This is a compensated review by BlogHer and Juicy Juice.
All righty, people of the interweb: I have a parenting confession.
Ready?
Here we go.
My child doesn’t really like fruit.
I mean, he tolerates it. He’ll eat bananas or strawberries or pineapple. He enjoys the occasional mango or peach. But he’s not so big on grapes. Or blueberries. Or cantaloupe. Thank goodness that he usually has a great attitude about trying fruit, but as a general rule it’s just not his favorite food group. He’ll eat vegetables all the live-long day, and I always say that he’s never met a bean or pea that he didn’t like.
But the fruit? Not his favorite.
So, as a mama who wants him to be strong and healthy and whathaveyou, the burden falls on me to make sure that he’s getting all the vitamins and nutrients that he needs. I want him to learn how to make good food choices, to look at option A, option B and option C and be able to determine which option is healthiest.
And in cases where he’s not completely carried away with what’s available – like if he were to, say, find himself in the midst of an endless array of fruit platters – well, I want him to know how to make good substitutions. And I want him to understand that fruit-flavored candy is not in fact the same thing as actual fruit.
It’s good to have some nutrition goals, don’t you think?
We’ve always liked Juicy Juice in our house because it’s 100% juice – no added sugar or high-fructose corn syrup – and now that the little guy is seven and has some definite food preferences (including the fact that all fruits are not his friend), it’s nice to know that I can give him a small glass of Juicy Juice and it counts as a serving of fruit. He loves almost every flavor we’ve ever tried. And when BlogHer contacted me about sending me some samples of Juicy Juice punch and sparkling apple juice, I was totally on board.
We actually had ourselves a little taste test when the big box of Juicy Juice 100% (punch) and Sparkling Juicy Juice (apple) arrived at our house. Since Alex’s 3 1/2 year-old cousin was spending a few days at our house at the time, he decided that he wanted to join the fun, too.
The verdict?
Alex, who’s 7, still loves Juicy Juice 100% punch best of all. It’s what he’s used to. But the sparkling apple juice intrigues him. It comes in a really cool can, and I have to say that it is TASTY. There’s a fizz like you’re drinking a lemon-lime soda, but the taste is definitely apple juice (it’s 70% real juice, 30% water).
When J sampled the punch, he immediately said, “TASTES GOOD!” Alex tried the sparkling apple juice and said, “It’s good – but it’s just a little bit sour” (it’s much more of a green apple flavor than a red apple flavor). Then he took back-to-back sips of the sparkling apple and the punch and said, “If I could drink something with these two flavors together, I would call it ‘PARTY!'”
So I think we’ll be trying the sparkling berry very soon.
If you’d like to win a $100 Visa gift card plus a Juicy Juice prize pack, leave a comment that answers this question: What’s your very best tip for raising healthy eaters?
Mine? Make kids try everything on their plates. We have a rule in our house that you have to at least try every single food, and if you don’t like it, fine. But if you do? All the better.
Be sure to check out the BlogHer.com Juicy Juice 2010 Round-up page for more chances to win. And no giveaway post would be complete if I didn’t direct you to the BlogHer.com Juicy Juice 2010 official rules.
Happy Juicy Juice-ing, y’all!
This giveaway is now closed.
I puree vegetables and hide them. My kids won’t eat green beans if they have their own section on a plate, but the green beans sure do hide well and get down easily when pureed in sauces. (They’re always in the lasagna and spaghetti).
I make them try it before they say they don’t like it.
I find that the best way to get healthy food in my kids is to have it on the table when they get home from school. I put cut up veggies with ranch dressing for dipping in the middle of the table, or sliced apples with peanut butter on a plate when they get home from school. They are usually so hungry during that time that it is not problem getting them to eat the healthy food.
I try to make dinner every night to keep from eating out
We keep fruits and veggies for snacks. We just don’t buy much junk food so they don’t expect it.
Right now, it’s just making sure she (10 days old) eats about every 3 hours :) from here on out… well, i’m sure it will not be easier!
Offer them a wide variety at a very young age!
Well the thing is, I’m not such a good eater myself. BUT if you have a rule that ya get what ya get and you don’t throw a fit at mealtimes and if you don’t eat that, the only snacky items are healthy choices, then they pretty much have to eat healthy.
Serve healthy food that tastes yummy! That’s all kids care about – They don’t KNOW what’s healthy and what’s not. :)
Be a good role model for them and make sure that you are eating healthy too. Most kids follow in their parents footsteps as far as eating habits go. I say eat healthy (and try new foods) because it is good for you and for your kids!
Encourage them to try everything, even things they think they won’t like. This will hopefully lead them to learning to love new things, especially good-for-them things!
We try to do all things in moderation, but one of the successful things with our kids has been offering as many different healthy snacks and meals between the ages of one and three, so that when they hit the “picky threes” they’re dropping their menu preferences down to fifteen things from forty five, instead of five things from fifteen, or two things from five.
We try lots of variety, and we do lots of stir-fries, a great way to get lots of veggies in.
I generally don’t give my little one the choice of unhealthy snacks. Oh, sure, she gets her treats now and then, but if she asks for a snack, she gets cheese or Greek yorgurt or cucumbers. And that makes her happy.
My tip for raising healthy eaters is to always have fruit, yogurt and other healthy snacks, like baby carrots w/ ranch dressing to dip them in, available.
I have only one child and he’s only six months and we just started solid foods a month ago… so I’d hardly say I’m in a position to give much feeding advice! But I’m going to try my best to steer him clear of overly processed foods and to buy organic produce for him as much as possible. I will also try to trust his signals for when he’s full and not use the “clean your plate” mentality.
Start EARLY! Having healthy snacks at an arms reach makes it easier to get kids to eat veggies etc. I started giving my child celery sticks with peanut butter to dip in and carrots, etc. He chooses that over chips most of the time now…
We’ve recently cleared out most of the processed junk in our pantry and are making healthier choices as a family. When my daughter sees me & my husband eating better, she wants to do it, too!
Introduce them to as many fresh vegetables and fruits as possible.
I’ve learned not to force my daughter to eat. It’s really frustrating because I don’t understand how a ball of energy can’t be ravenously hungry all the time, but my husband made a good point when he said, “I don’t think we should teach her to eat when she’s not hungry.” When put like that, it’s a total no brainer!
Lots and different kinds of fresh vegetables and fruits.
i would do what my mom did for me, cook healthy and educate me of the benefits of healthy eating, i didn’t like it when i was little, but have learnt to appreciate it very much as i got older.
songyueyu at gmail
I’m reading all the comments for ideas… my daughter is just now starting table food, and I’m not a big fruit eater either, so I need help trying to mold her into a healthier eater than her mommy!
I serve them fruit with every meal, limit junk food, and try to get them to drink lots of water.
Offer them as much healthy food as possible! We don’t eat out often, so I’m able to prepare healthy meals.
Give them healthy food and don’t make a big deal about what they choose NOT to eat.
A good tip from a friend – V8 Fusion juice. Lots of fruits and veggies and her 17 month old picky eater loves it!
eat at home whenever possible with fresh, in season fruits/veggies
My kids will eat just about anything if there is dip involved! Ketchup, ranch, yogurt, bbq… I don’t mind since it gets fruit, veggies, and meat into their little bodies.
We always have healthy options to eat. My kids love the fun colors and crispness of the fresh fruits and vegetables that are offered. And, if you cut them into fun shapes they are more fun to eat!
I just try to offer a variety of things … new things or old things cooked new ways … and I’m often pleasantly surprised by what they like.
I’d say that keeping lots of good choices around forunching is hugely important in our house.
I think we just lucked out with our kids. They all like fruit and vegetables. They aren’t afraid to try anything new. We’ve always put whatever we are eating in front of them and their choice is to take or leave it, but if you leave it you don’t get anything until the next meal.
I also made my kids try everything on the plate.
Make the healthy food fun to eat.
Same here, you have at least try everything on your plate.
All things in moderation.
Introduce new vegetables and fruits early and often, eat them yourself (if you are a parent), and don’t act like there should be any problem with loving them! I think kids get negative messages about healthy foods sometimes from comments of others which may lead them to think they don’t taste good, even if they really do!
nothing white-no white bread, sugar, flour or rice. whole grain. you just have to read labels. so many people think they are drinking juice when it is only a small percentage juice and the rest sugar.
We just don’t buy junk food. If it’s not there, they can’t eat it!
We still struggle with the fruits and veggies, but we have managed to cultivate a love of WATER in our almost 4 year-old. He carries around his 16 oz water bottle every where we go and drinks it down ferociously!
Let them pick out a new veggie or fruit to try when you’re at the grocery store. It amazes me how even my “picky” ones get more adventurous when they feel they have some ownership in the “choosing”!
if you want to raise a healthy eater, you have to eat healhty yourself!
I think that it starts when they are young. Our kids always eat what we eat. They don’t get to pick and choose what they are going to eat. And we’ve got 3 healthy eaters at our house now!
If you find a vegetable your child likes, then it really is ok to feed it to him every single night!
We started our little one on homemade baby food–we pureed lots and lots of veggies and fruits when he was tiny! We have continued to offer him veggies for lunch and dinner and most snacks.
At 16 months, Little Man asks for peas, green beans, apples, grapes and bananas every day! He even loves avacado, which is a miracle in itself! I feel blessed to have a great non-picky eater:)
Sometimes getting the kids to eat what I want them to eat is all about presentation. Somehow fruit tastes better on toothpicks or cut into cute shapes. The kids will pass by the baby carrots and celery sticks lying on a plate but if I stand them up in an egg cup with a little Ranch dressing in the bottom, they’re irresistable!
simply not having pop, chips, cookies in the house gets rid of the temptation to eat even when you aren’t hungry!
The best way to get kids to eat healthy is to offer healthy options. My kids loves fruit, but hates veggies. Regardless, he gets a fruit at every meal and a veggie always at dinner, sometimes lunch too. He doesn’t always eat it, but he will sometimes. I’m hoping the exposure will eventually wear him down someday.
I think offering a variety of choices is important. Letting your kids shop with you and exposing them to a lot of different foods can’t hurt. That has helped the pickiest of my three kids broaden his food horizons!
Give them lots of opportunities to try fruits and veggies. We aim for something healthy at every meal.
Limit the amount of snacks.
I try to keep a lot of healthy options in the house and try not to purchase anything for my family that contains excessively processed or unatural ingredients. I also insist than my kids at least try everything I make for us. They’re pretty good little eater, too!
Serve healthy food and make from scratch when you can. :)
deinse_22315 at yahoo dot com
Our philosophy: You can’t eat what you don’t buy. And more often that not, at 9:00 at night when I’m craving ice cream with chocolate syrup, I hate that philosophy. :)
My mother always insisted every meal needed a vegetable or it wasn’t complete. When I married my husband, he was happy with just a meat and potato but I *have* to have a side veggie or I feel we’re really missing out, whether it be canned veggies, a salad or just some carrot sticks. I keep the unhealthy snacks out of reach and stock juice, fruit and veggies in the fridge. I also premake salads in mini containers so my daughter can just grab one when she wants a snack.
Drink plenty of water
We keep lots of variety around. Luckily my 4 1/2 year old eats more like me than daddy!
We eat fresh fruit for snacks instead of junk food.
Offer healthy snacks as often as possible. Our “snack basket” is filled with whole grain snacks and 100 calorie snack packs. Portion control is something that I struggle with so I enforce it with my kids so they don’t have the same problem as me.
Provide lots of healthy snacks. I think it’s important to limit those as well as any type of snack.
I think a mistake most parents make is to force a child to eat everything on their plate…I don’t. They are required to eat some of everything, but are not forced to overeat. We look forward to our snacks….vegies with dip. :-) Thank you.
get them invovled in the shopping and cooking and creating and the less the temptations are out there, the less they are going to want them. When we get home from shopping we cut apart fruits and make fruit bowls for easy grab and snacks and same with carrots- if they are ready they will be eaten- have the time people grab junk is the convenience
Serve a variety of fruits and veggies, and make sure they try it. “No ice cream unless the fruits/veggies are eaten.” You’ll see how the kids make the “right” choice ; )
Start them out right when they begin eating their first foods. I’d pour a little yogurt on different foods that they didnt care for and they soon learned to like them.
I keep the junk out of the house, so if they’re hungry.. they have to eat something yummy!
I made them try everything, too. Unfortunately my oldest son never met a vegetable he liked. And not many fruits either. I had to be sneaky to get healthy food into him. I’d make carrot muffins or banana splits with frozen yogurt just to get fruit or veggies in him.
The old saying Monkey See, monkey do is my best advice. If a child sees you eating right, exercising and sleeping enough they will do the same and a healthy lifestyle will be second nature
I have the kids make their own food. They tend to eat stuff they make.
We have the same rule…they must TASTE everything on their plate. And, Momma’s not a short order cook so what’s for dinner is what’s for dinner. But every meal I make AT LEAST 1 thing everyone likes. So everyone has something to eat.
no junk food is the secret
I try to encourage my children to try different foods and they have learned that even if they don’t like it prepared one way, they may like it prepared another way. We experiment a lot with different recipes and have learned to like different new foods – myself included.
My tip to raise healthy eaters is to avoid having sugary snacks in the house.
I only keep healthy snacks in the house so that’s the only choice when they get “snacky!” Also, I always offer healthy foood at mealtimes. I hold out the hope that someday they’ll like them!!
I believe that everything in moderation is key…if you deny special treats then they might be more likely to over indulge elsewhere. Also, provide them with a variety of healthy foods and set an example by eating things that are healthy.
Though I don’t buy a lot of junk. Grandmama keeps the kids well-stocked in additives & preservatives.
I hide it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Of course, then hubs finds it & eats it. So, not so healthy for the adults. :)
My tip is to incorporate fresh fruit and veggies into their diet.
teaching them they have to try everything once before announcing they don’t like it
tvollowitz at aol dot com
teach them to love veggies early
pksanddancer(at)yahoo(dot)com
start them young! trying to give asparagus or broccoli to a 7 year old just wont work. healthy eating habits should start as soon as they move to solid food!
Threaten to take the xbox away if they don’t eat their veggies.
The most important thing I think any parent can do is to educate their children and teach by example :) Specifically, I’m thinking about the dangers of not consuming life in moderation :) It’s best not to overdo it, nor underdo it :)
I try to set a good example by eating healthy and preparing healthy meals for my daughter.
I keep lots of healthy snacks in the house I buy very little junk food.
Let them see you eat healthy meals! Kids always want what parents are having/doing!
I have encouraged trying lots of new foods since my son was little. Now, he eats all kinds of foods.
with three very different girls, i had to learn to offer a variety of taste, texture, and cooking methods. because we all like different and i can be lazy. teaching them to cook early on also helped them make good choices.
Healthy snacks on hand like trail mix, cheese and fruit. This will stop some of the junk food overeating.
Portion control. We have stopped eating things right out of the bag/box.
Be aware of whats in the snack foods you buy. I also use whole grain products
Try to buy mostly healthy food.
If the junk isn’t available, they can’t eat it.
I’d say the best thing is to find a way to make all healthy food exciting. Don’t try to disguise vegetables by mixing them in with other things, but call them something different. My parents, for example, used to call carrots “orange crunchies.” Whatever they did worked, because I still love carrots! I think it’s a disservice to accommodate the “I don’t like ANY veggies” attitude by trying to hide them. Find a way to make them good! Don’t let kids be afraid of healthy food.
To raise healthy eaters you have to have only healthy food in the house
start exposing them early to as many variety foods as you can.
Keep lots of good options available!
When it comes to eating healthy, I think its most important to take everything in moderation. To little of something can cause just as many problems as too much.
my kids are VERY picker (although my older child has come a long way and will now eat many different veggies) so this has been a struggle for me. i don’t make them finish their fruits/veggies but i feel that it is important to try them each time because I have heard that repeated exposure to a food causes you to like it a little more each time as you get used to it
Children can taste but don’t have to eat everything. I tried not to make faces when I eat certain foods so the kids don’t pick up on that. Trying foods different ways like with sauces, spices or cooking on the grill helps kids see that things can be tried in different ways.
Start early!!! Encourage you baby/toddler to drink water so it will be a habit and encourage veges and fruit early on limiting sweets