eat food that loves you back.
eat fruits and veggies every day
- Eating good food like fruits and vegetables provides us with significant health benefits. Why? Fruits and vegetables are filled with vitamins and minerals that our bodies need, they help reduce the risk of chronic disease, and help us to stay healthy across our lifespan.
Make half your plate fruits and veggies. For adults that equals about 7 to 11 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. One portion of fruits or vegetables is equal to 3 ounces or 2/3 cup, which is about 2 broccoli spears, 4 heaped tablespoons of cooked kale, spinach, or green beans, 1 medium apple or banana, or 2 canned pear or peach halves.
Here are some tips to make eating fruits and vegetables fun for you and your family…
- Eat together. Let your child see you enjoying fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks.
- Fix them together. Teach your child to tear lettuce or add veggie toppings to pizza.
- Share the adventure. Try new fruits and vegetables together.
- Take it with you. Show your child how whole fruit and vegetables are a great snack to eat from the park to the shopping mall. Put apples, oranges, bananas, string beans, sugar snap peas, celery, or carrots in your bag for quick snacks.
our favorite recipe websites and cooking tips
- Visit the Mitten Eats recipe website. Easy recipes. Everyday ingredients. Michigan grown.
- Find healthy homemade recipes from Savor the Flavor of Flint curated by family cooks and local chefs.
- Check out Michigan Harvest to Table for recipes that feature fruits and vegetables grown by farmers in Mitten state.
- Fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables are all smart choices. They are prepared at peak flavor to ensure you get important nutrients, and the best tasting fruits and veggies.
- Frozen vegetables have as many vitamins and minerals as fresh. Choose packages that contain no added fat, salt, or sugars.
- To reduce salt, rinse canned vcgetables and beans with cold water before using.
- Buy canned fruit that is packed in 100% juice or water, or labeled with no sugar added.
- To prevent choking hazards for your child, finely chop foods into thin slices, strips, or small pieces (no larger than ½ inch), or grate, mash, or puree. For round foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes, slice lengthwise.
go out and play
be active, and your body will thank you.
- From sleeping better to getting better grades, being active helps in so many ways.
- Be active every day. We all need physical activity to stay strong and healthy.
- When you move with your kids, you get the benefits, too.
- Being active as a family is a great way to spend time together.
- Drink plenty of fresh water before, during, and after physical activity.
- Being physically active helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints, and is vital to our health and well-being.
recreation
No cost, low cost ways to be active
Staying active doesn’t have to cost a lot. Try simple activities like walking, running, dancing, jumping rope, playing tag, or visiting a local park or playground. Check out your community recreation center for free or low-cost programs—and for more ideas, tips, and motivation, connect with your local parks and recreation department.
Make time to be active
Making time for fun family activities—like walking, biking, swimming, or playing sports—helps kids build skills and strengthens family bonds. Enrolling children in active classes also gives them a chance to make new friends and build confidence trying new activities. Encouraging daily unstructured play is just as important, helping kids see that being active is fun.
Get Outside
Here in Michigan, we can celebrate every season with activities that are fun in any weather—spring, summer, fall, and winter. Visit Michigan.org for free and low-cost ways to get moving across the state. With 103 state parks, Michigan is filled with beautiful spaces to go swimming, hiking, fishing, camping, and places to enjoy fun family programs and events. Tap the link for the Michigan State Parks Directory.
they learn from watching you
My kids picks up on so much. They love to copy what we do as parents. They will ask for a food they saw us eat, and we didn’t even know they were paying attention to what we were eating! So, we’ve decided to eat more fruits and vegetables. That way they can learn from watching us and we can all benefit from eating healthy.
As a mom, it’s my job to make sure my family gets the foods they need every day – like fruits and veggies. I also keep low-fat or fat-free yogurt and cheese in the house for healthy snacks. This helps my kids eat better, have more focus at school, and grow strong.
My doctor told me that children learn how to eat when they are young. So, I make meals with a lot of fruits and vegetables and I want my family to eat foods that really nourish us. It makes me feel good that I’m teaching the kiddos something they’ll use for life.
Farmers Market Food Navigators will give you the tools you need to make meals at home using farm fresh fruits and veggies, and help you save money on your food budget. Tap the link above to find a participating farmers market near you.
Join the Michigan Farm to Family: CSA program. It’s easy to join and a great way to purchase fresh farm boxes filled with fruits and vegetables grown by local community supported agriculture (CSA) farmers. Tap the link above to find a CSA near you and bring fresh food from your local farm to your table!
Mitten Eats™ features recipes that use Michigan grown fruits and veggies. Every recipe is affordable, seasonal, easy to make, and tastes great.
resources
When life takes an unexpected turn, help is within reach. Michigan 2-1-1 is a free service that connects residents to thousands of health and human service agencies and community resources—quickly, easily, and confidentially. Tap the link aboveor call 2-1-1.
Michiganders using food assistance can shop for groceries online with their Bridge Cards at select retailers. Tap the link above to learn more.
Find support and inspiration for seasonal meals, recipes, and real conversations about food. With so much misinformation out there, use the Ask the Nutritionist link to get trusted answers to your questions. Tap the link above.