Eat more fruit and vegetables

Overview

Eating fruit and vegetables every day will help your child grow strong and healthy.

Children aged 2-3 years should eat 1 serve of fruit and 2.5 serves of vegetables and children aged 4-8 years should eat 1.5 serves of fruit and 4.5 serves of vegetables, each day. (Approximately half of these amounts for toddlers aged 1-2 years). 

What is a serve?

1 serve of fruit is: 

• 1 cup of canned or chopped fruit
• 1 medium piece of fruit such as apple, banana, pear
• 2 small pieces of fruit such as apricots, mandarins, plums, kiwi fruit
• 1½ tablespoons of dried fruit, only occasionally.

1 serve of vegetables is:

• 1 cup of salad vegetables
• ½ cup of cooked or raw vegetables (such as broccoli, carrot, peas, beans)
• 1 small potato
• ½ cup legumes (such as lentils, chickpeas or kidney beans)

Tips to get your child eating more fruit and vegetables

• Cut up the fruit and vegetables so it is easy to eat.
• Offer a range of fruit and vegetables to try.
• Offer fruit and vegetables in different ways, such as raw, sliced, mashed, baked or grated.
• Try canned fruit or small amounts of dried fruit.
• Offer fruit and vegetables alongside foods your child already enjoys. 

Easy ways to eat more fruit and vegetables each day

• Put fruit on breakfast cereal.
• Add extra vegetables to casseroles, bolognaise, stir-fry, curry or home made pizzas.
• Pack sliced fruit and vegetable sticks in the lunchbox.
• Make a smoothie with fresh, canned or frozen fruit.
• Serve fresh fruit with yoghurt or custard.
• Try a small cob of corn or mug of thick vegetable soup for a snack.
• Put salad on sandwiches and wraps.
• Try avocado and tomato on crackers. Try to make fruit and vegetables part of every meal or snack
• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables yourself. When your child sees you eating these foods they will want to try them too.
• Grow some vegetables in the garden and let your child water and look after them.