What Do Kids Need? More Fruit Please!

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What Do Kids Need? More Fruit Please!

Fruit offers a rainbow of gorgeous colors - from blueberry blue to apple red and grape green. And, with their kid-friendly flavors, it's easy to prepare fruit in ways that are nearly irresistible. Is that true only in the summer? No way! Fruit is available every day of the year, whether it's fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juice.

When you provide fruit, such as blueberries, for your children, they get colorful, flavorful food with relatively few calories, nearly no fat, and a boost of antioxidants and other nutrients that have been shown to protect against disease.

In 2005, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released "MyPyramid" with recommendations for good health and a balanced diet. The amounts of various food groups recommended depend on age and activity levels.

The guidelines recommend that children, ages 4 to 8, consume about 1 to 1� cups of fruit a day. For ages 9 to 13, 1� cups is the recommended amount. According to a National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, however, American children's fruit consumption falls short of the recommendations.

By simply replacing higher-calorie snacks with fruit, children can learn that they can satisfy their hunger - and cravings for something sweet - in a natural way and without breaking the "calorie bank."

Ellyn Satter, M.S., R.D., is a nutritionist, therapist and child feeding specialist. She is the author of Child of Mine (Bull Publishing, 2000) and other books, in which she recommends parents offer a variety of fruits and vegetables at meals and scheduled snack times, then allow children to eat what they like from what is on the table. "Keep in mind that the point isn't to 'get' fruit into children today, but to teach them to enjoy fruit for a lifetime," Satter notes.

While it is important to not put pressure on children to eat, there are many ways to make fruit appealing. Blue Banana Boats, for example, include the whimsy children adore and, when they dig in, they'll enjoy a variety of yummy fruit.

For another easy way to make fruit interesting, pop Berry Baked Apples into the microwave. They can be served warm or cold, and are just as delicious for breakfast, snack or dessert.

When you're looking for something new to add to a lunch box or take along in the car, whip up some Fruit S'mores! Stuffed with blueberries and bananas, these kid-friendly snacks are sweet with fruit and fun to eat.

In addition to ranking #1 in antioxidant activity, a cup of blueberries has just 80 calories with virtually no fat. Fresh, frozen, canned and dried blueberries are always recipe-ready or to enjoy just as they are.

Get all the details about the USDA dietary recommendations at www.MyPyramid.gov. To find out more about blueberries, including recipes and nutrition information, log onto www.blueberry.org.

BLUE BANANA BOATS

2 fruit roll-ups, any flavor
4 thin, 4-inch long pretzel sticks
1-1/2 cups fresh, frozen or drained canned blueberries
1/2 cup grape juice, or juice from canned blueberries
2 bananas, cut in quarters
4 small scoops frozen yogurt or fruit sorbet
1/2 cup fruit cut in pieces, such as mandarin oranges or grapes

To make "sails": Unroll fruit rolls and cut into 4 triangles, about 3 inches on all sides; with a sharp knife, make 3 small cuts along one edge of each triangle; thread onto pretzel sticks. In 4 soup or cereal bowls, divide blueberries evenly; pour 2 tablespoons juice into each bowl. To form a "boat": Place two banana quarters on opposite sides of bowl; between the bananas, place a scoop of frozen yogurt. Scatter fruit over all and push a pretzel "sail" into yogurt. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 portions

Per portion: 254 calories; 55 g carbohydrate; 4 g total fat; 2 g saturated fat; 5 g fiber

BERRY BAKED APPLES

4 baking apples, such as Rome Beauty, Fuji or Northern Spy
1/2 cup dried fruit, such as blueberries, raisins and/or cranberries
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup frozen, fresh or drained canned blueberries
1/2 cup apple juice

With a paring knife or apple corer, remove cores from the apples; with a knife, peel the top half of the apples. In a small bowl, toss dried fruit and cinnamon; set aside. In four microwavable bowls* (each large enough to hold one apple), place 2 tablespoons blueberries and 2 tablespoons apple juice. Place prepared apples on top of blueberries and evenly divide dried fruit mixture into the cavities and around the apples. Loosely cover each apple with plastic wrap or waxed paper; microwave until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate, if desired. Serve warm or cold for breakfast, snack or dessert.

Yield: 4 portions

* Alternately, use a glass pie plate or square baking pan large enough to hold 4 apples.

Per portion: 151 calories; 40 g carbohydrate; 1 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 5 g fiber

FRUIT S'MORES

8 graham cracker squares (plain, cinnamon or chocolate)
4 teaspoons peanut butter *
1 banana, cut into thin slices
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Spread each graham cracker with 1/2 teaspoon peanut butter. On 4 of the graham crackers, place 4 banana slices and top with blueberries, dividing equally. Cover with remaining graham crackers and press gently.

Yield: 4 snack-size portions

* Other spread options include: plain or flavored whipped cream cheese; whipped honey; soy nut butter; almond butter, or cashew butter.

Per portion: 128 calories; 21 g carbohydrate; 4 g total fat; 0 g saturated fat; 2 g fiber

FUN FRUIT IDEAS FOR EVERY DAY

Use a little creativity to make fruit a delicious part of your child's diet every day of the year. Here are a few simple ideas to entice children to enjoy tasty, nutritious snacks and beverages.

BLUE FRUIT DIP: drain one can of blueberries and one of peaches; whirl the fruit together in a blender until smooth; serve with dippers such as apple or pear wedges, banana slices, grapes and graham crackers.

ROAD TRIP MIX: toss whole grain cereal, nuts and dried fruit, such as apples, blueberries and cranberries; pack in zip-top bags.

ANTS ON A LOG: cut a banana in half lengthwise, spread the rounded side with a little honey and dot with blueberries or dried fruit.

MELTINGLY GOOD: fill ice cube trays with apple juice; add blueberries and freeze; as the juice cubes melt, they add color, flavor and nutrition to beverages.

FRUIT STACKS: in plastic cups, layer low-fat pudding or yogurt with crushed cereal and mixed fruit, such as mandarin oranges, blueberries and grapes; chill.

PURPLE COW: whirl a smoothie in the blender with low-fat milk, frozen blueberries and honey to taste - or make a non-dairy version with fruit juice instead of milk.

BLUE FRUIT FLOATS: blend fruit juice and canned or frozen blueberries until smooth; pour into tall glasses and add a little club soda, if desired; top with a scoop of frozen yogurt or sorbet.

MUD PUDDLES: spoon chocolate pudding into bowls and top with fruit, such as kiwi, pineapple bits, chopped banana and blueberries.

BLUE "COCOA": save the juice from canned blueberries; mix blueberry juice and milk in a mug; warm in the microwave; top with a few tiny marshmallows, if desired.

kids-image Let's Get Cooking!

While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...

::Click here to start the experience!

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