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

[Kitttty]

?

[lookout]

You can throw a handful of fresh spinach into a smoothie without it altering the taste. Or if your kids are adventurous, try adding some avocado or cucumber into a fruit smoothie. Frozen spinach or finely grated courgette into pesto pasta works well with mine. Or any number of veg cooked in tomatoes with either herbs/curry powder or chilli spices then pureed and served with meat/fish and pasta/rice. My kids eat a lot of this kind of thing, otherwise they wouldn't eat veg at all!

[Minor]

It was never 5 a day, the WHO guidelines were originally much higher but the UK government knew that was simply unachievable for us and set the lower, more achievable target, which would still be a vast improvement for most of us.

Old Guardian Article

[ilovepowerhoop]

it is still 5 a day

[HerlockSholmes]

when did it stop being five a day?

DS has fruit for breakfast and snacks and one or two veg with lunch and dinner. usually fling a smoothie in there for good measure.

[spilttheteaagain]

I try but have a picky toddler. Most days she will have helpings of:

Cucumber (loves this, no issue)
Cherry tomatoes (fairly reliable)
Broccoli (about 70% success as long as sufficiently overcooked soft)
Banana
Apple (in buggy going anywhere)
Pear

She loves pulses so usually also a helping of baked beans (eg with egg & potatoes)/chickpeas (in any sauce or plain as a snack)/mixed bean chilli

If lucky she will also eat kiwi and occasionally half a tsp of petit pois.

I guess it structures as a piece of fruit about half an hour after breakfast.
Cucumber/tomatoes/cheese as a mid morning snack.
Baked beans or another dose of cucumber/tomatoes a common part of lunch
Buggy apple mid afternoon
Broccoli and/or a dose of pulses with dinner
Pear/kiwi after dinner.

[MoominMammasHandbag]

Mine have fruit with breakfast, chopped banana, berries or died fruit. Fruit snack for break time. Another piece of fruit, a little carton of fruit juice and a decent amount of salad with their wrap or pitta at lunchtime. Whatever veg we are having for dinner, probably a couple of portions, possibly fruit crumble or salad for desert but more frequently a yoghurt.

[alcibiades]

I've just found the topic where Drladybird posted the multi-veg muffin link, and it's here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/1827270-Savoury-muffin-recipes

There are other suggestions in that thread.

There's also a vegetarian Christmas thread, which might give you more ideas:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/1926911-vegetarian-christmas-the-ultimate-challenge

I'm of the view that what's important about the 5-a-day thing is the nutrients from veg'n'fruit, plus the fibre that's important for the health of the gut. I think it's really a modern-day European style of cooking that presents each vegetable or fruit as separate, whereas in other culinary cultures most of the constituents of the meal are cooked together. That style of cooking isn't disguising vegetables or fruit, it's just a different kind of cooking style.

Also, there's the issue of young children's taste being very different from adult's. Tomatoes are a good example: To me, the flesh of a tomato is delicious; the feel of the seeds in my mouth is disgusting; and the taste of tomato skins is like what cat's piss smells like. And any fruits that are acidic irritate my stomach.

[Marzipanface]

I don't. DD will eat fruit and the odd veg but it is really hard. Today she has eaten half a banana and an apple. No veg at all. On another day she might eat a bowl of carrots and peppers but rarely manage five a day.

[alcibiades]

I can't remember which thread, nor the poster, who posted this link:

broccoliandricecakes.wordpress.com/2013/06/17/vegetarian-recipes-multi-veg-muffins/

Maybe that recipe/idea could help?

I haven't tried making them yet (got all the ingredients today).

PS: I'm making them for me, as I need to eat more veg (don't like fruit).

[bundaberg]

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

[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.

[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.

[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

[ilovepowerhoop]

mushrooms do count

[Yamyoid]

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

[bundaberg]

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

[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.

[darkdays]

Tomatoes and mushrooms with toast for breakfast?

[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

[areyoutheregoditsmemargaret]

cruelties are how my dcs would view them

[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

[Wishihadabs]

Yes bloody auto correct

[Kitttty]

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

Anyone manage to get veg in for breakfast?

[MerryMarigold]

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

[BertieBowtiesAreCool]

Cruelties? Do you mean crudites??