Susan M. Morgan, CFCS, M.Ed.
County Extension Agent
Family and Consumer Education
Bolivia, NC 28422
May 2004

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT

We've all heard the saying "you are what you eat" and in Amer ica, a fondness for unhealthy foods, combined with a tendency to be sedentary has lead to an alarming rate of obesity in both adults and children.

It’s commonly recommended that all Americans consume “5 A Day.” That is, a healthy diet should include at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables daily. A nationwide food consumption survey indicates that only 33 percent of youngsters between the ages of 2 and 19 actually consume two servings of fruit per day. When it comes to vegetables, the success rate is even lower with only 29% eating three servings per day.

How Can Parents Make “5 A Day” a Reality for Their kids?
Carolyn Dunn, PhD, Nutrition Specialist with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, says the key is to start early and to be persistent. “Parents often say that children will not eat what they don’t like,” Dunn says, “but a truer statement might be that children can’t eat what they are not offered.”

The truth is, children often require several tastes before they actually accept the flavor of new fruit or vegetable, so it’s especially important for parents to persist in offering new foods. Here are some tips for increasing the number of fruits and vegetables in your child’s daily diet:

• Be a good role model. Let your child see you choosing a box of raisins or a handful of baby carrots instead of a cookie, and make sure you comment about how good your healthy snack is!
• Make healthy options easy to choose. Plan ahead and keep foods like baggies of carrots or sliced up apples ready and waiting so that they’re just as easy to grab on the way out the door as that cookie that’s sitting on the shelf.
• Involve kids in food preparation. Even young children can discover the joy of cooking – and unwittingly become a fruit and veggie advocate – when they’re allowed to help out in the kitchen. It’s as easy as letting them toss the blueberries into a fruit salad or create a face on a plate using all raw veggies.
• Offer choices. Taking kids along to the market lets them see the amazing variety of fruits and vegetables available. Allowing them to choose something new to try encourages them to expand their food horizons.

Susan Morgan is Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Education for the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service in Brunswick County. For more information or questions, contact Susan at (910) 253-2610 or P. O. Box 109, Bolivia, NC 28422.

Please e-mail Susan Morgan, CFCS, M.Ed., County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Education for further information or assistance.

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Date Created 6/1/2004