Getting kids to eat their fruit and veg can often feel like a losing battle for many parents – with new research commissioned by Aldi showing that nearly a third (31%) of children regularly refuse to eat anything green.
To help youngsters develop their love of healthier foods, Aldi has teamed up with registered dietician Lucy Upton to give its shoppers advice on encouraging healthier eating habits in children.
Among Lucy’s tried-and-tested tips are:
- Show, don’t tell them what to eat: “The most powerful tool parents have to support their child’s healthy eating habits is to model healthy eating, not tell or ask them to eat a certain food or way. When it comes to fruit and vegetables, kids will be far more likely to follow your lead, so if you don’t normally eat with your kids, try to sit down together at mealtimes and lead by example.”
- Avoid rewards for healthy eating: “I often see very appealing foods, like pudding or other sweet treats, being used as currency to encourage children to eat their fruits, vegetables, or main meal. Not only does that increase the desire and perceived value of the ‘reward’ food, but it can also make the healthy foods seem less appealing or like a chore to get through.”
- Try not to oversell it: “As parents, we often attempt to persuade children to eat veggies, hoping to convince them about how delicious or healthy they are. Instead, focus on neutral language that sparks curiosity. For example, explore how a food looks, smells and feels. How crunchy is it? What colour is the skin? And try to use language that is fun or playful to get younger kids more interested.”
- Add the novelty and get them involved: “Kids thrive with activities that are fun and meet them where they are at developmentally. That’s why they are likely to try new foods like fruits and vegetables more willingly if they are involved. Getting them to help you in the kitchen from time to time could make a big difference – whether it’s simply picking out colourful ingredients or getting them to help with the actual cooking.”
- Get kids to learn about foods away from the table: “Supporting kids to learn about less familiar foods and building a balanced diet can start away from the dinner table, in environments where children may feel more relaxed and in control. Incorporating food into activities such as play (e.g. a picnic with teddies, fruit and vegetable stamps or even just colour sorting) and getting your child to help select some foods which go in the shopping basket each week can have a huge ripple effect on their eating.”
Lucy concluded: “Any parents reading this who struggle to get children to eat certain foods, please rest assured – you are not alone. So often, feeding kids is a long game, and about small steps and progress over time.”
Alongside partnering with Lucy Upton, Aldi has also teamed up with budding TikTok star, Cooking with Carter, to create a series of dishes designed to help more youngsters develop their love of healthier foods.
Among the tasty new creations are a veggie-packed lasagne, a simple and colourful chicken stir fry, and a refreshing banana, strawberry and mango smoothie.
Parents can find all the recipes on Aldi’s website, making it simple to recreate the dishes at home with their own children.
Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi said: “As any parent knows, getting kids to eat their fruit and veg isn’t always easy – mealtimes can be busy, stressful and sometimes a bit of a battle.
“With these new recipes and Lucy’s tips, we want to take some of that pressure off by making healthy food simple, affordable and something families can genuinely enjoy together. Because parents should feel supported, not judged, for trying to make it easier for children to grow up with positive habits around food.”
Over the past decade, Aldi’s Get Set to Eat Fresh programme with Team GB and ParalympicsGB has empowered millions of children to learn about healthy eating and develop lifelong cooking skills. Get Set to Eat Fresh is a free education programme available to schools across the country, providing activities and learning materials to inspire young children to learn about healthy and balanced meals.
*Research carried out in October 2025 on a sample of 1,000 parents with children aged 4–10
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