Articles

Children 10–18 years

Get into fruit and vegetables for optimal health

 

Garden to tableDo you get your 5+ A Day?

That’s the minimum number of servings, 2 fruit and 3 vegetables the size of your hand, that we all need each day for better health.

Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are an important source of dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals, trace elements and phytochemicals (especially carotenoids and polyphenols) that help our body to function, grow, replace tissue and prevent damage through inflammation and oxidative stress.1

If taken daily fruits and vegetables can protect our health from problems such as diabetes, cancer, nerve degenerative and cardiovascular disease.1 Healthy dietary patterns that include F&V are also vital in reducing obesity. 2 With 35% of children and 65% of adults in New Zealand now overweight or obese dietary changes can’t come soon enough. 3

It should be easy to follow a healthy Mediterranean style diet in New Zealand where fresh fruit and vegetables are plentiful all year round. However a Ministry of Health survey in 2008 found that only 32% of NZ children meet the 5+A Day guidelines compared to 63% of adults . The children who were particularly affected by low vegetable intake were found to be those from urban dwelling, low socio-economic groups. 4,5

So what will it take to improve our F&V consumption?

Obviously social factors such as income etc are important to the access of F&V for all of us. In the case of children’s F&V consumption studies have shown that it helps to start interventions early as lifestyle habits learned up to the age of 15 years are more likely to be sustainable into adulthood. 5

Understand the barriers to food intake

During childhood children are vulnerable to the influences of others particularly their parents. There is also a complex interplay of other factors such as:

  • The childs innate food preferences to the taste, smell, texture, appearance and familiarity of foods
  • Food fears, phobias and aversions
  • The role modelling from family, caregivers and peers
  • Parental interest and knowledge of nutrition, their food preparation and cooking skills
  • Environmental factors such as time, cost and availability of food
  • Media coverage e.g. television advertising of unhealthy foods
  • The availability of convenience and takeaway foods which can compete for the consumption of healthier choices. 5,6

Make fruit and vegetable eating fun

Many adults will have horror stories about being forced to eat their vegetables while they were growing up which may explain while they are less likely to want to eat them now. Parenting styles can always be improved 7 and when trying to change eating behaviours for ourselves and our children it helps if meal times are relaxed and enjoyable and if food preparation is fun.

Grow your own

Even if you lack the space for a vegetable garden you can always grow herbs e.g. parsley, mint and chives or small vegetables such as radishes and baby carrots in flower pots or sacks.

To help children overcome some of their reluctance to eating F&V and to improve nutrition education many pre-schools and schools are now adopting gardening projects and this is happening all around the world 8-12 These projects are reaping surprising benefits for children of all ages e.g.

  • A NZ study has found a reduction in body mass index (BMI) and a lower prevalence of overweight children in secondary schools who have participated in garden projects8
  • NZ children in year groups 7-8 are learning cooking, recipes and how to increase F&V consumption.9
  • Australian children are learning how to identify different F&V and are beginning to change their attitude about food preferences, improving their own consumption of F&V , gaining confidence in preparing F&V and starting to ask for more F&V at home 10
  • US Children are enjoying taste testing F&V, gardening and preparing snacks at home 11
  • Pre-school children in Missouri have been found to increase their consumption and their preferences for F&V when they were offered home-grown produce that was readily available and also eaten by their parents.12
  • The Australian Garden to Table Programmes has linked up with chef Jamie Oliver to promote school gardening around the world and these programmes are also teaching children how to co-operate together as a team, learn life skills and how to gain a greater understanding of the importance of sustainability and the environment.5

Take children shopping

 Even very young children can find excitement in fruit and vegetables when adults point out the wide range of different coloured vegetables while shopping e.g.

Red– radishes, kumara,peppers, tomatoes
Orange/yellowcarrots, pumpkin, corn, golden kumara
Brown/whitecauliflower, mushrooms, onions, parsnip, potato
Green– asparagus, beans, brocoli, celery, lettuce
Blue/purple beetroot, eggplant, purple cabbage 13

Noticing also the different sizes of foods and their countries of origin can add to the experience while encouraging children to count out and weigh foods can aid the development of numeracy skills.

While you are there, pick up any recipe leaflets available for the preparation of unfamiliar F&V and in this way you can learn more too.

Visiting farmers markets and buying from road side stalls when travelling can provide the opportunity to talk to children about farming and food production.

Get creative

If you are looking for play ideas or a craft activity on a wet day encourage your children to make vegetable animals or build a scrap-book by cutting out pictures of F&V. This can also be a great way to teach children the letters of the alphabet.

Get cooking

Encourage children to make simple F&V dishes such as salads, kebabs, vegetable sticks. Teaching them simple food hygiene along the way of washing hands first and using clean utensils and chopping boards etc are all valuable life skills.

Think about your own intake of F&V, your likes and dislikes and don’t be afraid to try new recipes and produce.

Handle fruit and vegetables with care

Starting a garden, shopping and cooking can be fun but if you want fruit and vegetables to be appealing, nutritious and eaten it is important to also retain the goodness of vegetables in the home by handling food with care.

  • Wash vegetables well to remove dirt before storing and preparing them
  • Use a sharp knife to remove any damaged portions or if cutting during food preparation.
  • When storing fruit and vegetables refrigerate fruit (except bananas) green and yellow vegetables, keep root vegetables and onions in a cool dark place. 13

Retain the goodness

Fruit and vegetables are healthier when prepared with minimal processing, fat, salt and sugar. So if possible keep the skins on for more fibre when preparing F&V and avoid juicing them.

Just because a potato is a vegetable it doesn’t mean that a chip is something that children should eat every day. As you can see from the table below the energy from a humble potato can be increased six times when manufactured into a potato chip.

If you are looking for flavouring agents there are a number of alternatives to adding salt. Mashing a potato, with the skins on, with trim milk and whole seed mustard reduces fat and salt while maintaining high flavour and dietary fibre compared to adding butter or sour cream.

Table 1 An energy and nutrient comparison of different preparation methods of potato and fruit.14

Food (100g) Energy Sugars Fat Sodium Dietary fibre
  kJ/Kcals g g mg g
Potato,skin on, baked 354/84.7 1.4 0.3 1.1 2.2
Plus butter 10g 600/143 1.3 7.8 49.1 2
or sour cream 10g 406/97 1.5 2.3 4.3 2
or cottage cheese 10g 358/85.6 0.63 1.4 36 2
or parsley, 10g 337/80.5 1.34 0.36 4 2.4
Mashed potato with mustard 1/2tsp+ trim milk 1tb 367/87 2 1.3 8.2 2
Wedges, spiced, KFC® 826/197 0 6.5 370 3.1
French fries, straight cut 820/195 0.56 6.2 145 4.7
Crinkle cut fries 1005/240 0 11.8 375 2
Shoe string chips, mcDonald’s® 1405/335 0 18 430 4.2
Crisps,plain 2135/515 0.5 32 638 3.6
Crisps, salt & vinegar 2215/529 0.6 34.6 940 3.6
Peach fresh 165/39 7.9 0.1 0 1.8
Peaches canned in syrup, drained 243/58 82.5 0.1 3 1.5

 

It’s never to late to start eating more fruit and vegetables and if you would like help to assess and improve the adequacy of your current intake (or that of a family member) then contact us today.

For more information read Lea’s articles:

Tune into your parenting style
Grandparents can help combat obesity
Boosting fibre intake offers health benefits
Organic food market gains traction
Juice diets are they as healthy as you might think?
“Free foods” for hungry children
Summer fruit warning
Fresh verses frozen

Valuable websites for more information

Kidspot Gardening for kids http://www.kidspot.co.nz/kids-activities-and-games/Gardening-for-kids+31.htm
5+ A Day http://www.5aday.co.nz
Fruit in schools https://www.health.govt.nz/system/files/documents/publications/fruit-in-schools-how-to-guide-may06.pdf
Garden to table programmes http://www.gardentotable.org.nz/gtt-in-school-programme

References:

  1. An updating on antioxidants and F&V consumption IFAVA The Scientific Newsletter No 94 Nov 2014
  2. Bertoic,M. Rimm,E. Mukamal,K. Hu,F.Willett,W. Cassidy,A. Dietary flavoanoid intake and weight maintainence: 3 prospective cohorts of 124,086 US men and women followed up to 24 years. BMJ 2016:352,i17
  3. MOH Obesity statistics and data 2014/15 http://www.health.govt.nz/nz-health-statistics/health-statistics-and-data-sets/obesity-data-and-stats
  4. MOH 2008 survey http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/national-survey-children-and-young-peoples-physical-activity-and-dietary-behaviours-new-zealand-2008
  5. Wakefield, G. Can the Garden to Table Programme improve children’s fruit and vegetable consumption? 2013 Thesis Mro.massey.ac.nz
  6. Krølner, R, Rasmussen,M. Brug, J. Klepp, K I, Marianne Wind M, and Due,P. Determinants of fruit and vegetable consumption among children and adolescents: a review of the literature. Part II: qualitative studies Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2011; 8: 112.
  7. Coleroso B Kids are worth it Harper Collins USA
  8. Utter, J. Denny, S. Dyson, B. School gardens and adolescent nutrition and BMI: Results from a national, multilevel study . Prev Med. 2016 Feb;83:1-4.
  9. Collins, C. Richards, R. Reeder, AI. Gray, AR. Food for thought: edible gardens in New Zealand primary and secondary schools.Health Promot J Austr. 2015 Apr;26(1):70-3.
  10. Somerset S1, Markwell K. Impact of a school-based food garden on attitudes and identification skills regarding vegetables and fruit: a 12-month intervention trial. Public Health Nutr. 2009 Feb;12(2):214-21
  11. Heim S1, Stang J, Ireland M. A garden pilot project enhances fruit and vegetable consumption among children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2009 Jul;109(7):1220-6
  12. Nanney MS, Johnson S, Elliott M, Haire-Joshu D. Frequency of eating homegrown produce is associated with higher intake among parents and their preschool-aged children in rural Missouri. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007 Apr;107(4):577-84.
  13. Gourley,G. The NZ Vegetable Book. Horticulture NZ hortnz.co.nz
  14. Food Works 8 2015.

About the author View all

Lea Stening

Lea is one of New Zealand’s leading paediatric dietitians and also specialises in Sports Nutrition. She has specialised in Paediatric Nutrition for 31 years and in 1985 was the first paediatric dietitian to enter private practice in New Zealand. Lea helps families through her private consultations, public lectures, newspaper and magazine articles as well as television and radio interviews. Read more »

View all posts by Lea Stening »

Comments

Leave a Reply

Also in Children 10–18 Years View all »

  • 6 Tips for helping athletes eat more plant...

    If we are to adopt a more plant based diet how will athletes meet their nutritional needs for protein, energy and vital nutrients? Here we offer some 6 tips on how to increase vegetable intake for better performance. Read more »

  • Iron makes us happy- are you getting enough?

    Iron is important for happiness because without it our moods change and physical performance deteriorates. Are you getting enough? Read more »

  • Get children cooking this Christmas

    Increasing the confidence of children to cook from scratch is now seen as part of the strategy to reduce chronic diet related disease and obesity. We offer 12 top foods to know how to cook before leaving home. Read more »

  • How do we ‘grow’ an athlete in...

    To 'grow' a healthy athlete it takes a combination of genetics, training, hard work, good coaching, time and most of all the 'right' food. Read on and learn how. Read more »

  • How well do you feed your hair?

    We take every part of our body for granted but have you ever considered how miraculous your hair growth really is? Do you feed it well? Find out. Read more »

  • Tips to help you ‘shake off’ the...

    In a bid to reduce the intake of processed foods many food manufacturers are modifying their products to meet new food guidelines particularly regarding salt. Find out if you are still getting too much? Read more »

  • Sports supplements should be taken with care

    While some supplements are well recognised as being useful to performance others can lead to positive drug testing and disqualification as well as endanger long-term health. Read more »

  • Changing our “weight talk” may...

    A child can build their confidence and self esteem if monitoring their growth rate is accompanied by positive health messages about weight, fitness and energy to achieve in life. Read more »

  • Overcome misconceptions about weight for better...

    Despite the proliferation of information linking a healthy diet with weight control the rates of obesity around the world continue to grow.1 Could it be that adults and children misperceive their weight or lack the self- efficacy to make changes? Read more »

  • Nutrition for distance runners and “fun runs”

    Distance running and “fun runs” (and walks) of varying length and degree of difficulty are becoming popular, attracting family and community groups; recreational and elite participants. Paying attention to sports nutrition can improve an athletes performance and enjoyment of these events Read more »

  • Tune into your parenting style for better child...

    The food that children eat is influenced by TV advertising, peer pressure and their likes and dislikes but by far the greatest influence is the food that their parents choose for them at the supermarket that may also reflect their parenting style. Read more »

  • Grandparents can help fight childhood obesity

    Grandparents can offer support to parents when they recognise that feeding problems may exist in their children. Also they can help to educate the young about the importance of good nutrition to physical and mental development and disease prevention Read more »

  • Milk matters

    How safe is cow’s milk in the raw and homogenised state? When can cow’s milk be given to infants and how can we protect children against developing allergies to cow’s milk? These are just some of the questions that have come up in the media lately and are in need of some clarification Read more »

  • Playtime helps combat childhood obesity

    NZ children are getting fatter at a younger age That doesn't mean that we need to consider dieting our children or dragging our toddlers around the race track but we do need to look at some simple things we can do to get healthier together. Read more »

  • Vegetarians face extra hurdles

    Despite the apparently healthier lifestyle vegetarian athletes (like anybody) can still become overweight, hungry, bloated and suffering from multiple nutrient deficiencies. Read more »

  • Child growth rates vary

    Does your child still fit last year's school uniform? It is surprising how much growth can occur over the school holidays Read more »

  • “Free foods” for hungry children

    Free foods", while bulky, are very low in energy and filling. So their cost in terms of calories is much lower than most other dietary components, hence the term "free". As these foods are also naturally fat free they make ideal snacks for anyone trying to control body weight Read more »

  • Nutrition suffers when children smoke

    The smaller lungs and lighter weight of young children increases their vulnerability to the harmful effects of second hand smoke Read more »

  • Teach your child to cook for better health

    Is your child able to prepare a simple meal? Can you? A British poll in 1994 of seven to 15 year-old children found 93% could play computer games, but only 38% could cook a potato in its jacket in the oven. Another 61% of children could programme a video to record, but only 54% could boil an egg. A survey last year found that little had changed. Read more »

  • Party plans for children

    Birthday parties should be fun and the chance to celebrate a child’s special day with a minimum of work and cost for busy parents. If the party can be timed to fit around a normal meal time then “junk” foods can be kept to a minimum. Read more »

  • Don’t let disordered eating ruin your...

    An eating disorder can affect anyone at any age, any sport, any background and any gender. The symptoms may build slowly well before the illness becomes evident. Often it is an athletes support team such as parents, friends, team mates and coaches that pick up on the symptoms and can prevent the disorder from ruining the athletes sporting career. Read more »

  • Athletes protect your winning smile

    Athletes protect your smile and your wallet as painful tooth erosion is not only expensive it can also rob your training time and performance. Read more »

  • What are our children drinking?

    In 2015 New Zealanders consumed a total of 518 million liters of carbonated drinks. Outside of the drinking of milk and water there is real concern about the energy content of some of these beverages because of our rising incidence of diabetes and obesity. Read more »

  • “Picky” eating affects all age...

    Picky eating, food aversions or fads can affect people of all ages and can be a major source of frustration for those trying to prepare meals. Read more »

  • Community support for overweight children

    Easter can be a very difficult time for overweight children and their parents. The pressure begins in supermarkets and garages that begin stocking chocolate treats months before the holiday weekend starts. Much of this confectionary is displayed at the point of purchase and end of shopping aisles to increase the likelihood of impulse buys. Read more »

  • Drink milk for better health

    Fonterra’s announcement that it will sponsor free milk in schools is good news for the future health of young New Zealanders. Milk is promoted on the basis of bone health but there are many other health benefits that should be promoted. Read more »

  • Children’s bone growth and gut health...

    Every parent wants their children to grow. But the height that they finally reach is dependent on factors such as growth hormone, genetics and nutrient availability. While we can’t change genetics after their arrival or growth hormones easily, nutrient availability can make the difference and is something parents can influence and need to be more … Read more »

  • Teach children hygiene

    Protect your family, particularly over summer months, from food borne illnesses by teaching your children simple rules of food safety. Every year a large number of children suffer food poisoning in New Zealand caused by contaminated food. These cases can be very severe particularly in young children and the elderly who may suffer from dehydration … Read more »

  • Motivating adolescents to eat healthy foods

    Many adolescents view healthy eating negatively as either good foods/ bad foods or foods to be avoided rather than focusing on the benefits accrued by eating more healthily. Read more »

  • Aim for consistency in children’s feeding...

    Research shows that around 300,000 parents in NZ raising their children alone. Consistent nutrition messages are important to child health when care is shared between parents and other family members. Read more »

  • Vegeterian diets

    If you are a parent wanting to provide a vegetarian diet for your child then you need to take particular care to ensure that your child has an adequate intake of the following nutrients: Read more »

  • The early morning energy boost – what foods...

    Eating breakfast would have to be the most important start to your child’s day. Read more »

  • Dehydration and young athletes

    Young children and adolescents are not little adults – dehydration can be a real problem for young athletes. Find out why? Read more »

  • Helping children to cope with anxiety

    Children, like most of us initially, are afraid of things that they can’t understand or control, and strange or new situations Read more »

  • Spring into better health

    Over the past few months media attention has focused on our drinking habits. While the emphasis has been on teenage binge drinking the message is loud and clear. We all need to change our drinking habits. Read more »

  • Brain foods

    What we eat and when we eat has a profound affect on the speed at which we make decisions, learn and remember things Read more »

  • Sleep aids growth

    If children sleep in what happens to breakfast? Read more »

  • Tips for great partying this summer!

    If planning a party think back about the party you most enjoyed. Follow our tips for being a caring host. Read more »

  • Issues of concern to young athletes

    Young developing athletes are an incredibly challenging group to work with because they are usually in the middle of adolescence and experiencing considerable physical and emotional change. Read more »

  • Active young adults reap cardiovascular benefits...

    Those who enter adulthood with a good level of cardiovascular fitness have been found to be least likely to develop cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes and even metabolic syndrome later in life. Read more »

  • Hardwiring our kids

    Do you ever notice how your adolescent child hovers between needing you one day and not the next. Knowing when to help them out can be important to their nutritional intake, growth and development. Read more »

  • Teenagers – they rove-eat-sleep and grow!

    During adolescence feeding patterns change and often family mealtimes are interrupted by sporting events or after school work commitments. Read more »

  • School lunches

    While lunches can be a hassle to make they benefit a child’s growth, weight, concentration, mood, behaviour and learning ability. You can benefit too. Read more »

  • Reducing childhood obesity

    Much has been written about the reasons for childhood obesity and research is now pin pointing some important measures that parents and care givers need to be aware of in order to bring about change Read more »

  • Coping with school holidays

    School holidays can really tax the energy of parents and children and can also be a time of rapid growth and change in body weight. Read more »

  • Childhood obesity – environmental factors

    Community design in many sprawling western cities, has resulted in shops and services being more widely spaced, making it less likely for us to walk to our destination, driving to work, school and the grocery shop. Read more »

  • Dental health focus

    Oral health and nutrition have a very synergistic relationship; if we impair our functional ability to eat, we in turn also affect our diet and nutritional status. Read more »

  • Creative kids

    School holidays and weekends are a great time to get the children involved in creative activities such as cooking, gardening, shopping and art all of which can help to build theirself esteem, knowledge, confidence and better mental health. Read more »

  • Do your kids a favour – turn off the tv

    While for many families it may be seen as a good way to unwind, relax and fill in time, particularly on wet days, research is finding that television and video viewing could be harmful to our children. Read more »

  • Food for the school holidays

    Unleash the Jamie Oliver in your child these school holidays and teach your children to cook. Read more »

Would you like to subscribe to our fantastic FREE monthly newsletter?

Each month we'll keep you up-to-date with the latest nutritional articles and healthy recipes from LeaStening.com. You are free to opt out at any time, but we think you'll enjoy what we've got in-store for you.

Plus as a bonus offer — subscribe today and receive FREE weight loss tips for two weeks! Learn how a number of foods, many one would consider 'healthy', may in fact be slowing your progress.

Subscribe

Yes please, it sounds great! (and it's FREE after all).


OR

Enter

No thanks, I'm not interested (or I'm already a subscriber and really enjoying these fantastic newsletters!).