How To Get Kids to Eat Bruised Fruit

When we busy moms head to the store to replenish our pantries with groceries, a visit through the produce section is a must. We know that fruit is healthy and necessary for the development and growth of our little ones. Fruits are low in calories and fat, high in fiber, and contain many vitamins and minerals that kids need. They are an important part of their daily diet.

Going to farmers markets are a fantastic way to pick out fresh fruits, get the kids outside and support local farmers. Much of the produce coming from the local farms is also organic and can be less expensive as well. To access a list of local farmers markets in the Los Angeles area, visit the Parent Resource section of Ready, Set, Grow.

Luckily, my little ones love fruit of all sorts: apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, cherries, watermelon, cantaloupe.You name it, they eat it.

I usually don’t have any problem getting them to eat it…

Unless it’s bruised.

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Yes, I said it. Bruised. Bananas get dinged and squished; apples get tumbled around; apricots and grapes brown. I’m sorry to report that bruised fruit doesn’t stand a chance in our house and I have a feeling I’m not alone here.

“Ugh!” they’ll gawk and dismiss the lonely piece of bruised fruit, looking for any other possible piece of fruit around. And if they can’t find a perfect piece of fruit, one with no dings, dents or bruises, they just won’t eat it.

Enter mom.

Moms can get creative when it comes to getting our kids to eat what their bodies need. So here are some tips on how to get kids to eat bruised fruit:

Don’t, under any circumstances, let your kid see the bruised fruit. If your kid sees the fruit, take it away and ask them to go into the other room while you prepare the food.

Cut out the bruise from the fruit. If your kid asks what happened to the fruit or why a big chunk is missing, you can tell them that it was simply ‘mom-tested and approved’.

Cut the fruit into pieces and simply eliminate the isolated bruised part, then serve.

Make fruit salad. If the piece of fruit has many bruises, consider gathering up its other bruised counterparts in the fruit bowl and make fruit salad

Smoothie party. If your fruit is severely bruised, dented or dinged, consider throwing it in the blender to create a fantastic smoothie and invite the kids in the kitchen for a big smoothie party!

Fruit shish kabobs. After you cut up the fruit into cubes, prepare it on a shish kabob stick or have your kids help you put the fruit on the stick.

By inviting your kids to participate in helping you prepare fruit in fun and creative ways gives them confidence and can be a simple but fun activity. It can also open up conversation about why fruit is important and necessary.

You can even talk to them about creating a compost pile with some of the rinds from the fruit such as watermelon or cantaloupe.

All of these above methods have worked for me at some point in time and I hope they give you some ideas and alternatives to simply throwing out bruised or dinged up fruit. If you have something that works for you, please feel free to leave us a comment!