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 would say my biggest tip is start early and expose them to lots of different things. My children started eating whatever we were eating as soon as they were on table food; we skipped all of the “toddler” foods and snacks and never served “kids” meals. Now, at four and two, they both love fruits, vegetables, and fish, and have even been known to ask for those things over the kids meals in restaurants. Fatz Cafe’s kids salmon is a favorite!
I have sold my kids on the “your taste buds change every 7 years” thing. Every time we have something they don’t like, I just say, maybe your taste buds have changed since the last time you had it =) I also limit snacks in the afternoon that way they are hungrier for dinner.
I think the biggest tip to eating healthy is to not even allow junk food into your home. I don’t think making sugar/junk a huge negative is a good idea because then they’ll be inclined to splurge, but if they can satisfy their sweet cravings with fruit, they’ll be so much better off in the long run!! :)
Be a healthy eater.
Eat healthy yourself – be a model (as in role model not runway model)
Short and simple. . . “You get what you get, and you don’t have a fit.”
They have to eat as many bits as their age :-) That way I know they have at least tried it and they have eaten a little.
Don’t “reward” them with junk food, and don’t refer to junky food as “kid food.”
Be a good example. If kids see you eating and enjoying healthy foods, they will follow.
Hmmm…I try to have good food and snacks in the house, although I will admit to falling back on PopTarts for a snack every once in awhile! I also really, really try to encourage my kids to try new things. My daughter enjoys trying new foods, but my son is a little more reticent. He can usually be talked into it, though!
I always tell them that old standard – you don’t know that you don’t like it until you’ve TRIED IT!!
Serve what you want them to have…and don’t have junk around the house!!
Well, I am impressed by how many different fruits and veggies my two children eat, compared to how many I would eat at that age. I can tell you that I would have to sit at the dinner table all alone until my plate was clean. To this day, I get a pain in my neck when I hear the theme song to “Bonanza” because I watched it with my head turned at an awful angle [ still sitting at the table]
My two seem to be more willing to try things, and no one has to sit at the table all alone.
Don’t give them any other option; keep only healthy items so there’s not a choice
Start early and don’t feed them junk food – offer them fruit instead of twinkies.
Make them clean their plate!
Grow and prepare your own foods and don’t buy junk food!
Thankfully, my kiddos love fruits, but when it comes to veggies they are less than thrilled at times. We drink Juicy Juice and V-8 Splash a lot and sneak veggies in when we can – carrots in spaghetti sauce, zucchini muffins, pumpkin pancakes – and they do like salad.
My daughter survived on puff corn and lemonade until she was 2. I struggled to find food to send to preschool that she would actually eat. When she began kindergarten, I was sick with the pregnancy pukes and simply forgot to send her lunch a few days in a row. An amazing thing happened. She ate lunch at school. And she liked it. And now she will taste anything you put in front of her and likes most everything. She even likes to cook with me, creating recipes of all kinds.
My best tip is to expose them to all types of foods, a variety.
I always made several vegetables for dinner and allowed the children to choose 2 of whichever they preferred. The rule was they had to eat all of the vegetables, because most kids will eat the protein, drink the milk, eat the fruit without being asked. That psychology worked for the most part; they all as teenagers will eat a variety of vegetables and end up getting a fairly balanced diet.
We have a mini garden that the children have helped plant, care for, and pick the veggies and herbs. We also joined a CSA that allows us to try a variety of vegetables in fun ways.
Keep healthy choices around the house, model healthy eating habits, and don’t use food as a reward.
Everyone has to eat whatever Mom cooks! With 5 kids, I cannot cook a different meal for each. Also, they have to tell the cook thank you! I think an important way to grow healthy eaters is by the parents setting the example. My kids always see my husband saying thank you and always eating whatever I fix. He & I both are not afraid to eat our veggies :). I think that has set an example for our kids to follow.
Our house rule has always been that the children must try some of everything on their plates and if they don’t like it, that’s fine but the chef only prepares one meal per night. Mom is not a short order cook! For lunch and breakfast I’ve always offered lots of healthy options and let them choose. Milk is served with each meal, and juice is allowed in between – Juicy Juice of course! They are all teens or preteens now and enjoy trying new foods and helping in the kitchen.
Offer food items in different ways – raw, cooked, steamed, pureed into a soup and so on. Sometimes texture is the big issue. I grew up hating spinach because it was forced on me cooked, all slimy. I tried it raw in a salad, loved it and now can eat it cooked if it’s mixed in to something.
my tip is common, because it’s the best. give them the healthy stuff, over and over. only offer the junky stuff on occasion. find the good stuff they like and keep it stocked. no junk until they’ve had the fruits and veggies and protein and dairy
I like to sneak in a little healthy food into the mashed potatoes or mac ‘n cheese.
We eat smoothies with yogurt and fruit, go to pick your own places for apples, strawberries, etc, so it seems like lots of un.
Always try one bite. If they don’t like something that they’ve tried repeatedly, I will make a substitution…usually this relates to a side dish or veggie, so some applesauce will be offered.
We all stay at the table until the last person has finished; I love how they ask to be excused from the table in their little voices :)
Our kids have to eat whatever is on their plate. If it’s a new food, I combine it with something they like and for the first trials, just give them small amounts. We also pair A LOT of our meals with fresh fruits and veggies. About the only junk food we keep in the house is the occasional package of store-bought cookies. But those are always considered a great treat and are limited to 1-2 cookies per day.
If my kids help prepare the healthy food choices, they are much more eager and willing to eat them even if they have never tried the foods before. Also, if we make a healthy dip to go with veggies, that highly improves the likelihood they will eat those foods as well.
My best tip is to start them off as healthy eaters and model that behavior. Make healthy foods the only option with “treats” as just that..
ljatwood at gmail dot com
Fresh fruit at every meal and one cooked one fresh veggie at every meal. Everyone has to eat all of those before they can have dessert (including the hubby and myself)
Keep offering them lots of choices and they’ll eventually like it.
I think having healthy food choices handy is good. My children can open the refrigerator and see cheeses, fruits, veggies, yogurt and more. They actually love yogurt more than ice cream now :) Even I’m surprised!
Set a good example for the little ones.
Eat well.
Make sure to put something healthy on the plate and require at least a taste every day and at every meal. If they know it is not an option to skip it and that if they hate it they don’t have to eat it all, they wind up tasting and usually liking veggies and fruits they’ve never tried before.
In order to raise healthy eaters, you have to start when they are babies. Feed them well from the beginning, make eating well fun & exciting, and never be negative about healthy foods.
we try to limit the junk food and keep more fruits and veggies in the house. whitecarrie69@yahoo.com
I try to give my children a balanced diet, but it doesn’t always happen. I do read labels and try to only give them food with less than 10g sugar per serving. They LOVE fruit, but vegetables, not as much.
We don’t serve soda and don’t eat fast food. We have treats now and then, but it isn’t a staple in our diet.
I suggest substituting juice for soda. Good habits start early.
Get kids to help in meal preparation. Eat health things and they will follow
rmartinclarke at gmail dot com
Make sure there is lots of healthy choices for them.
my best tip… don’t let them know there is such a thing as white bread. (I guess same could go for anything you don’t want them to eat.)
that’s all I got.
Make it fun, plan menus together, using all the food groups, shop for the menu together, read labels together and then prepare the meal together.
As a child, my Mom was always saying to my siblings and I: “An Apple a Day, Keeps the Doctor Away”!
So my wife and I make sure our daughters eat healthy meals with lots of fresh fruit and veggies!
We also don’t allow our daughters to drink soda; just water, juice and milk!
Compromise! I let my teenage daughter decide what kinds of snacks she wants, but it has to be within reason. I don’t mind the occasional pop-tart, so long as the majority of the time, she has yogurt, fruit, a bagel or some other healthier alternative. She’s done really well with this routine over the years.
Many thanks!!
minimize the consumption of processed and fast foods so everyone craves real food.
Keep healthy snacks in supply! Explain basic healthy eating guidelines.
My best tip is to live by example. If I’m not eating healthy and exercising, then they won’t want to either.
Don’t make special meals for the kids. Start them off eating what you eat and they will continue to eat what you eat.
My kids are now teens and when they were younger we made them have a “courtesy taste” of everything we put on their plates. After they tried it, they were allowed to say no thank you to it, or continue eating. I think offering a variety of item, on a continuing basis, helps create healthy eaters who are willing to try different things.
Thanks for the great giveaway!
My mom never pushed the fruits and veggies, however, there were big bowls of them in my fridge. They are cut up, and ready to munch on. It’s easy and I do this for my kids as well. They will always pull this out for their snacks.
Get your kids when they are very young like 2 and 3 yrs old how to eat properly And nutritiously and in the habit of eating regular portions and non fatty non salty and non sugary foods.
Being an example of a healthy eater is the best advice.
Start early and don’t be afraid to go against the flow. Even if they are jealous that all of their friends are allowed to eat junk galore, stick to your guns. But do allow everything at least in moderation.
Let them help you fix whatever it is you want them to try. Leave a variety of fruits out in a basket and have cut up veggies in baggies in the fridge. Works sometimes!
Variety. I try to make sure we hit each of the food groups in a meal. We lean towards fruit more than veggies but I’ll take it.
I keep a drawer in the fridge full of cut up fruit and veggies! The kids have easy access to it, and that’s where they go for snacks!
Start at the beginning and set an example
We always serve plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that we grow during the year.
But not everyone likes the same things. So there are always alternative choices.
If you don’t like peas would you rather have green beans with your meatloaf ?
That way everyone is happy and healthy.
jweezie43[at]gmail[dot]com
While I have a very picky eater, I also encourage him to try everything, and more than once. He loves spinach, so I sometimes make other greens and tell him it’s spinach. I know, bad mommy, but it works, and he doesn’t know any better! tesashel225 (@) aol (.com)
I offer healthy choices, and I try to make sure Jackson is seeing me eat healthy stuff instead of junk. Not always easy, but I try!
We are trying to raise healthy eaters by experimenting with different fruits and veggies, and by letting the kids pick out produce at the market.
My kiddos LOVE fruit, but vegetables..well, not so much so I disguise them. Carrots, peas or green beans can always be found in sauces. It’s amazing how well it goes down. :)
My kids love food! They eat scallops, spinach, zucchini, just about everything. I put it on their plate and they eat it.
Although I did tell my daughter that a green bell pepper was a green tomato. She ate it!
My best tip is to start young. Try to avoid many sweets or sodas when they are younger so they are used to making healthier choices.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
Introduce a large variety of healthy foods that way they find the ones that they love.
purehrt555(At)yahoo(DoT)com
Offer a variety of foods and let them see you eating the foods as well. My 3 year old will try anything once as will the rest of my kids. I also will offer the rejected foods again after several months.
We planted a garden together. And even though my son won’t eat vegetables, he was so happy with those carrots that he ate everyone he picked!
We’ve found if we don’t have junk food around, we don’t get as hungry for it! If it’s in sight…watch out! :-)
~eunice b
tigergal01 @gmail .com
I don’t have kids yet, but the way my mom did it was to make sure we knew what was healthy and unhealthy simply by telling us, including why it was or wasn’t healthy. She always cooked healthy foods, but always let us have snacks. The main things she did was teach us self control, so we could have the unhealthy in moderation.
we too have the rule- you must try everything on your plate in correspondence with their age- 3 yr old 3 bites, 6 yr. old 6 bites, etc. hoping that over time and repeated trying of things they will grow to like some of them!
My best advice would be to introduce them to healthy eating habits as early as possible as well as promote them to be active and get up off the couch and play
My best tip is to start young (before all the outside influences) in introducing them to all kinds of healthy foods and lead by example.
I always made a BIG Deal about fruit and yogurt being special treats after dinner. My kids prefer those two things over anything else as a dessert.
offer them lots of choices every day
Moderation…fruit and whole grain crackers are my go to snacks.
But, very occasionally we will have potatoe chips or sugared cereal…and we call it what it is. Junk food is entertainment for our mouths…not actual food!
Start letting them taste things as soon as they eat finger foods and have them taste things as they get older.
Offer a variety of healthy foods and let them pick what they want to eat. Don’t fight over it, just find the natural foods they like and stick with those!
I offer veggies and fruits in the hopes that someday they will try and like them! I’m persistent!
My biggest tip for raising healthy eaters is to start feeding them good stuff from the beginning–also teach by example. I can’t very well be eating a bag of chips and expect them to have an apple!
Pudyqat2 {at} aol.com
We teach by example and love for them to try everything once.
A good way is to start them from weaning on home cooked nutritious meals!
As others have mentioned, we make sodas rare, and require a bite to say you don’t like something – they typically find it isn’t bad at all.
My best tip would be to teach portion control – and self-control – early and to simply avoid fast food completely! I learned my lesson growing up eating badly and having to work like crazy to get fit as a teenager and adult, and I don’t want the kids to have to go down that path!
I keep the junk food out of the house. Keep lots of fruit and veggies on hand for snacks.
I think you need to set a good example in what you eat. Also, by limiting the amount of “snack” foods in the house, they don’t become addicted to empty foods and will then eat good foods when they are hungry.
i do the same thing!!! they have to TRY it!!!
I agree with the “try everything” rule. I always made sure there were foods they liked but they had to try everything on the table at least once. They are definitely not picky eaters.
Get them hooked on homemade sweets that are made healthier than prepackaged. This way they don’t ‘crave’ the icky stuff and you can control the amount of sugar and fats and whatnot they eat and they are happy because they get a sweet!
My best tip is to encourage them from a young age to make heathy choices and it helps if you keep the junk food limited at your house so it is easier to grab some raw veggies or a piece of fruit.
Along with you, I make my kids at least try everything on their plates. I’ll even go as far as making them eat something I know they don’t like (say, green beans) just to make sure they have a healthy balance. Now, We’re talking like 5 green beans, but still. I will also try to make things and slip good stuff into it. My aunt taught me a receipe for a dip for crackers or tortilla chips that is nothing but veggies and protiene….so I’ll make that sometimes and since I tell them it’s “chip dip” they’ll eat it right up…a lot of times, without the chips! Plus, we do multi-viteamins every day!
have a supply of fresh fruit and veggies on hand for snacks
Start them eating fruits and veggies early. I’m paying the price for not doing this. I would say not to stop at all. Baby’s usually love fruits and veggies so keep them eating them from there on out. I stopped forcing it on them when they were toddlers and now they rarely eat veggies.
Make baby food yourself so from the very beginning they are exposed to a large variety of foods.
Just like my parents did- we don’t keep a lot of junk food or soda in the house.
Start them early by incorporating veggies and do not start them on sugar! Just do not have junk in the houes-for them or you! Cook from scratch.
It’s sort of old-fashined, I guess, but we give them a choice between two healthy options. They get to choose. It’s just not an option to choose something unhealthy. Or, occasionally, they will CHOOSE to not eat. Works for us!
Make sure that fruits and veggies are always available.
Also, have your kids try foods, but don’t force them to eat it.
I’ve also heard that one should let one’s kids serve themselves- but then they need to eat all they have put on their plate. That helps them having a feeling of control.
Thanks for the giveaway!