I am a self-confessed vegetable addict. Give me a plate full of colourful vegetables and I am perfectly happy. Fruit, however, has never had quite the same pull for me.
Roo feels much the same. She is not exactly rushing to the fruit bowl after dinner, and at the age of eight I am not sure she is about to declare herself a fruit lover any time soon. Unless, of course, fruit is made a little more exciting.
Since following the I Quit Sugar programme, we have definitely reduced the amount of sugar we eat as a family. It has changed the way I think about snacks, treats and puddings, and it has made me much more aware of how often sweet foods can creep into everyday life without us really noticing.
The children, however, are not quite ready to give up pudding altogether. To be honest, I do not blame them. A meal feels more complete when there is something enjoyable at the end of it. So I started experimenting with simple, healthy fruit pudding ideas that would feel fun, satisfying and a little bit special without relying on added sugar.
My main mission was to get Roo excited about fruit as a pudding. Not forced, not bribed, and not presented as the “boring healthy option”, but something she could enjoy, explore and choose for herself.
The first experiment was very simple. I cut up some apple and pear, arranged the pieces in a bowl, and sprinkled them with cinnamon. It took hardly any time, but it made a huge difference. Even Roo’s fruit-hating friend enjoyed it and ate an impressive amount. That was the first sign that fruit could work as a proper pudding if it was served with a little imagination.
The next day I decided to take the idea further. Instead of giving the children a finished bowl of fruit, I gave them a choice. Roo and Pickle love experimenting, so I turned pudding into a flavour-tasting activity.
I laid out a selection of delicious spices, a pestle and mortar so they could crush some of the spices themselves, cacao nibs, desiccated coconut, a copy of my favourite flavour guide, The Flavour Thesaurus, and a variety of chopped fruit. The idea was simple: choose a piece of fruit, pick something to sprinkle or dip it in, and see what combinations worked best.
It was such a success. Suddenly, fruit was not something to be endured. It was something to play with, talk about and discover. They sniffed the spices, crushed them, tasted tiny amounts, and made their own decisions about what went with what. Pudding became interactive, and because they were in control, they were far more willing to try new things.
Hey presto: fruit was eaten for pudding, and I actually had to limit how much they had. I think they would have worked their way through every piece of fruit in the house if I had let them carry on.
They discovered that pear and star anise go beautifully together. Banana with cardamom turned out to be a gorgeous combination. Apple with nutmeg tasted warming and exciting, and strawberries dipped in cacao nibs were declared pretty special. These were not complicated recipes, but they felt like discoveries.
What I loved most was that they were not just eating fruit. They were learning about flavour combinations, balance and taste. They were beginning to understand that food can be creative, and that healthy puddings do not have to be dull. Those are skills that will be useful later in life, especially when they are cooking for themselves and making their own food choices.
This is also a brilliant way to encourage children to try fruit without pressure. Some children resist a bowl of plain chopped fruit, but when you offer spices, toppings and a chance to experiment, the whole experience changes. It becomes less about “you must eat this” and more about “what shall we try next?”
If you are trying to reduce sugar at home, this is a simple place to start. You do not need expensive ingredients or complicated preparation. A few pieces of apple, pear, banana, berries or any fruit you already have can become a healthy dessert with the help of cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cacao nibs, coconut or other sugar-free cupboard favourites.
So I challenge you: dig out the spices and any other little extras you have in the cupboard that can be sprinkled on fruit without adding sugar. Cut up some fruit, put everything on the table, and let the children create their own fruit pudding combinations.
You might be surprised by how much they enjoy it. You might even find that the fruit bowl empties faster than expected.
Let me know what you and your children think, and which flavour combinations become your favourites.