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15 ways to make fruit and veg fun for the family

If getting your kids to eat their five-a-day is proving tricky, try these hints and tips for inspiration. Getting creative with flavours and understanding children's palates, even gives broccoli a chance when it comes to convincing their taste buds. By Helenka Bednar

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Get them cooking

If your kids are reluctant to try particular fruit and veg, try getting them involved in cooking or preparing them. The more in touch they are with the whole process of making a meal, the more likely they are to give fruit and vegetables a go. At least once anyway!

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Talk about what they like

Chatting to your kids about what they do and don't like can help to keep their eating attitudes healthy. Making a list of the fruit and veg they like and dislike makes preparing meals easier for you and ensures that they feel involved and listened to.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Presentation

Making fruit and veg look appealing is a great way to get kids eating more of it. Try slicing raw courgettes or carrots into ribbons or spaghetti-like strips, and mixing them into salads. Making faces and shapes out of sliced fruit is another way to get them scoffing their five-a-day.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Grow your own

Another cheeky tactic to get your kids eating more fruit and veg is encouraging them to grow their own. Whether you have room for a veg patch, or windowsill herb pots, kids will love getting involved in the whole process. Cooking with produce that they've grown creates a connection with their food that children can be really proud of.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Go international

If your kids find particular fruit and veg boring, try adding some flavours from around the globe. Garlic, soya, herbs, honey, spices and toasted nuts and seeds can be used to make veggies more interesting and fruit taste more exotic. If they love a particular style of cuisine such as Chinese food for instance, try working similar flavours into meal times.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Fruit punch

Minus the alcohol obviously! Kids will love the idea of drinking something adult-like, and punch is a great way to get them eating more fruit and staying hydrated. If you're keeping an eye on sugar, you can mix the fruit juice with water and slice in their favourite fruits for the finishing touch.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Fruit kebabs

Kebabs give fruit a seriously tropical makeover. Get exotic by skewering chunks of pineapple, mango and banana, or use your children's favourite fruits. For an extra treat, you can try serving these up with a bowl of flavoured yoghurt, ice cream or even chocolate sauce.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Veggie dips

Snacking on vegetables is a healthy alternative to crisps and sweets, but getting kids to enjoy them as much can be challenging. Try chopping raw carrots, cucumber and peppers into thin strips and serve them up on a platter with a few tasty dips.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Lollipops

Making lollies with your kids is great fun, and injects a lot more excitement into eating fruit. Try mixing fruit pulps with fruit juice, lemonade or cordials to create some deliciously cooling ice lollies. Lolly-making kits come in all shapes and sizes, so let them get really creative in the kitchen.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Veggie cakes

Sneaking vegetables into meals is an age-old trick, but it's works particularly well with baking cakes. Veggies such as beetroot, courgettes and carrots work really well when grated into cake mixes. Your kids will never know, and the vegetables help to keep the mixture moist, which often means you can use less butter and fats in your baking.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Combating bitter flavours

Young taste buds can be more sensitive to bitter flavours, making vegetables like broccoli and cabbage less appealing to kids. Pairing bitter-tasting veggies with other flavours can make a big difference. Try serving broccoli with a cheese sauce, or dressing it with soya and garlic to mix up the flavour a bit.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Little & often

A huge heap of cabbage on a plate can be a little bit overwhelming for kids. If your children are reluctant to eat their veg, just try out a small portion on their plates. If they eat it all, you can always give them more if they fancy it, and they'll get a sense of achievement from polishing it off too.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Ice cubes

Add some colour and flavour to ice cubes, by popping blueberries, red currants and sliced grapes into your ice trays. Kids will love watching the ice cubes melt, so they can get to the fruit, and they can help you make them up for the freezer too.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Tempura

Lightly frying veggies in tempura batter can give them a different taste altogether. It's also a clever way of disguising vegetables and your children's taste buds will get distracted by the different texture and flavour. Try coating vegetables that they're not so keen on in tempura, and see what they think.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Soups

Making soups is one of the easiest ways to sneak vegetables into your children's diet. If they're not a fan of bits of veg, you can get blending instead. To keep things interesting, try serving soups in their favourite mug, or sprinkling them with tasty croutons and bacon bits.

See also: 52 super-quick main meals
IMAGE CREDITS:
- Getty Images
RELATED:
- healthy eating
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Next Up: Super-quick main meals
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