Parents' Example Key to Kids' Healthy Eating

(ARA) - Educators and parents alike know that the best way to get kids to do something is by setting a good example. Whether you want to foster good manners or healthy eating habits, the choices you make and the behavior you exhibit have much more impact than simply telling a child or adolescent what to do.

A new study reported in the journal Public Health Nutrition showed that what parents consumed was the biggest influence on children's diets; in other words, if mom or dad turns their nose up at broccoli, or considers potato chips a food group, chances are the kids will, too. Eating together as a family and introducing a variety of fruits and vegetables early were also important factors in developing healthy eating habits in kids.

With childhood obesity at an all-time high, establishing health eating habits early takes on even more importance. Incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your kids' diets ensures not only that they're getting the recommended daily servings, but that they'll be less inclined to fill up on junk food.

The USDA recommends five servings of fruits and vegetables a day for both adults and kids, yet statistics show that fewer than 15 percent of kids in the United States are eating the recommended number of servings. And since kids are notoriously picky eaters, getting them to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables can be easier said than done. So what's a parent to do? Here are some tips from aboutproduce.com:

• Provide your kids with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Try produce that may be new to you as well as your kids. Carambola, or star fruit, which slices into fun star shapes, is a hit with kids.

• Let you kids play with their food. For a fun afternoon snack, give kids a selection of different fruits, like apples, raisins and sliced bananas and let them arrange the fruit into a face or other artistic forms on a plate before eating it.

• Kids love to dip things, so fruit slices dipped in yogurt or peanut butter are popular. Or cut up celery, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower and let kids dip their vegetables in the ever-popular Ranch dressing.

• Cook with your kids. Visit the aboutproduce.com kids' page for quick, easy and fun recipes.

For more information on choosing and using fruits and vegetables, visit www.aboutproduce.com.