Are you running out of ideas on snacks you can make for your kids? With so many processed and nutrient-lacking snacks out there, incorporating the fundamental fruits and vegetables into your kids’ diets can be a challenge. Using colourful produce in meals will help to maintain a more balanced diet; and ensure they get all the essential nutrients to grow and develop.
While it can sometimes be hard to get your kids to eat fresh fruits and vegetables as is, there are different ways you can prepare them to make meal time more enticing! For example, make a fruit salad and add yoghurt or even blend it into a yummy smoothie or juice. The kids will love it and you will too! Read on for a variety of different suggestions to get even the pickiest eaters excited about spring season fruits. We’ve compiled a list of seasonal fruits and spring vegetables that will be fresh, inexpensive and taste their best:
Juicy, refreshing and thirst-quenching, watermelon is such an easy to eat fruit and is especially great for those warmer days. On its own or in a salad, kids love watermelon, so it should be easy to add this to their diet. Watermelon actually has great nutritional value that provides antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. With numerous health benefits for kids, this fruit can help you stay hydrated, maintain healthy bowel movements, aid with digestion and reduce the effects of asthma. This is a delightful spring fruit you do not want the kids to miss out on.
Another sweet, tangy and refreshing fruit, pineapple is rich in Vitamin C and manganese. Pineapple is delicious by itself but also complements yoghurt, cereal and other fruits well. Vitamin C in fruit promotes a stronger immune system, fights off infections and helps the body repair cells, tissues and bones.
An incredibly nutrient rich superfood, avocado is such a versatile fruit that you can prepare in many ways. Avocados are full of fibre, Vitamin A, D, K, E, folate, iron, potassium and magnesium. These nutrients result in improved digestion, stronger immunity and enhanced growth of the brain and central nervous system. Avocado might be one of the fruits kids are hesitant to eat by itself, but in a smoothie, mashed on some toast or made into delicious guacamole to dip into, it makes a yummy and healthy snack.
Strawberries are one of those fruits that go with everything and kids really do love it. Eat this spring fruit alone, in a smoothie, with granola, or other fruits - it tastes amazing whichever way. Strawberries are another Vitamin C rich fruit, as well as containing folate for brain development, calcium and phosphorus for bones and functioning of the heart, nerves and muscles.
Another superfood loaded with Vitamin A, C, fiber, potassium and antioxidants; sweet potato is a great tasting spring vegetable with loads of health benefits. You can make your sweet potato snacks healthy and still create something delicious by adding a little bit of seasoning or a drizzle of olive oil. Alternatively you can give it some crunch by using an air fryer or oven, rather than deep frying.
Rich in Vitamin A, carrots are important for maintaining eye health and night vision, keeping skin cells healthy, supporting digestion, and even protecting teeth and gums. Kids might not love carrots so much, but the best ways you can jazz this fun spring vegetable up are by having it raw with hummus, roasting it with some light seasoning and olive oil or even by blending it up into a juice with some other fruits and vegetables.
There are a multitude of ways to eat corn: boiled, grilled, straight from the cob or if you have time to shuck the kernels off, it’s even more versatile. Most kids will love corn, it’s sweet and fun to eat. In terms of nutritional value, corn is high in Vitamin C which can help you to maintain healthy skin, blood cells, tissues, bones and blood cells.
Available all year round and easily affordable, broccoli is easy and quick to prepare. Steamed, boiled, roasted or cooked with some melted cheese on top, there are so many ways to prepare it. Broccoli contains calcium, carotenoids, Vitamin C, magnesium, zinc and potassium which are beneficial for bones, eyesight, a healthy heart and an improved immune system.
Make spring season fruits and vegetables fun for the whole family!
Fruit and vegetables are especially great for your kids if they are gluten or dairy intolerant and vegan, and most of all you don’t have to worry about unhealthy additives. Nothing beats the vitamins, minerals and the energy that fresh spring fruit and vegetables provide for kids’ growing bodies. Whether you can sneakily hide them in your kids' meals, or encourage them to eat fruit and vegetables in their natural form, you’ll see the benefits of introducing wholefoods into their diets in no time.