Hold on. Before working up a sweat, check out the new Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide recommendations for vegetables and fruit listed below. Your kids may be doing better than you thought!

Still falling short? Don't despair. We have you covered. Compare what you're already doing to the strategies suggested. Maybe a little fine tuning is all that's in order. If you're flat out of interesting ideas, we've come up with 10 real gems that are worth a peak!

How much vegetables and fruit should my kids eat?

Keep in mind Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide is just that – a guide. It describes a pattern of eating that over time will promote good health. So try not to get hung up on your children eating exactly according to the Food Guide each day.

What is a serving size?

The serving sizes are not meant to be how much your child will eat in one sitting. Use the serving sizes to gauge how much to prepare and let your child decide how much they will eat.

• 125 mL (1/2 cup) fresh, frozen or canned vegetables or fruits
• 125 mL (1/2 cup) cooked leafy greens or 250 mL (1 cup) raw
• 125 mL (1/2 cup) 100% fruit or vegetable juice
• One small vegetable or fruit, or half of a large one

Note: Children, especially those five years old and younger, can choke on small, hard or round pieces of fruit, vegetables, even the seeds. Try grating, mashing or cooking these foods until softened. Remove seeds from fruits (cherries, plums, watermelon etc). Slice foods with round shapes (grapes, carrots) in half, length-wise, to reduce choking risks. Supervising children while they eat is always recommended.

Pull the plug on pressure tactics and try these smart strategies

The best advice is don't pressure, coax, bribe or reward your child to eat vegetables and fruit. Why? For some children, pressuring them to eat can really sour the mealtime experience. They may even lose interest in eating as a result. That's like taking one step forward and three back - not what you want. Consider these strategies:

Have fun with food

No, we're not talking about a food fight, we're talking cooking. Children can touch, smell even mush food while they are cooking. Whether they eat it or not, that zucchini doesn't seem so foreign after they've helped to prepare it. Reading books about food, going grocery shopping or visiting a pick-your-own farm also helps.

Serve food family style

Serve food family style and refrain from plating food for your preschooler and older aged kids. Serve food in bowls or platters in the centre of the table where children can help themselves or request what they want.

Introduce a new vegetable or fruit with a familiar one

Continually introduce new vegetables and fruit when your children are young and there is a better chance they'll be open to trying it later. Take the pressure off trying a new food by serving it alongside some familiar veggies and fruits.

Try and try again

Most children need to be introduced to a new food over 10 times before they will try it. So don't give up on any vegetable or fruit.

Practice what you preach

Without feeling guilty, some of us have to face the facts. Many adults don't eat the minimum recommended serving of vegetables and fruit each day. If time is an issue, skip cooking the vegetables and serve them raw with a lower fat, creamy salad dressing as a dip. Kids like them better that way anyhow. Use frozen vegetables or fruits. There is no washing, chopping or wilting!

Keep it interesting

Change things up during the year by taking advantage of the vegetables and fruit in season. During the winter months, frozen vegetables and fruit tend to be a better buy and they are just as nutritious as fresh. Try experimenting with one new vegetable or fruit a month.

10 Easy, kid-friendly ideas for serving veggies and fruit

Looking for inspiring new ideas? Be sure to write out your favourites and post them on the fridge so you'll remember to try them!

1. Fruit cones. Combine a variety of chopped fresh or canned fruits in a bowl (grapes, apples, peaches, pineapple, melon, berries, etc.) Scoop into flat-bottom ice cream cones. Top with fruit flavoured yogurt.
2. Berries Brrr. Frozen berries make great edible ice cubes and help to quench thirst. . Add them to 100% fruit juice or water.
3. Banana split breakfast. Spoon yogurt in the centre of a cereal bowl, and place banana halves on either side of the yogurt. Sprinkle the top with fresh blueberries, strawberries or fresh or canned pineapple and toasted oats cereal for whole grain crunch.
4. Stir fry wraps. Wrap some leftover chicken or beef stir fry loaded with vegetables in a whole wheat tortilla. Serve hot with a tasty dipping sauce for a hand held meal.
5. Potato nachos. Microwave thin slices of regular or sweet potatoes until just tender. Top each slice with a small amount of salsa, chopped green onion and peppers. Top with grated cheddar cheese. Microwave until cheese melts. For an Italian version, substitute tomato sauce for salsa and mozzarella for cheddar.
6. Cheese fondue. A cheese and milk- based fondue is a great way to serve a variety of fresh vegetables and fruit – broccoli or cauliflower florets, grape tomatoes, zucchini chunks, microwaved potato wedges or apple and pear slices.
7. Smooth soup. In large saucepan, combine frozen broccoli or any frozen vegetable combination on hand, with chopped potato and prepared chicken stock, simmer until veggies are tender. Puree with an immersion blender or in a blender. Serve sprinkled with grated cheese or croutons.
8. Awesome fruit dip. Puree frozen fruits (peaches, strawberries, blueberries, mixed berries or tropical mix) and combine with vanilla yogurt.
9. Pizza Pitas. Stuff mini whole grain whole wheat pitas with diced ham, shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar), sliced mushrooms and chopped peppers (red, green, yellow or orange). Top with pizza or tomato sauce and bake in oven or toaster oven until cheese melts. Optional - Serve with more sauce for dipping.