Considering the fact that fruits are actually delicious without subjectively comparing them to vegetables or any other food, you’d think that it would be much easier to get the family to eat more of them more regularly. It’s not though – and I’m willing to bet that you probably don’t get your recommended five portions per day, let alone enforce it on your children and significant other.
Children can be particularly difficult to convince when chocolate and crisps are at the forefront of their mind! School’s and other corporations food service providers are important in bringing fruit in to your children’s lives, especially if they do not take packed lunch in to school!
It’s definitely a challenge getting the family to eat more fruits, but it’s one which can definitely be won.
Talk about it as a lifestyle adjustment
The best way to try and get something you want is to simply ask for it – if you don’t make the request then the answer will always be no. So tell everybody that only because you care deeply about them you want them to join you on your resolution to start eating more fruits as just a small step towards living a little bit healthier. Ask them to eat more fruits and follow up on your request by asking them any chance you can get if they’ve had their daily fill of five portions.
In the line of sight
Introduce fruit baskets which should be placed strategically in the line of sight of everyone so that it’s easy for them to grab that apple or grab a banana when they’re dashing out or coming back home. Presentation matters and if you have to, sometimes you can even set one or two aside from the rest in the bowl to sort of suggest that those are for anyone who sees them first.
The important thing is to keep the fruits in the line of sight and you might have to be a little creative about shifting and swapping positions, just so that the presentation of the fruit baskets stays fresh and doesn’t have them becoming part of the furniture as that would ultimately defeat the purpose.
Positive reinforcement
If you have to, place post-it notes at strategic locations in the house just to remind everyone including yourself to get your daily helping of fruit. Go to town on the clichés if you have to, you know – on some “an apple a day keeps the doctor away…” It works, so long as you try it long enough and make the effort to honour your own commitment to the cause.
It would probably be taking things a bit far, but I’m pretty sure you can find an app to come to your aid in that regard as well.
Taking matters into your own hands
If all else fails or indeed if you just want to consolidate on your efforts to get your family to eat more fruits, take matters right into your own hands. If you’re responsible for making breakfast, add fruit to the menu by perhaps preparing granola with fresh fruit and yoghurt, or just lay out portions of fruit to kick-start the day with, as well as freshly squeezed fruit juice that comes straight from the blender.
Once the effects of this lifestyle change start kicking in, bring them to the fore and celebrate them as an achievement to continue to aspire to.