Raising Healthy Kids by Giving Them what the Need Most
One of our mean concerns as parents is ensuring that our children get the vitamins they need in order to stay healthy and to function at their best. Many children are consuming lots of candies, junk foods and soft drinks which is only doing more harm than good
and even though treating them sometimes with these foods may be good, it is also good that we do this in moderation. Many parents are visiting the doctor’s office for one reason which is bad dieting.
Most kids love sweets and the more we give sweets to them the more they will consume them, can you imagine handing your child a candy bar or some other sweet treat and for every time you get the response no thanks, I would rather eat a carrot stick or have a fresh garden salad
what would you think or say? I know, with eyes and mouth open wide you would be speechless, wondering what kind of child is this. I can’t imagine that either.
Leading by example
So then it is our responsibility to lead by example, this way it makes the job a lot easier when seeking to get our kids to load up on fruits and vegetables.
Educate your kids
I believe what can spark interest in our kids is educating them on the importance of fruits and vegetables and talking with such excitement or even making a game out of it. The goal is the end results and that is to get your child hooked on fruits and vegetables.
Importance of fruits and vegetables
It is important that we include fruits and vegetables as a part of our children’s diet because of the nutrients they contain and what they can do for their bodies.
Fruits and vegetables are not only filled with vitamins but they can also combat many illnesses.
Nothing like natural healing without side effects. To learn more about the amazing wonders of fruits and vegetables you can check out the section of this website, gardening for health.
Here are some Fruits and vegetables that contain an abundance of vitamins that will keep your child active and healthy.
Vitamins and their benefits
These fruits and vegetables can work wonders for your kids.
1. Vitamin A- good for bone and tissue repair, promotes healthy skin and good eyesight, also helps normal growth in children. Fruits and Vegetables that contain Vitamin A include: Mango, watermelons, cantaloupes, guavas, carrots, pumpkin, leeks, squash, sweet potatoes, spinach, broccoli, peas, brussels sprout
2. Vitamin B1- Promotes heart, muscle, and nervous system health. It also helps to convert carbohydrates into energy. The fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin B1 include Mango, pineapple, watermelon, orange, grapes, grapefruit, guava, dates, sweet potatoes, corn peas, lima beans, asparagus, okra, brussels sprouts, parsnips.
3. Vitamin B2- Aids in Circulatory and nervous system health, also helps to produce energy. Fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin B2 include Mango, bananas, passion fruits, grapes, mulberries, lychee, dates, sweet potatoes, peas pumpkins, mushrooms, artichoke, lima beans, brussels sprouts, french beans, squash.
4. Vitamin B3- helps to convert food energy, helps to promote the proper function of the digestive system, also promotes nerve health and healthy skin. Fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin B3 include Peach, dates, guava, mango, passion fruit, lychee, nectarine, pumpkin, corn, peas, sweet potatoes, mushroom, okra, artichoke, parsnip, squash.
5.Vitamin B5- Aids in good cholesterol, food digestion and formation of hormones. Fruits and vegetables that include VitaminB5 are Watermelon, grapefruit, gooseberries, dates star-fruits, raspberries, guava, pomegranate, brussels sprouts, okra, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, parsnip, corn, broccoli, mushrooms, squash, french beans.
6. Vitamin B6- helps in the formation of red blood cells, helps with the nervous and immune system. Fruits and vegetables that contain these Vitamins include Pineapples, bananas, mango, date, passion fruits, watermelons, grapes, gooseberries, pomegranate, guava, corn, sweet potatoes, okra, lime beans, sweet or bell peppers, brussels sprouts, squash, broccoli, french beans, nuts, soybeans.
7. Vitamin B9- helps to promote cell growth, proper brain function aids also, in red blood cell formation. Fruits and vegetables that includes Vitamin B9 is- Raspberries, pineapples, passion fruits, dates, strawberries, blackberries, papayas, oranges, guavas, mango, lychee, squash, peas okras, asparagus, potatoes, parsnips, spinach, cabbages, artichoke, broccoli, lima beans, brussels sprout, french beans, beets.
8. Vitamin C- is filled with antioxidants and protects the body from free radicals which can cause damage to cells. Fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin C include Kiwi, mango, strawberries, passion fruits, grapefruits, papayas, orange, mango, lychee, guavas, strawberries, black currants, pineapples, green pepper, broccoli, squash, brussels sprouts.
9. Vitamin E- helps in the formation of red blood cells. Fruits and Vegetables that contain Vitamin E include Peach, blackberries, mangos, raspberries, black currants, mulberries, cranberries, nectarines, pomegranate, kiwi, pumpkins, squash, parsnips. potatoes.
10. Vitamin K- helps to regulate blood calcium levels. Fruits and Vegetables that contain Vitamin K include mango, blackberries, plum, cranberries, grapes, blueberries, mulberries, kiwi, pomegranate, pears, celery, broccoli, okras, cucumbers, asparagus, squash, cabbage, peas, carrots, spinach, alfalfa, leeks.
The final word
Fruits and vegetables are filled with so many vitamins, therefore it is a must that we make them a part of our children’s diet. When our children are healthy they will perform at their best. There is nothing like a healthy body and mind. So let’s do our part and give our children what they need.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
I agree leading by example is the best way to show a child that fruits and vegetables are good for them, but that doesn’t always work. When children don’t want to eat fruits or vegetables no matter what you try to do, do daily vitamins cover the nutrients that they need to sustain a healthy diet?
Hello it so good to see you again, Vitamins are great and can help with our daily intake, but remember these are man made so going natural is better, it is believe also that because vitamins are man made they can absorb poorly. So even though they are good at a certain extend, again eating our fruits and veggies is better because of the fiber that they contain to make it easy for us when we go to the bathroom. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Fruits are easier to make my daughter eat. Very seldom I succeed in making her eat vegetables. Unless I puree it to a juice or mix it as a flavor in her cupcakes. Fruits and vegetables are essentials but it’s just not very easy to make them accept it. We need the persistence to succeed for the sake of their health. Is there any side effect for eating too many fruits? Can it be harmful as well since they also have sugar in them?
Hello Pitin it is so good to meet you, fruits are great of us and has a great amount of vitamins, but we should eat them in moderation, remember the goal is to have a balance diet. We need more than fruits to maintain a balance diet. The sugar content in some fruits are high and eating to much of these can cause tooth decay, so as long as you are going for a balance diet including some fruits in there you will be find. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Oh yeah this is very informative and useful for me, i never know before about this all but now i know. I don’t have kids but i have a niece and nephew so i can use this information to them ,be healthy is number one for everyones here in this world. I wish you always give a good quality of articles..good luck.
Hello vivi it is so good to meet you and I am glad that I cold help. Thanks for your kind words, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi Norman. Indeed one of the problems with kids is that they develop a ‘sweet’ tooth’, and once they get used to accompany or complete their meals with sweet stuff, it is very difficult to eradicate this habit. That’s why I agree with you that education at an early stage of life is very important. I don’t have kids myself, but I do remember that when I was a kid mum taught me to consider dates as candies. So, whenever I wanted something sweet, instead of candies or other stuff loaded with sugar I would ask for a date; chewing one was more than enough to satisfy my craving for sweet food 😉
Hello my friend it is good to hear from you again, Thanks for commenting and sharing your story. Glad that you liked my post, all the best to you and have a good day.
This is a great blog and I agree on the importance of bringing our children up to eat less sugar. My children don’t eat many sweets not consume fizzy drinks. I am the problem!!! I have been struggling with too much sugar in my diet for a long time now – to the extent that I now have a slight issue with my teeth. Rather than lose my teeth, I have given up sugar (sweets and candies, desserts and the like). However, I do eat a lot of fruit. I have read elsewhere that fruit like the orange is very high in sugars and is almost as bad as a candy bar or a can of a well known fizzy drink. I am now unsure what to eat. I like fruit and enjoy making smoothies. Which fruits would you recommend I continue to eat (or put into my smoothies) that have lower harmful sugars but still have a sweet taste? Many thanks for any advice you can give me.
Hello my good friend it is so good to hear from you again, I understand your concern so here are some fruits that are low in sugar. Grapefruit, apples, honeydew melons, watermelons, guavas, peaches, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, cantaloupes, papayas and fresh apricots. Hope this helps, all the best to you my dear lady and have a good day.
Hi great post. we often can for get how harmful white sugars and processed foods really are. I really like your idea of leading by example. There really can be no better teacher than that.
Educating them is also a great thought to bring up as kids are often smarter than we give them credit for.
Thanks for all the vitamin info, nice to know what they do for us.
Thanks for sharing.
Hello Steve it is so good to hear from you again, Vitamins are so important therefore we should seek to get them naturally through fruits and vegetables, because this helps us with a balance diet. Glad that I could help , all the best to you and have a good day.
That’s a well written post with a real heart felt plea to parents to feed their children the right foods, mainly good fruit and vegetables instead of too many sweets and candies which can do them a lot of harm.
I do like how you’ve described all the vitamins and their benefits as well as the fruits and vegetables that have them as this gives parents a very good idea what they can feed their families and they can up with creative ways to serve it to them.
Hello Adrian my good friend, hope all is well with you and your family. As parents we should make it our business to ensure that our kids stay healthy and fit and this can only happen as we provide our kids with a balance diet that includes fruits and vegetables, thanks again for commenting, all the best to you.
Great post about the nutrients in fruits and vegetables for kids. I can say that I have been lucky as my son was a competitive gymnast for 15 years, and he had it drilled in him about eating habits and he has also helped me to eat better. Fruits and vegetables are important. I hope you can reach many with your site, you have a wealth of information, great job!
Hello my dare friend it is always good to hear from you, fruits and vegetables are important because they help to give us a balance diet, so continue to make them a part of your daily intake. Thanks for sharing, all the best to you my dare lady. Have a great day.
Hi Norman, visiting your page again as I have a question for you. I know how good B vitamins are for everyone. I drink a Monster everyday…I know not the best way to get B vitamins, but my doctor says “it works”. So my question is this, my son also drinks an energy drink, which by no means substitutes for getting everything from fruit and vegetables. But is this the same?
Hello Matt’s Mom, great to see you, energy drinks are good and is beneficial for our bodies, it is good to drink but at the same time it is also good to have a natural balance diet of fruits and vegetables. studies have shown how ever that B12 is lacking in fruits and vegetables but can be found in meats and other foods. So as you drink your energy drinks keep your fruits and vegetables close by for those added vitamins. Hope this helps, all the best my good friend until we meet again.
It is true that instilling good eating habits from a young age is beneficial. When my daughter was born I didn’t give her refined sugar or any junk food for her first 2 yrs. She was content to eat healthy foods and when I would offer to buy her a treat when we were out, she would always choose fruit over potato chips or chocolate bars!
To this day, she hardly ever eats junk food and always starts the day off with a bowl of oatmeal – she’s 24 now 🙂
Hello Nancy it is good to meet you, thanks a million for sharing that awesome story with me. It is so great to know that there are many parents out there that sees and understands the benefits of fruits and vegetables, all the best to you my dare lady and have a good day.
Kids Nutrients Fruit and Vegetables is a “must read†page for parents.
Here it is laid out in simple plain language which fruit and vegetables are best to eat and what the health benefits are.
Yes, it can be difficult in the modern world with all the advertising and temptations at every turn – I mean look at any supermarket checkout! You are right to stick to the point all the way through your article, that is, to lead by example and start as you intend to continue.
Hello Michael it is so good to meet you. Fruits and vegetables are so important because of the many benefits that they have and we must do our part to ensure that are children get their required amount to keep them in tip top shape. Thanks for those wonderful words my kind sir, all the best to you and have a good day.
Great post! If only we could get every parent to read it. 😉 I don’t have children….but I’m very aware of what I eat. I’m a vegan, so I’m always reading labels. Most of my neighbors are young, fat and have bad skin. It’s no secret why they are this way. They lead by example and their kids are very unhealthy, too. It’s pretty hard to make people care. Seems most people don’t care until the doctor gives them life-threatening news that changes their lives. Yes. I wish parents would care enough to set the example and not let their kids run the household. Keep up the good work. I look forward to more of your posts!
Hello Diane it is so good to meet you, and that is what its all about, putting the right foods in our bodies and teaching our kids to do the same. All the best to you and have a good night.
Norman
Just a quick question, do you find that kids are more interested in learning to garden when they are very young? This could be something to share with my grandkids.
Als,o stories help the kids understand how the body needs the nutrition from fresh melons and vegetables. Thanks for the information.
Sami
Hello Sami it is good to meet you and yes the minds of children tends to be very adventurous and especially when you make a game or story out of it, this may even cause them to ask questions. Hope this helps, all the best to you and have a good day.
Hi there,
great article fruit and vegetables are important for both kids and adults alike and we must as parents encourage healthy eating from the very beginning which is something that we do.
In my humble opinion is starts with us, leading by example is our kids see us eating junk then they will quickly follow suit hence why junk food is banned from our house and most certainly don’t let the kids see me cheating with a burger (I eat it in my car alone or with friends but not with kids!).
Good morning Derek nice to hear from you again, and you are right with all that you said. So lets keep eating healthy and being that example to our kids. All the best to you my friend and have a good day.
Dear Nrichards,
thank you very much for this informative post. I totally agree with you that first of all, we need to educate our kids to be sure that they understand the importance of the matter. Only by instructing them is not enough, we need to be an example. I am working out since many years now and I know how important fruit is in our diets.
I love the list of vitamins and the benefits, there are so many out there that it is easy to lose the overview. I can always look back at them and know instantly for what they are good.
Thank you very much for this article.
Have a great day!
Simon
Hello Simon it is so good to meet you, glad that I could help. Lets keep being that example living the healthy way. All the best to you and have a good day.