Boobies, babies, fruits, and veggies: start nutrition right!

A healthy lifestyle for your child should begin from the very start of life! Breastfeeding is not just the ideal but, the best way to start feeding your child from the very second they are born. According to the Lehigh Valley Breastfeeding Coalition, consisting of lactation consultants and counselors, nurses, public health nutritionists, and mothers, breast milk should be the first form of nutrition a baby needs. This week the Fruit and Veggie On-The-Move Truck collaborated with the Lehigh Valley Breastfeeding Coalition at the Big Latch to promote a healthy lifestyle from the start.

Alexandra Sodl, RD, LDN (The person I work closely with and the original fruit and veggie lady) and I at the Big Latch this past weekend.

Plums and peppers were the fruit and veggie choice of the week for the park program kids. I could not believe how many children did not know what plums were or have never eaten one before. At one park with a total of 37 children, at least 10 of them never ate a plum before. This was very heartbreaking to me because plums generally are not expensive summer fruit. Also, more than half the children I gave plums to this week thought they were apples instead. The colored bell peppers that we gave to the kids went well despite problems last year with many kids thinking they were all spicy. I can not stress more to families how important it is to educate your child on different types of fruits and veggies from the beginning, just as important as breastfeeding. (Shout out to my mommy, an internationally board lactation consultant who breastfed me and introduced me to the wonderful world of fruits and veggies) Introducing your child to a wide range of different fruits and veggies will help them to eat healthier and continue to throughout their life.

Colored Bell Peppers

I love bell peppers because they are a great veggie to add to a lot of meals. According to livestrong.com, bell peppers add more than color and crunch to meals, they are high in vitamin A and C and also contain folate, which supports the functioning of red blood cells and is especially important for pregnant women because it helps prevent certain types of birth defects in unborn children. Many of my college roommates know, I love to cook chicken fajitas, especially because of all the colored bell peppers I use! I take the peppers, cut them in strips, then sauté them with a little bit of olive oil, purple onions, salt, and pepper. After I sauté the peppers and onions together I make some chicken and mix the two items together to make a delicious dish that can be eaten alone or with some rice and whole wheat wraps. Try it one night with your family for a Mexican theme night, I guarantee you that it will be a big hit!

Colored Bell Peppers!

Lessons with your child:

Make faces out of fruits and vegetables and have your child name each food along with what part of the face it is. For example, use grapes for the eyes and a pepper slice for the mouth. Try and use different types of fruits and veggies to familiarize your child to a variety of foods.

 

 

Call George Washington to cut down a cherry tree!

Though it was very hot and humid this past week, the Fruit and Veggie On-The-Move Truck kept rolling to deliver some healthy and refreshing snacks for the park program kids!

This past week had to have been the most successful picks of fruit and vegetables for the kids. I served cherries, baby carrots, and snap peas to the children, who all went crazy over those delicious treats. The kids, whose eyes popped wide open when they saw the big bowl of cherries I had in my truck, wanted seconds and even thirds of their weekly snack. I was really happy when I saw kids eating snap peas, a vegetable most of them did not know existed, and enjoying them as well! I love to see kids trying new healthy foods every day and enjoying them because every little step they take they are improving on their overall health!

Cherries from Elias Farmers Market, and snap peas and baby carrots from Wegmans.

One delicious cup coming right up!!

Cherries: The superfood of the week!!!!! 

Finally, it is summertime and cherries are in season and tasting great! This powerfully packed fruit is filled with nutrients that help improve your overall health. Loaded with many antioxidants, cherries help ease pain, lower cholesterol, fight memory loss, reduce stress, aid with weight loss, and even help prevent heart disease. This tasty fruit with a pit inside can also help you sleep better because they contain high levels of melatonin, the bodies natural sleep aid. Cherries also have a lot of fiber! For cancer prevention, these little red fruits contain queritrin, an anticancer agent, and ellagic acid. This fruit can be enjoyed raw, cooked, frozen, or dried for added flavor in any type of meal. So call up your George Washington friend today and have him cut down a cherry tree for a sweet and healthy treat!

But did little George Washington really cut down a cherry tree?

A lot of sweet for one week!

A new approach was taken this week for the Fruits and Veggies On-The-Move Truck and let me tell you how “sweet” it was!

This week I delivered peaches, blueberries, sugar snap peas, and colored bell peppers. Even though I delivered the usual two fruits and two vegetables, everything that was given was sweet tasting. I thought that this was a good idea because the kids always want something sweet to eat. The assorted colored bell peppers were the hardest things for kids to eat this week especially because they thought they were hot but, as usual once they tried the veggie they wanted more! I continue to anticipate how the kids will react each time I give them their special fruit and veggie cup for the week.

The Fruit and Veggie On-The-Move Truck is fully loaded and ready to serve!!

Peaches, blueberries, sugar snap peas, and colored peppers OH MY YUMMY!

Colored Bell Peppers are the Super Food of the Week! 

Assorted bell peppers do not just add color to your meal but, they add a lot of macro nutrients of fiber and protein to help you feel fuller longer! Colored peppers contain a lot of vitamins and antioxidants as well that can help reduce heart disease, some cancers, and cataracts. These sweet-tasting veggies can also help alleviate symptoms of asthma and arthritis. Also, these veggies contain minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus which are used for bones, muscle, and nerve function. Add these pretty little veggies into a salad or with grilled chicken for some homemade fajitas that will please everyone and their bodies!