Fruits and vegetables provide important nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
    Vitamin A keeps eyes and skin healthy and protects against infection.
    Vitamin C helps heals cuts and wounds, and keeps teeth and gums healthy.
    Magnesium helps keeps bones healthy and potassium helps maintain healthy blood pressure. All are important for good health.
    It is important to eat a variety of vegetables because different fruits and vegetables provide different nutrients, reports Extension Educator Sue Pearman. Try to include a ‘rainbow” of fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet. A typical 4 to 8 year old should aim to eat 1 ½ cups of vegetables and 1 – 1 ½ cups of fruits daily. So think of preparing green, white, red, purple and yellow fruits and vegetables to make sure your family is getting all the nutrients they need.
    The 4-H Clover Kid project “Making Food for Me?” has some great ideas. Kids enjoy being food experts, so try an apple tasting party. Buy a variety of apples and have your children sample a slice of each.
 

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