Fruits & Vegetables

Healthy Helpers

Get the whole family involved with choosing and preparing fruits and vegetables. Explore new vegetables and fruits to expand your family’s palate. Research shows children are more like to eat fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods when they are involved in preparing them.

It’s always fruit and vegetable season

Use this crop calendar to find out what is in season locally. When fruits and vegetables are not in season locally, don’t drop them from your family diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables are best, but you can still get the benefits when they are frozen or canned. Fruits and vegetables are frozen and canned when they are fully ripe so they stay nutritious.  An added benefit is that your family can store them so you always have them on hand. Plus, they’re easy to prepare.

Here are some tips for choosing canned or frozen fruits and vegetables:

• Canned fruits are sometimes packaged in sugary syrups.  Look for fruit varieties that are packed in their own natural juice. Check the ingredient list to be sure there are no added sugars.
• Frozen fruits may also contain added sugar.  The only ingredients should be fruit!
• Canned vegetables are sometimes packaged with added sodium. Look for varieties that have no added salt.

Visit a Farmers’ Market

Connecticut farmers’ markets are a great way to get affordable produce, eat locally, and maybe have your kids meet the people that grow their food. Almost all the farmers’ in Connecticut accept WIC vouchers. Learn more about the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program in Connecticut here.

See a list of farmers’ markets by county in Connecticut.

Kick up the color

Put a rainbow on your plate. Eating a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables gives your family lots of different vitamins and minerals. Foods of the same color usually have similar vitamins and minerals.  Choosing fruits and vegetables of lots of colors helps your family get all the nutrients they need.

Make it fun

Be creative with your fruits and vegetables. Watch the video to learn how to make fruit skewers and yogurt dip. Kids are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables when they are cut up and prepared in fun ways. Use a cookie cut to make fun fruit and vegetable shapes. You can also use veggie cutouts to decorate sandwich or turn the sandwich into something special.