Fruits and veggies are really important for adults as well as children. So the earlier the entire family can develop healthy eating habits the better. For example, heart disease has its roots in childhood. By helping your children to develop the habit of eating lots of fruit and vegetables, they get off to a great start.
| Here are some family tips for eating more fruits and vegetables | |
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You provide the healthy choices but let children decide themselves how much to eat. It’s never a good idea to force children to eat. |
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Likes and dislikes change – If children don’t like something the first time, wait a days before you try again and then be persistent and patient. Try again to get them to taste a bite. |
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Make fruit/veggies easy… have a fruit bowl within easy reach and allow children to snack on fruit/veg whenever they like. |
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Be positive… never use food as a punishment or reward e.g. “if you eat your broccoli, you’ll get a treat”… instead, talk about broccoli like it is a treat… children will pick up on this. |
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Children love to eat fruit salads… chop up a variety of seasonal fruits and cover with some apple juice or any kind of unsweetened juice they love. |
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Serve stewed fruit with some low-fat yoghurt, or a blob of ice cream for a healthy dessert. |
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Slice up fruit for small hands… simply slicing fruit onto a plate often tempts children. |
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When all else fails, you can disguise vegetables easily – pureed vegetables can be added to mashed potato, chopped vegetables like carrot, onion, pepper and courgette can be added to spaghetti Bolognese or stews, and home-made vegetable soup can be blended to a smooth consistency. |
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Get children involved with shopping and food preparation – they will be more likely to sample the fruits of their labour. |
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Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables yourself and you’ll be a healthy role model for the whole family. Try to add some fruit to your breakfast, and dip into the fruit bowl whenever you feel like snacking. |
Older People
While the basic principles of a balanced diet are the same as at any other age, individual nutritional requirements usually need to be modified for older people, depending on how well and active they are. Healthy food choices, staying active and stress management can all help reduce the chances of getting certain age related diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease.
Tips on getting Enough Fruit and Vegetables
- Most common fruits like apples, pears, bananas, oranges and cherry tomatoes don't need any refrigeration. Keep your fruits and vegetables in plain view on your countertop or table. When snack time comes around it is easy to grab a piece of fruit or a handful of cherry tomatoes. On the other hand make sure to keep the biscuit tin out of sight.
- Frozen vegetables are quick, nutritious and easy to prepare. You can choose single vegetables such as peas, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower, or you can try seasoned blends of vegetables.
- Pre-cut vegetables and fruit are convenient, but don't buy them with the idea that they will last a long time. Fruit may begin to spoil within a day or two after cutting, however some fruits can be purchased in frozen or canned forms that last much longer.
- If your appetite isn't what if should be, try small regular meals with larger nutritious snacks in between.
- Freshly cut vegetables are absolutely delicious with your favourite dip. Much more nutritious than crisps! Choose low-fat hummus dips, tomato salsa dips or yoghurt based dips.
- Make a delicious parfait by layering fresh or frozen berries with vanilla yoghurt and nuts or granola.
- Eat some chocolate-covered strawberries as a special treat. Dark chocolate has a few extra antioxidants too!
- Instead of milk and biscuits, enjoy a small bowl of high fibre cereal with sliced banana or kiwi fruit or raisins.
- Eating a salad can give you several servings of fruits and vegetables. Start with some lettuce and add sliced tomatoes, apples, pears, berries, celery, cucumbers, sprouts, raw green beans, broccoli or cauliflower. With so many combinations, you can eat a different salad every day.
- When you make a sandwich, be sure to add lettuce, red onion or some thick tomato slices to your protein filling. This bulks it out with extra nutrients.
Healthy nutrition also aids in the treatment as well as recuperation from illness. It’s impossible to turn the clock back but eating well can make people feel more energetic and healthy for longer. Eating a wide variety of healthy foods every day is the cornerstone of good nutrition. Here are some issues that may be particularly important for older people.
Iron
Anaemia is common in older adults. Sometimes it's because of poor food choices. Often it can be due to poor absorption of iron, or blood loss, or the use of certain drugs. Eat sufficient portions of red meat and other foods such as green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale and cabbage, fortified cereals, dried fruit and some pulses regularly.
Fibre
Older people can suffer from constipation and bowel problems mainly due to a reduced gut motility and inactivity. To relieve this, try eating high-fibre cereal foods and plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Excessive amounts of raw bran are not the answer. They are too bulky and may interfere with the absorption of other important nutrients. Drink plenty of fluid also to help the gut work well – approximately eight medium glasses a day.
The absorption of iron from non-meat sources can be enhanced by drinking a glass of vitamin C rich juice or including some vegetables containing vitamin C like red, yellow and orange peppers.
Vegetarians
Protein
When you decide not to eat fish, poultry or meat , it means you have to ensure you eat enough of the vegetarian sources of protein, such as eggs, beans, milk and cheese to meet your requirements. If you exclude all animal foods then it is important to combine non-animal foods together to get all the essential amino acids required for health. Eat the following plant based foods:
- Beans and other pulses – lentils, chickpeas, haricot and kidney beans.
- Soya products – soya beans, tofu, soya milk and soya yoghurts etc.
- Cereal and grain food – wheat and rye breads, muffins and scones, pasta and noodles, rice etc.
- Seeds – sunflower, sesame and pumpkin.
- Nuts – peanuts, walnuts, almonds etc.
Iron is important for the development of healthy red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body. Some young women, especially vegetarian women can become deficient in iron when they lose a lot of blood in heavy periods and fail to replace it by eating foods rich in iron.
Symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia include tiredness, loss of appetite, irritability, paleness and a general feeling of being run down.
Eat the following iron containing foods
- Wholemeal bread
- Fortified breakfast cereals
- Green vegetables
- Eggs
- Pumpkin seeds
- Dried figs and prunes
- Whole grains such as quinoa and millet
- Nuts and nutritional yeast
Including Vitamin C with a meal (such as an orange or a glass of orange juice) with a vegetarian source of iron can increase the amount of iron absorbed by threefold.
Vitamin C
The presence of Vitamin C in the vegetarian's diet can promote the absorption of non haemagoblin iron.
Vitamin C is found in fresh fruits and vegetables, especially:
- Citrus fruits
- Tomatoes
- Kiwis
- Mangoes
- Peaches
- Berries and Cranberries
So it's a good idea to get into the habit every mealtime of having a small glass of freshly squeezed fruit or tomato juice or a piece of fresh fruit after the meal.
Vitamin 12
Vitamin B12 plays a part in the complex process of cell division in the body. It is especially important in conjunction with folic acid and iron, for the formation of red blood cells. It is also involved in the formation of the protective sheath of myelin which surrounds each nerve fibre.
Vitamin B12 is found in a small amount in all animal tissues but it is absent from foods of vegetable origin. It is only required in minute amounts and most vegetarians usually obtain sufficient amounts from eggs, milk and milk products. However, vegans who abstain completely from foods of animal origin (including dairy foods) may suffer from a deficiency. If this is the case you may have to take a supplement to ensure an adequate intake.