CIFSRF CARICOM Food Security Project This factsheet is a product of the CIFSRF CARICOM Food Security Project. The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF) is a program of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD). Community Nutrition & Health. No. 4 September 2013 Children Must Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Recent studies confirm an increasing trend of low fruit and vegetable consumption among children and teens. This raises cause for concern, because these foods offer many health benefits like increased immunity, cell protection from free radical damage, proper night vision, red blood cell formation, cartilage and bone formation, improved nerve function, repair (healing), and nutrient absorption (e.g. vitamin C enhances iron absorption). The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables also extend to maintaining healthy blood pressure and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, both of which are now on the increase in the Caribbean youth population. The importance of fruits and vegetables in your child’s diet A daily intake of fruits and vegetables is vital for the health of your child, because these foods offer a vast variety of nutrients. Nutrient Distinctive colour of fruit and vegetable Found in: beta- carotene yellow and orange carrots, paw-paw, orange, mango lycopene red watermelon, tomato chlorophyll green spinach, dasheen bush Fruits and vegetables also supply: B vitamins, vitamin K, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and dietary fibre. They also contain considerable amounts of water which helps in nutrient digestion and absorption as well as bowel movement. Fruits and vegetables grown in the Caribbean Fruits Paw-paw, mango, orange, portugal, pommerac/rose apple/ jambu, pommecythere/june plum, West Indian cherry, plum, soursop, ripe banana, five finger/carambola/star fruit, pineapple, watermelon, caimite/star apple, sugar apple/ sweetsop/custard apple, barbadine, chenette/guinep/genip, coco plum/fat pork, padoo/sweet pea. Vegetables Pumpkin, bodi, cucumber, melongene, caraille/bitter gourd, dasheen bush, spinach, lettuce, watercress/greens, tomato, cabbage, sweet pepper/bell pepper, ochro/okra, patchoi/ pak choi/bok choy, christophene/cho-cho.