Why is difficult for my children to love fruit!?

[dee28]

Hi, I am new to Mumsnet and I need advices on some issues with my children. They are 2, 5 and 8 years old. The 2 years old boy doesn't like fruit at all, I tried a lot to give him the fruit or chop it but he refuses.

Same case with my 8 girl, she knows that fruit are healthy diet and she is aware of the consequences of eating snacks and junk food but she prefers that than eating a fruit even if I try to involve her to pick the kind of fruit she likes or make it in a nice shapes.

My 5 years old girl eats fruit but she doesn't eat it daily and I am trying with her to have at least two portions with the 2 to 3 portions of vegetables. I want to succeed in at least making one of my children eats in a right healthy way.

Also, I have a 15 years old brother who eats rarely fruit and he is not also the kind of sweets eater but he really loves to fry chicken, hamburger, fries and these kind of junk food.

So now after I think I made a clear picture to you, my questions are:
How to make my 2 years boy and 8 years girl try fruits and love them? How to make my 5 years girl eat fruits frequently (2 portions everyday)?
How to make my brother get rid of junk food on daily basis and eat instead fruit?

That stress me a lot because I really want to make my children healthy and that won't happen without healthy eating habits.

[chocolatespiders]

Have you tried them on skewers my dd loves putting fruit onto skewers and eating them. It is hard for me to get her to eat fruit. Banana, Grapes, pineapple and melon her favs

[dee28]

Yes I tried that couple of times with the 8 years old girl but that didn't work with her, it works with her 5 years sister.

[chocolatespiders]

Do they like smoothie?

[dee28]

Not all smoothies, depends on the fruits in the smoothie. I want them to try new fruits and not hate many kind of them. They like strawberries, grapes, watermelon and sometimes bananas and apple but not all time they have it in smoothies.

[chocolatespiders]

Will they have fruit salad served with ice cream, jelly, yoghurt or squirty cream!

[dee28]

I tried the fruit salad with cream and they liked it but I want them to try to eat raw fruit because I'm working part time and sometimes I don't have much time to do these things.

[slackcabbage]

How about trying to incorporate it in to puddings instead of being served fresh and once they are used to that, then progress to having it straight out of the fruit bowl. I know it's more time-consuming though:

apple compote with pancakes
red berry compote and ice cream
on skewers with squirty cream
banana splits
baked apples or pears
melon boats
orange jelly made with fresh oj and segments of flesh
fruit faces made with grapes/cherries/melon etc

[joanofarchitrave]

I think plain fruit is very acid for a lot of children. I would stop forcing it quite so much tbh and focus on vegetables. My experience is that a lot of children will eat at least a few vegetables without much difficulty, which is actually better than fruit anyway.

Think seasonal - always, always offer fruit in season so that it's actually tasty, not hard and acid. At the moment in this country, that doesn't give you many options beyond rhubarb, and that tells you something - it's not actually essential to have fruit every day of the year. Fruit is a treat, not a staple food (disclaimer; I eat more fruit than anyone I know but actually that's not particularly healthy, I'm overweight and don't have fantastic teeth, partly because of all the acid).

Make sure you eat plenty of fruit in front of them, when you have it. If you don't eat it, they won't see it as normal.

Have some growing so that they can pick the odd one themselves (raspberries are bog easy to grow - I'm a shit gardener and I can - you only need a space about one paving stone big to plant a cane).

From August, take them blackberry picking. If you can afford to, take them to a pick your own place - strawberries are the obvious one - just a different experience to eat a few sun-warmed ripe fruits on your own time, rather than facing a large hard apple.

Continue to offer them other puddings, but with fruit- so, you could continue to give them ice cream, but only if they have it with a small amount e.g. of stewed apple, dried apricot etc.

Add plenty of sugar. For example, home made jam or ice cream may be high sugar and high fat but is more likely to appeal and get them used to a fruit taste.

[slackcabbage]

yes, agree with Joanofarchitrave that I would stress more over whether dc consuming veg or not - much more important

[joanofarchitrave]

I know tinned fruit has been taken off the 'approved' list but you have to do something. Try a few different tinned ones in plain juice as at least that's quick, preprepared and gives you an idea what your kids might like. Serve hot with a digestive biscuit or ice cream.

TBH fruit salad is the most timeconsuming thing you can possibly make (unless it's tinned) - stewed apple can be made in the time it takes to boil a saucepan of water.

[DorothyGherkins]

Tell them they are not allowed! Its only for gown ups! Reverse psychology sometimes works. Do they see you eating plenty of fruit? I think its hard to insist kids do something they never see you doing.

[andersonsophie89]

with your two years old. Try to get the older lots to eat their fruit and saying they love it and look like they are enjoying it. This needs to be done infront of your two years old. Or put him infront of others who love eating fruit. Then give the other children so many praises. Your kid will soon follow.