March is National Nutrition Month® How Do You, Your Friends and Family Measure Up? A Focus on Fruits and Vegetables

US Vegetable Intake, 2009-2010 Source: CDC MMWR 8 August 2014, NHLBI We Can!, USDA MyPlate

US Fruit Intake, 2009-2010 Source: CDC MMWR 8 August 2014, NHLBI We Can!, USDA MyPlate

Test Your Knowledge What is the most frequently consumed vegetable by all children? Green beans, Corn, Carrots, Peas, Fried potatoes, Salad? Over one week, what percentage of vegetables consumed should be dark green, red/orange and legumes? 15%, 25%, 50%, 75%? What is the most powerful influence on a child’s eating habits? Friends and peers, education and school meals, television/internet/media, parents/guardians? How often must a child be offered a vegetable before its usually accepted? Once, 3 times, 5 times, 7 times, 10 times or more? How many times do parents offer a vegetable before giving up? Once, 3 times, 5 times, 7 times, 10 times or more? What is the best method for increasing variety in a child’s diet at any age? Direct the child to try it, Direct the child to eat it, Follow though on negative consequences if it isn't tried or eaten, Parents role model food choices in a no pressure and positive environment? A. Fried potatoes, B. 50%, , C. Parents/guardians, D. 10 times ore more, , E. 3 times F. Parents role model food choices in a no pressure and positive environment .

What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do? Reflect: Which fruits and vegetables do you eat now How much or how often Track your consumption Get your friends and family involved with a challenge to eat more fruits and vegetables Take an inventory – which fruits and vegetables Which will you eat without any hesitation What have you tried? Have you tasted Which do you not like or don’t like the appearance of it Challenge your self Take a bite of a food that you don’t normally eat Try it again repeatedly over several weeks, and months, Try it cooked differently Example compare raw spinach, with lightly sautéed spinach and boiled spinach Set up a challenge Challenge your peers to see who can taste or eat the most vegetables, milk, or fruits servings in a day or week or month

What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do? Acceptance of new foods is best achieved through role modeling and repeated exposure in a positive environment Friends and Colleagues Encourage a taste test of something new Compare samples in different forms e.g., small piece of cauliflower raw, boiled, and roasted e.g., raw spinach leaf, lightly sautéed spinach, boiled spinach How does the appearance and taste change? Offer less frequently consumed foods with foods readily accepted E.g., if you have never tried legumes (dried peas and beans) try them mixed with a food more readily accepted such as rice Challenge yourselves to track vegetables and fruits eaten per day How much do you need? Go to MyPlate.gov and find out!

What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do? Acceptance of new foods is best achieved through role modeling and repeated exposure in a positive environment Families Eat together Parents can role model healthy choices Plan a menu with half of your plate filled with fruits and vegetables Re-offer previously refused foods In a no-pressure positive environment Usually with time and repeated exposure foods are gradually accepted Use some of the resources at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/NNM.html Eat together At the table and without the television on (even if its in another room) Plan a menu with half of your plate filled with fruits and vegetables Try something new or cooked differently….steamed cauliflower may be fine or not accepted, but roasted in a pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper has a much different flavor

What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do What Can You, Your Friends and Family Do? Acceptance of new foods is best achieved through role modeling and repeated exposure in a positive environment Families, continued Allow kids to accept responsibility for their food choices Step 1: Parents plan the menu with always at least one food that the child accepts If you typically ask the kids, “What do they want for dinner?” don’t be surprised if the answer is frequently chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese Step 2: Kids and teens choose which items to select and how much to eat If they choose to be fussy and don’t eat much, they are responsible for that decision until the next planned snack or meal, which needs to be nutritious Parents: don’t allow guilt to influence your decision by becoming a short order cook or allowing them to snack on less nutritious foods But also, do not punish them for their choice Allow children the opportunity to experience the responsibility for their choices

Which do you like? Have you ever tried? Vegetable Inventory Which do you like? Have you ever tried? Asparagus Avocado Beets Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Green Red Carrots Celery Cauliflower Corn Cucumber Eggplant Greens, turnip, mustard, collard, beet Green beans Kale Legumes Baked beans Kidney beans Pinto beans Black beans Garbanzo Lettuce, Iceberg Leafy Romaine Boston Lima beans Mushroom Okra Onion Radish Peas Green Snow Snap Peppers Green Yellow Red Plantain Potatoes Pumpkin Spinach Squash Yellow/green Acorn Butternut

Which do you like? Have you ever tried? Fruit Inventory Which do you like? Have you ever tried? Apple Apricot Avocado Banana Blackberry Blueberry Cherry Coconut Cranberry Current Date Fig Gooseberry Grapefruit Grape Kiwi Kumquat Lemon Lime Mango Melon Nectarine Orange Papaya Peach Pear Pineapple Plum Pomegranate Prune Raspberry Strawberry Tangerine Watermelon

My Daily Record   Mon Amount Tue Wed Thur Fri Total Breakfast: Snack: Lunch: Dinner: Daily total Write in the fruits and vegetables you ate and the amount. If a vegetable or fruit was combined with another food group, it counts! Did you eat just one bite? Add it up, it counts! Add a STAR if you tried a food that you don’t usually eat! 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon. 4 tablespoons = ¼ cup.

My Group Challenge Record Name Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Total   Each day write in the total amount of fruits and vegetables eaten.