how do you get 3 fruit and 4 veg down your kids a day?

[Kitttty]

?

[bundaberg]

fruit isn't an issue, my lot eat it like it's going out of fashion :-/

veg-wise they either have some in their school dinner or if they're taking a packed lunch I would normally put in a variety of cucumber/tomatoes/carrot sticks/sweetcorn. sometimes they take veg soup/stew in a flask

dinner time we usually have 2 or 3 veg

[stargirl1701]

Breakfast - fruit (berries?)before cereal
Snack - veg (cherry toms?)
Lunch - with veg (cucumber & peppers?) then a fruit 'pudding' (apple?)
Snack - veg (carrot sticks)
Dinner - with veg (broccoli?) and fruit pudding (banana?)

Really, just the same as you eat.

[Yamyoid]

Is that how much it's supposed to be? I thought it was 5 of either.
My 7 year-old is easy enough: fruit with breakfast, fruit and veg (raw peppers or raw sugarsnap peas) for lunch on a packed lunch day. Veg with dinner, fruit for snack after school. Sometimes fruit after dinner.
It's impossible with my toddler.

[WhereMyMilk]

Numbers 1&2 easy as they live on the stuff-number 3 thinks t'is all the devil's food & won't touch it!

Can't even do the old pasta sauce trick as he has now decided that he will only have cheese sauce-he is cunning as a fox and realises I can't add anything to a white sauce without it being evident!

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

Erm, nope, I don't (although I don't think it would be too difficult if you wanted to count) Fruit is too expensive. He gets one or maybe 2 bits a day.

Vegetables, he likes to eat salad type veg so peppers, cucumber, carrot sticks, sweetcorn etc for lunch and then there will be some kind of veg incorporated in dinner, usually 2-3 kinds. He will probably pick this out though.

I've never really counted I just try to make sure that meals are balanced with a protein, carb and veg proportion.

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

Although carbs are another issue altogether

[Wishihadabs]

One of the best bits of advice I ever got on here was serve cruelties (raw veg) before dinner when they are starving e.g.; carrots, cucumber , cherry Tom's.Works like a dreamwithh my 2.

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

And YY I had heard 5 a day rather than 3 of this and 5 of that.

[Kitttty]

Thats helpful - good to get something down them at breakfast - blueberry pancakes - porridge with chopped up apple etc -- it is the snacks that we don't do very well (teenagers at school) - might look at doing more dips for after school late evening snacks - as they like carrot sticks, cucumber, peppers, toms etc...

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

Cruelties? Do you mean crudites??

[MerryMarigold]

Where my milk, you can add cauliflower and onion to a cheese sauce add long as you puree it!

[Kitttty]

I heard that it should not all be fruit -as too much sugar rush/calories?

Anyone manage to get veg in for breakfast?

[Wishihadabs]

Yes bloody auto correct

[Artandco]

We usually have at least 2 things of either fruit/ veg with each meal.

So maybe porridge with banana and blueberries

Lunch mushroom omelette and peas/ or cheese and tomato toastie with raw cucumber and tangerine or similar

Dinner fish, x2 veg and carb.

Any snacks if they have are fruit or fruit before something else

[areyoutheregoditsmemargaret]

cruelties are how my dcs would view them

[Artandco]

Omelettes for breakfast with whatever veg in house are pretty quick

We sometimes have poached eggs with spinach and mushrooms

Or any combo of an English grilled/ fried breakfast

[darkdays]

Tomatoes and mushrooms with toast for breakfast?

[Runningoverthefields]

I found it easy until DS started learning about 'heathy eating' at school. He used to hoover up fruit and veg but now says 'but snack a jacks are healthy, I could have those instead'. 'Is this a healthy cake or an unhealthy cake mum? oh look, it's a low fat one, so it's healthy'
I need to have another talk with him about it this weekend as his head has been so filled with misinformation based on adult weight loss diets rather than a healthy diet for children. Due to a medical condition he needs extra calories - he is underweight and short for his age. And they've taught him all about how to start dieting for weight loss… And because his teacher has said it, it's all gospel. Sighs.

[bundaberg]

i don't think mushrooms count as part of the 5 a day thing.

[Yamyoid]

What's wrong with mushrooms? Not that the dcs will eat them anyway.

[ilovepowerhoop]

mushrooms do count

[ilovepowerhoop]

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Portionsizes.aspx there is a link on this page with a guide to portion sizes e.g it says 14 button mushrooms for 1 portion

[Minor]

I leave plates of cut up apples, peeled satsuma, grapes or raw carrot/cucumber lying around.

If I know we've been light during the day, I make a smoothie for a drink with dinner.

If I ask if they want a snack and fruit/veg is all that's on offer they say no, but if I just put it out, someone's eating it!

Has to be ready prepared though-they're far too lazy to actually prepare it themselves despite being perfectly capable.

[RedPencils]

Fruit juice for breakfast
Fruit/carrot/cucumber sticks in lunch box
Banana or fruit bread after school snack
Two veg with dinner
Couple of times a week we have strawberries and raspberries which they both Hoover up.

We also have some 'cruelties' in the fridge as well, cherry toms, sliced cucumber, carrots etc.

[bundaberg]

oh brill! someone told me mushrooms didn't count because they aren't actually a veg! that's good, i love mushrooms :-D