(Family Features) As a parent, instilling healthy eating habits in your children at an early age can aid in proper growth and development. Eating well goes a long way toward maintaining a healthy weight, increasing energy levels and improving moods while also reducing risk of obesity and other chronic issues such as heart disease and diabetes later in life.

Set your children on a path to making lifelong nutritious choices with these tips:

Foster independence. Allowing your children to help with shopping and meal prep can aid in them taking ownership of what they’re eating. Start by divvying up easier tasks such as setting the table then work toward creating snacks and meals on their own. These Rainbow Fruit Parfaits are simple for kids to assemble – just set the ingredients out and let them layer – and can serve as a healthful on-the-go breakfast or after-school snack.

Offer balanced options. Children require balanced diets made up of all three major food groups, including fruits and vegetables, for proper development. Looking for the Produce for Kids logo next to nutritional, family-friendly items at the grocery store is an easy way to identify healthy food choices while also supporting local organizations that help children and families in need.

Be a role model. Typically, your children will follow your behaviors, which includes the types of foods they select at mealtimes. Eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables can help ensure your family is getting a complete range of nutrients. For example, a recipe like this Rainbow Buddha Bowl provides a combination of fresh and roasted vegetables that can be customized to meet your family’s tastes. Thinking about how many colors you eat in a day may inspire your kids to do the same, which can foster a lifetime of healthy eating habits.

To find more healthy meal inspiration, including more than 500 registered dietitian- and family-tested recipes, visit produceforkids.com.

Rainbow Fruit Parfaits

Recipe courtesy of Produce for Kids
Prep time: 10 minutes
Servings: 3

• 1/2       cup sliced strawberries
• 2          mandarins, peeled and segmented
• 1/2       cup chopped pineapple
• 2          kiwis, peeled and chopped
• 1/2       cup blueberries
• 1/2       cup red seedless grapes
• 1          cup vanilla Greek yogurt

1. In parfait glasses, layer strawberries, mandarins, pineapple, kiwis, blueberries and grapes.
2. Top each fruit parfait with yogurt.

Rainbow Buddha Bowl

Recipe courtesy of Jodi of Create Kids Club on behalf of Produce for Kids
Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

• 1          medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1          cup broccoli florets
• 1/2       small purple cabbage, sliced
• 1          tablespoon olive oil
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2          cups quinoa, cooked according to package directions
• 1          cup red cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2       cup yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1          avocado, sliced
• 4          tablespoons yogurt ranch dressing

1. Heat oven to 425° F.
2. Place sweet potatoes, broccoli and cabbage on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are soft.
3. Divide cooked quinoa into four bowls. Top with roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes and avocado.
4. Drizzle with dressing.

SOURCE:
Produce for Kids

Which fruits and vegetables are in season in the spring?

Rain and bright sunny days make spring a good time to indulge in a wide range of plentiful produce such as asparagus, cabbage, kale, spinach, and strawberries. Not only are these items extremely fresh and flavorful because they’re currently in season, but they’re also widely discounted because of the abundance of supply based on this time of year.

Because fruits and vegetables grow in cycles and ripen during certain seasons, produce typically is fresher and tastes best when ripe. And while most fruits and vegetables are available to consumers year-round thanks to agricultural innovations, seasonal fruits and vegetables are typically cheaper to buy because they are easier to produce than fruits and vegetables that are grown out of season.

For example, the top advertised items on sale in local grocery stores this week were fruits, comprising 48% of all ads, and vegetables, accounting for 41% of all supermarket sale ads, according to the April 5 edition of the National Retail Report, a weekly roundup of advertised retail pricing information compiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

While this is not an all-inclusive list, generally speaking, the following produce (among others) is in season in Ohio during the spring, according to the Ohio Farm Bureau:

• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Collard greens
• Kale
• Mustard greens
• Radishes
• Rhubarb
• Spinach
• Strawberries
• Turnip greens

While eating fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy diet, it’s also important to remember to incorporate food safety when preparing and eating them. This is because some raw fruits and vegetables can contain foodborne pathogens such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As such, nearly half of all foodborne diseases are caused by germs on fresh produce, the CDC says.

While cooking produce is one of the best ways to lessen the potential for developing a foodborne illness, here are some other tips from the CDC to keep in mind when choosing and consuming raw fruits and vegetables:

• Always choose produce that isn’t bruised or damaged.
• When shopping, choose pre-cut fruits and vegetables that are refrigerated or are kept on ice.
• Keep fruits and vegetables separated from raw meat, poultry, and seafood in your shopping cart and in your grocery bags.
• Wash or scrub fruits and vegetables under running water, even if you do not plan to eat the peel, so that dirt and germs on the surface do not get inside during slicing. 
• Cut away any damaged or bruised areas before preparing or eating.
• Refrigerate within two hours any fruits and vegetables that you have cut. Store them in a clean container at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.
• Store fruits and vegetables away from, and not next to or below, raw meat, poultry, and seafood. These items can drip juices that might contain germs.
• Use a separate cutting board for fruits and vegetables than what is used for cutting or preparing raw meats, poultry, or seafood.
• Wash cutting boards, counter tops, and utensils with hot, soapy water before and after preparing fruits and vegetables.

Chow Line is a service of The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and its outreach and research arms, Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Tracy Turner, 364 W. Lane Ave., Suite B120, Columbus, OH 43201, or turner.490@osu.edu.