It is often difficult to get children (and adults, for that matter) to eat enough fruit each and every day. Just putting a piece of fruit in front of someone doesn't mean they will eat it. A child faced with an apple might consider it too much of an effort. They need to be tempted. Fruit needs to be easy to eat. The problem is we are all used to fast foods. That is fast to get hold of and fast to eat. So here are a few ideas:

Fruit juices and fruit smoothies are simple to make or buy. Making is probably preferable if at all possible because you know exactly what goes into them and there are no added ingredients in order to preserve them. You make them - you drink them. Each glass counts as one portion of fruit towards your daily count. Drinks are always welcome because of the ease of intake and digestion.

Fresh fruit with breakfast cereals is another way of introducing fruit into the diet. Bananas and soft fruits are the favourites here. They do brighten up the dullest of cereals. You will see children eat up a good portion even if they won't normally touch a banana on its own.

Fruit desserts are a winner. There are so many ways in which you can serve up fruit. Some are quicker than others but you will often find that a child will eat something that looks attractive in the dish. For instance, one of my quick and easy desserts is a slice of pineapple on a slice swiss roll with a small amount of quick setting jello topped with a cherry.

Fruit salad can be served anytime. For breakfast, lunch, dessert or snack it's always welcome. Take care if you are using it from a can. Do not have it with syrup. You want no added sugar. Fruit has sugar of its own - and it's enough.

The fruit bowl. Always have fruit on show. This will tempt people to have a piece of fruit just because they have a fancy for it.

Is it really fruit? Make sure that what you are buying is really fruit. There are some drinks around that seem to be saying that they are fruit but in fact they are produced from a concoction of chemicals with vitamin C included. Of course, I can't name any brands here. Just take care and read the label.

I do hope that I have given you some ideas to use with your family.