 4 on average, and find its quite difficult to fit the portions in, they do like fruit and veg and will eat it, but the day doesnt seem long enough to get them to eat more. especially as in countries like australia recommend eating 10 a day.

[annie0000]

I don't find it too bad, apple with breakfast, carton of fruit juice with snack, then grapes, mandarin and humzinger or raisins in with lunch - that's your 5, then fruit smoothie after school and maybe even a banana or some pineapple - if you are lucky a portion of veg or two with dinner e.g. pasta sauce, corn or peas etc. We usually then do something like a banana split or fruit and custard for pudding.

I would say that we probably average 8-9 a day.

My two aren't great with the veg - I grate carrot into bolognaise and generally sneak it in, but they are fine with the fruit. I probably struggle more at the weekend when i am not into the lunchbox routine, so I have to try and remember to put the fruit out with lunch.

[Psychick]

I find the best time to get my daughter to have her fruit and veg is in her lunch box. I give her little tubs each with something different in. Her favourites are carrot sticks, cucumber sticks , grapes and strawberries. She always has an apple at snack time too. Then she has some kind of vegetable at dinner time, normally things like peas, carrots, sweetcorn and broccoli. She doesn't always have fruit in her pudding but, like annie has said, fruit with custard is always a popular choice :)
Again, I find things the same as annie, it's not always so easy to get all the portions in on the weekends!

[Psychick]

Just thought......I've started making single portions of jelly for her to take to school too, and will put fruit in these, so theres another portion :)

[missrandom]

i find it blooming expensive too!! especially if i buy organic too.

[annie0000]

It's a standing joke in my office about the amount of money that I spend on apples alone - �2.00 per bag for 5 apples x about 6 bags per week = �12. over a month that is about �50 odd quid never mind the rest of the fruit!

[hotpink]

well done all you fab mums for making such an effort:) food needs to be fun with children, and you're all very admirable for your acheivements. do you all want to be my mums, cos i dont eat 5 a month!!

[boobesque]

Really? Oh dear!

Emmy is 8 months old and currently has 6 portions a day, blended obviously.
I give fruit for pudding after at least one meal and want to carry on this as she gets older, she will eat any fruit and any veg, so long may it continue!

[missrandom]

aah, ill be your mum hot pink!! boobesque, ive found a lot of kids (i work in childcare), go through a phase of turning their nose up at fruit and veg, but if you keep offering it (and it can take months) they soon get back on track. Wow �50 a month on apples, i thought i spent a lot on fruit!!

[annie0000]

Just worked out that I spend on average about �40 a week on fruit - not counting vegetables or tinned fruit. Add to that the 4-6 pints of milk per day and 4 loaves of bread every week, and i have realised where all our money goes - you wouldn't think that there are just the 4 of us - me hubby and two littlies (6 & 5). We are all tall, but are probably slightly lighter than we should be. You'd think with all that milk we would be like the blobbies!

[missrandom]

aah well at least your money going on all that healthy stuff, ours goes on currys!! we are all tall aswell, and i need to stop all the currys or i will be a blobby! ps annie i always like your answers, i spot your name always saying something sensible!!

[annie0000]

Aw Thanks MissR

[hogmother]

You don't say how old you kids are, I found when my daughter was younger it was easier, now she is 11 she has her own views and has decided she does not like many vegs she used to eat. Just try adding them to other foods (I always add carrot,mushrooms and onion for example to spag bolgonaise, when using a brought sauce)
The thing to do is try what you can but if you cannot get them to eat 5 it is better they eat 4 than none. Something my daughter liked when smaller was when I made thinks like a spider with peach slices and a spaonge cake just try to keep it light and fun.

[leighkaty]

wow i really admire you all for trying so hard to get your children to eat fruit and veg, i try they refuse i give up, i have 3 aged 10,7 & 5, they dont eat 5 a day and now i can pretty much say im ashamed of myself for not trying harder, so from now on i am and thanks for making me realise (without you knowing you did haha), bit pricey but worth it i suppose, it could also explain the behavioural changes in my children at times they can be very trying.

[missrandom]

ah, dont feel ashamed, youre gonna do something about it now! ive found not giving in works, i also have a "sweetie night" which is friday, they generally dont have sweets any other time. it really stops them asking so much, as they know fdriday is the night! good luck, well done and persavere (god knows how u spell it!)