Top Hacks to Get More Fruit and Vegetables Into Your Family’s Diet
Do you struggle to ensure that your family is getting enough fruit and vegetables in their diet? You’re not the only one.
According to recent research from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, only 5.3 percent of children and 3.2 percent of adults meet their daily recommended vegetable intake.[1] While average fruit intake fares better, a recent report by NSW Health indicates that 2 in 5 children still do not eat the recommended daily fruit intake.[2]
Including more fruit and vegetables in your diet doesn’t have to be boring –in fact, with the help of our tips below, your family will grow to look forward to new ways of enjoying them– we promise!
Baked in healthy treats
Once you’ve tried adding more fruit and vegetables in your sweet treats, you’ll never go back–not only is it super easy, but it also adds delicious flavour, texture and moisture.
For additional servings of fruit in your family’s diet, try baking low-sugar, wholemeal fruit muffins, loaves and snack bars with SPC’s 25% Less Sugar Apricots or Peaches for a tasty and nutritious lunchbox and after-school snack.
While vegetables such as carrot and pumpkin have long been baked into sweeter snacks, there has been a sharp increase in the number of recipes featuring beetroot, sweet potato, avocado and even zucchini, as they are almost undetectable when baked into brownies, cakes and loaves.
Cooked in sauces or as tasty dinner sides
Adding more vegetables to your family’s dinners doesn’t have to be as simple (or, as tired) as plating up a double serving of steamed broccoli. Get creative with your sides –try sliced zucchini or sweet potato fries cooked in the oven or air fryer, or serve up half brown rice, half cauliflower rice with your curries.
Another trick is to finely dice up vegetables such as carrot, celery and onion and cook them until lightly caramelised before adding mince or to your bolognese sauce. Not only is this a traditional way of making Italian bolognese – the vegetables add body and texture to the sauce, and are hardly detectable for any fussy eaters.
Blended in smoothies
A berry or cacao smoothie is a great way to add extra servings of fruit and vegetables to your family’s diet. Using banana and your milk of choice as a base, add ingredients such as frozen berries, mango, spinach, kale and even cauliflower – once blended, you and your children will find it hard to detect any vegetables at all!
When making a breakfast smoothie, add naturally low-GI oats as well as a teaspoon of healthy fats in the form of pure nut butter for a well-balanced and delicious start to the day.
Sources:
Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Health Survey: First Results, 2017-18. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4364.0.55.001
NSW Health, Report of the Chief Health Officer 2017: What NSW Children Eat and Drink. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/hsnsw/Publications/chief-health-officers-report-2017.pdf
