Top tips to help kids eat healthier

Trying to get children to eat more fruit and vegetables is something most parents can relate to.
But that doesn't make the results of a national survey any less shocking - more than two-thirds of New Zealand children are not getting their recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake.
The National Survey of Children and Young People's Physical Activity and Dietary Behaviours in New Zealand looked at the eating habits of more than 2500 children and young people.
It found that fewer than one-third were eating five servings a day of fruit and vegetables.
While most children were eating enough fruit, their vegetable intake was particularly poor, with just under 40 per cent eating three or more servings per day.
Tauranga chef Peter Blakeway is dad to Alex, 10 and Fraser, 9, and well-versed at convincing children to eat their five-plus a day.
"Kids' palates are really simplistic," Mr Blakeway said. "Children are afraid of what they don't know. Getting kids to try new foods is always a problem. It sounds sneaky but you have to find ways of making food fun."
One way to do that was to eat together as a family.
"Eating together is really important. It's something the Italians do so well - they eat as a family and they all eat the same thing.
"The kids are seeing that you are eating the same - it's leading by example."
Mr Blakeway believed that if food was in front of children, "eventually they will eat it".
And one of his house rules was that the children must try everything once.
"I promise not to give them something I know they won't like. I won't hit them with chilli.
"They've just got to give it a go. If they don't like it, I won't give them it again for a few months."
Mr Blakeway also encouraged parents to involve children in the cooking.
"Spend an hour with children making pasta and watch their faces - making pasta is glorified play-dough," he said.
The Blakeways make home-made pizzas most Sundays nights, from the dough to the toppings, which included plenty of vegetables. And they regularly had home-made burger nights, also with lots of vegetables.
"It's all about making it fun. If it's fun and exciting, it makes the kids want to experience it more."
And if all else failed, hide vegetables in food.
"If you make a lasagne, technically it is beef with tomato sauce, pasta and bechamel sauce. But don't just leave it at that - load up the beef mix with finely diced onion, carrots, herbs, peppers, anything you want.
"If you finely dice it, it will disappear into the mix but you will still get the goodness out of it."
Registered dietitian Rachel Scrivin encourages the same technique.
The mum of three children aged 5, 2 and 1, encouraged adding extra vegetables whenever possible.
"Curried sausages doesn't have to be just that - add grated carrot, even sultanas. They will just eat it because it's there."
Mrs Scrivin, who runs FoodFX, said parents needed to ensure they ate plenty of fruit and vegetables as good role models to their children.
Summer was a great time to introduce more fruit, as children tended to like fruit such as strawberries and watermelon.
"It's trying to be creative, making things like fruit kebabs with pineapple and strawberry and, as a treat, I might add a marshmallow. I always do them for parties and they go first."
Another summer treat was smoothies made with fresh or frozen fruit,
"I freeze them - it's a cheap way of having ice cream on a hot day and it doesn't have the sugar and fat you get from commercial ice cream."
Mrs Scrivin's children love helping in the kitchen and she said pita pockets and burritos were easy meals they could help with.
Growing and picking their own veges was another way to get them interested, she said.
And if at first you don't succeed, try again - repetition was the key to getting kids to enjoy new foods.
10 TIPS
- Get children to help you grow or pick vegetables - they will be more likely to eat them.
- Eat together as a family.
- Hide vegetables in meals - grate carrots, onions and zucchini into dishes such as lasagne.
- Kids love to help in the kitchen - pizzas, burger and burritos are easy meals they can help with and add their own vegetables.
- Make a rule that everyone has to try a new food at least once. If they don't like it, try again a few months later.
- Potatoes are a kid-friendly vegetable - add corn and onion to baked potato, or grated vegetables to mashed potato.
- Fruit smoothies are a great way to get children to eat more fruit.
- Freeze smoothies to make an icy treat.
- Fruit kebabs are a popular "treat" - add marshmallows for extra appeal.
- Make your own mini jellies with diced fruit.