Editor’s note
The following abstract describes a publication that is available as a downloadable PDF.
See the companion publication N1042, Fruits and Vegetables Eat a Rainbow Handout Poster and N1058, Fruits and Vegetables handout for adults.

Sarah Wood
Assistant Extension Professor, Department of Health Sciences

Tammy Roberts
Nutrition and Health Extension Specialist

Abstract

This handout provides tips on eating healthy. It discusses ways to implement the strategy of eating the rainbow and how to include a wide variety of fruits and vegetable in your diet.

Topics

• Snacking
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Helping Kids
• Nutrients
• SNAP

Pages

• 2

See handout content below.

Fruits and Vegetables — Eat a rainbow!

Include fruits and vegetables at every meal. Try to fill half your plate with them!

Help kids choose fruits and vegetables.

• Be a good role model and let your kids see you eating fruits and vegetables.
• Let your kids help plan the menu, grocery shop and make meals. Including them in meal preparation makes them feel important. Kids are more likely to eat something they have helped prepare.
• It can take some time for a child to accept a new food. Don’t force a child to eat something they don’t want to eat, but do continue to offer it.
• Work together and make fun snacks featuring fruits and vegetables.

Snack on fruits and vegetables.

• Eat baby carrots or other cut raw veggies with cottage cheese or hummus.
• Pack trail mix with dried fruit. Try something new like apples, apricots or pineapple.
• Spread peanut butter on a banana or apple.
• Slice fresh fruits and vegetables to keep in the refrigerator for quick and easy snacks.
• Make fruit kebabs using banana slices, grapes and whole berries.

Fruits and vegetables have nutrients to help us grow strong and stay healthy. They also have nutrients that help fight cancer, stroke and heart disease. Fruits and veggies taste great and make our plates colorful! Here are some ways to add them to your meals.

Breakfast

• Slice fresh fruits into a bowl of cold cereal.
• Microwave hot oatmeal with cinnamon and add chopped apple or pear.
• Top waffles, pancakes or French toast with berries or peaches.
• Stir fresh or dried fruit into yogurt.
• Have leftover veggies from last night’s dinner? Throw them in an omelet or make a frittata.

Lunch

• Top your sandwich with romaine lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers or bell peppers.
• Pack leftover veggies or salad from last night’s dinner.
• Serve canned peaches or baked beans with a sandwich.
• Enjoy a bowl of vegetable soup.
• Add fruits like mandarin oranges to salads.

Dinner

• Top your pizza with onions, mushrooms, peppers or pineapple.
• Stir-fry lean beef with colorful veggies like broccoli, red peppers and carrots.
• Add frozen vegetables — peas, corn or a variety — to casseroles or soups.
• Sneak in nutrition by adding shredded or diced veggies to ground meat for tacos, spaghetti or sloppy Joes. Try bell peppers, zucchini or carrots.
• Serve fruit for dessert.
• Add fruits like pineapple chunks to meat or chicken kebabs.

Funded in part by USDA SNAP.

For more information, call MU Extension’s Show Me Nutrition line at 1-888-515-0016.

Need help stretching your food dollars? Contact your local resource center or go online to mydss.mo.gov/food-assistance/food-stamp-program.