1 orange, 2 banana, some melon, 1 apple, full pack of grapes!

[Wineiscooling]

Half light hearted but half seriously interested how much fruit do your children eat? My teenage son has always been a picky eater but loves fruit so I suppose I’ve let him get away with eating a lot of fruit because for a long time the rest of his diet was junk. Lately he does eat better - not quite so picky but still loves fruit and would eat it all day long if I let him. I did a big shop today and we’ve just fell out over how much fruit he is eating it’s costing me a fortune and with the cost of living going up I can’t afford his fruit habit ! The above fruit in the title is what he’s eaten today and there would have been more if I’d let him. He loves strawberries, raspberries any berries but will eat the lot in one go. I’ve just done a rough calculation and am guessing he’s cost me nearly 5 pounds today in fruit and if that’s every day it’s probably 30-35 a week just for him - no wonder I’m skint! How much fruit does your children eat and if it’s not much what snacks do they eat that’s healthy and cheaper? He must have asked me 5 times today if we have any food before helping himself to more fruit!

My 7yo and 2yo will eat fruit all day if I let them. They will both eat a full pack of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or grapes. The fruit bowl is always out and we get through 10-12 apples, 8 satsumas, 8 bananas and whatever else is in there (pears, kiwis, nectarines) in a week.
It's a worry how much they will eat as teens if they can put this away now 😵

7yo is a great eater and will also eat good, healthy meals but 2yo is so picky, he eats cereal, fruit, toast and cheese. Occasionally a yoghurt or some jelly but no veg or meat crosses his lips so I don't often say no when he asks for fruit.

I tried growing strawberries but our garden appears to be hostile to all plant life 😂

Go to the fruit and veg stall at the market near the end of opening, you can get masses for quite low prices. Ours does two punnets of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries for £1.

Aside from a whole punnet of grapes that doesn't sound a massive amount?

My two boys 5&2 are quite different when it comes to fruit,both love bananas & would eat them all day long,my 5 year old will eat an apple or pear too, but my 2 year old will give it all a try, peaches are his latest thing & luckily they are on offer in my shopping at the moment,he loves pineapple so I buy a little tin just for him prob not great but it's a fraction of the price esp when it's only him & possibly me who'd have it,watermelon,berries etc, he had banana+ strawberries with toast this morning,I've tried the frozen fruit with him & he just doesn't go for it,so now I buy bananas every week & 1 other fruit just for him, blueberries,peaches, watermelon I always try get what's on offer honestly & once it's gone that's it it's back to apples,I buy fruit once a week maybe about €10 usually& try get at least 1 or 2 good portions into them a day,along with vegetables,we hit our 5 a day most days not always but I'm not too worried as they eat quite well

Yeah my kids eat loads of fruit. They don't like veg so if I want them to get any nutrients fruit it is. Whole punnets of berries at a time, bananas and those little oranges are favourites here. There's worse things they could be eating.

DS2 10, has a very expensive fruit habit which we have enabled. Per day-One or two bananas, 2 nectarines, half a punnet, of strawberries, a quarter of a punnet of grapes, a third of a baby watermelon, handful of frozen blueberries, 3 mangoes a week. He was a couple of kilos overweight 6 months ago. We overhauled his lunchbox. He now has half a sandwich, a yogurt and a hige tub of fruit salad. He has lost 3 kilos since ditching crisps and chocolate despite all the sugar in fruit. It's expensive, but it's been great for weight management. He's not a fan of salad or crudités.

Doesn't chewing break down the cell structure

My teenage son acquired a very expensive mango habit. I soon knocked that on the head

Bit late for this year but strawberries are very very easy to grow. You do need to keep the birds off them, my mum used to use old jam /sauce jars. They come back every year too.

I am wearing a blood glucose monitor at the moment and so far fruit hasn't spiked me at all - even bananas which surprised me I must say.

I get bands of frozen black cherries from Tesco and defrost a handful at a time with a dollop of yoghurt. No waste, way cheaper than fresh even in season. We do the same with mango. Any pyo nearby? I used to love them as a kid. And yes to growing your own if you can next season. My parents always did and I lived in fruit over the summer.

In terms of filling him up, could he have yoghurt or pnb with his fruit? But of protein/fat?

As long as it's not in a smoothie fruit is absolutely fine and good for you.

My kids are similarly like a pack of wild animals when it comes to fruit (as am I tbf), but can to some degree be fobbed off with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, pretty much any of the non-leafy raw veg presented in a bowl. They are small though. Hopefully it will last.

Mine loves fruit too

I only buy Bananas, apples and oranges fresh at full price (because they tend to not go off in a day) . Raisins, dried apricots, dates and cranberries for long life fruit. Any other fruit is reduced sticker stuff if we’re lucky to get it.

we have berries in the garden and DC has got to the point now where summer is exciting again because they get to eat berries again, if they get outside and pick them. We have strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, gooseberries, cherries, goji berries all within a few metres of the house. Almost blackberry time here too so we’ll be making blackberry jelly ready for the winter months.

My thoughts exactly. Encourage self sufficiency, the more we can provide for ourselves and not rely on buying in from supermarkets the better.

I'd be saying if hes that hungry he needs to eat a meal. Peanut butter and banana on toast might be a compromise.

Strawberry is so easy to grow. I bought one plant and planted in the hanging basket few years ago. Now I have multiple pots producing fruit every day.
That would solve a bit of problem re cost.

I think it's normal amount for growing up boy. My husband has two brothers and their grandma had extra freezer for all the food they inhale. I think the problem is that blueberries, strawberries etc. are quite pricey and he eats it in one go. Will he settle for more apples, grapefruits and bananas? They are really cheap.

@Wineiscooling Frozen raspberries are great left overnight to defrost in the fridge in the bowl you'll eat them out of. They are slightly soft, but it's more that they are part way to a compote in a good way.

Peanut Butter is probably your friend.

Yep feel the pain in your wallet. My son is autistic and eats very limited diet but loads of fruit.

An average day is big handful blueberries, raspberries, 2 satsuma, 1 pear, handful blackberries, 1 large orange.

It costs a bomb.

Thank you for the replies and suggestions, I will have a proper read after work later but I do like the idea of growing some of our own fruit and I think I do need to look at his diet more to keep him fuller longer. It’s hard to change his diet though after years of fussy eating he’s only just getting better but it’s been slow progress and perseverance to get him to vary his meals more.

Honestly upu should try getting s couple of bushes. either in a garden or a pot. saves so much money if you buy sofr fruit regularly
cost about £3 per plat.

With three berry loving babies and no gardening skills at all, we are slowly learning the grow your own skills. Strawberries seem to thrive no matter what you do! Now clearing out horrible old laurels under trees and hoping to replace with brambles.

My close relative developed a 5-apples a day habit… and gout! Lots of fruit can be unhealthy - try teaching moderation on this, OP!

Four fruit loving kids here. I buy apples, pears, bananas and satsumas. Occasionally melon, but raspberries and strawberries are home grown. There are a small handful daily, and when they're gone, we wait for more to ripen. I give them lots of carrots as a fruit alternative, cheap, fairly sweet, but still healthy.