To bygone generations the bowl of fruit on the table or kitchen sideboard was a sign of a reasonably well-to-do family.
It was a trend that developed during the 50s and 60s when fruit was still a luxury after the dark days of rationing during the Second World War – a time during which many children had never seen a banana. Is it now the answer to that old chestnut: ‘How do you get children to eat their 5 A DAY’?
The food industry has introduced all kinds of new concepts from very unpalatable veggie drinks that taste and look like cold cabbage water, cut fresh fruit floating in sugared water, to natural or concentrated fruit drinks. But maybe the simple answer is to introduce the now humble and very affordable bowl of fruit back into the household.
The latest statistics show that obesity and overweight among children have increased by 47 per cent globally within the last 33 years, and in the UK alone one in four children are obese or overweight.
While playing golf recently, the topic of childhood obesity raised its head and interestingly some of my playing partners informed me that their children would rather have fruit than the normal sugary goodies. These parents decided when their children were young to have an ample supply of fruit available around the home and this method was, and is to this day, very successful. The secret is to introduce fruit into a home when children are infants. It is a proven and very effective method of encouraging children to eat more fruit.
I have worked within the fresh produce industry for more than 30 years; there has never been a greater variety of fresh fruit and vegetables available at affordable prices.
We have super foods, berries that can help cure all ailments, fruits that energise – we have never been better informed as to the benefits of fresh produce.
But the secret has to be consuming these products in their natural, fresh, form, as this is proven to be the most beneficial way to consume fresh food. Thus we come back to the humble bowl of fruit.
That old adage ‘Keep it Simple Stupid’ is applicable by keeping the fruit in front of the children, and making it impossible not to see and restrict access to the more sugary treats of the world. It does work, try it and don’t give up on your children’s health.
In this fast and furious world where we need a quick burst of energy to keep us on the move, think fruit for both your and your children’s sake.
We could even go one huge step further and encourage a ‘day of fruit’, once a year where we ask all public enterprises, schools, libraries, to put out the humble bowl of fruit. If it helps our children to a healthier, obesity-free future, we will all reap the benefits.
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