By Sergi Bonillo, Food and Beverage manager at Academia Sánchez-Casal, Barcelona.
Most children and teenagers don’t eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables. Children should eat approximately 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. How can we make sure our children are eating the right amount?
Presenting dishes in a fun way and using a range of bright colors will make the plate look attractive to your children.
Make sure that your children can find a piece of fruit easily when they are at home. Put different colored fruits in a bowl, in a highly visible place and within easy reach. If they can see and find fruit, they are much more likely to eat it.
Vegetables can be a great ingredient in the dishes which children often like: pasta, sandwiches and pizzas. They can also be a good accompaniment to meat and fish dishes.
Get your children to participate in their diet. Go shopping together at the supermarket, encourage them to take part in the preparation of meals. As human beings, children place the most value on the things they can identify with.
Juices and milkshakes are a quick, healthy and natural way to eat fruit, and of course also increase fluid intake. As a dessert or afternoon snack, juices and milkshakes are an easy way of providing your child with a high amount of fiber, 0% fat and more of the vital vitamins and minerals required for growth and health.
What benefits can be found in fruit and vegetables?
- Carotenoids, which the body transforms into vitamin A.
- Vitamin C (vitamin C loses its properties when heated – eat raw vegetables in salads instead).
- Folate (or folic acid) is one of the B vitamins present in green leafy vegetables. It is vital for the immune system, in creating new blood components, and in the formation of genetic material.
- Fruit and vegetables contain almost no sodium, and instead are very rich in potassium (people with hypertension should eat a lot of vegetables).
- Fruit and vegetables contain iron, but our bodies find iron difficult to extract. To help encourage the absorption of iron, eat some acidic fruit for dessert.
- The high content of soluble fiber is very beneficial for the intestines and helps to regulate intestinal activity.
- Beta carotene and its great antioxidant power neutralize free radicals generated when practicing sport.
- The mineral content is fundamental to replacing the minerals lost through sweating while practicing sport.
- High water content hydrates the body and produces diuretic effects.
Fruit and vegetables are the best way of providing our immune system with the tools to fight against pathogens and viruses.
In the Sánchez-Casal Academy, we provide salad buffets with a wide range of fresh vegetables, every day. The vegetables we use are organic, meaning they have a better taste and texture, and contain no trace of the processed and treated chemical pesticides found in non-organic produce.
Vegetables and fruits are your defenses, the pillars of your health.
Sergi Bonillo
Food and Beverage manager at Academia Sánchez-Casal Barcelona
