The parents of kids that eat a lot of berries are getting sick and tired of having to buy them for their children. One child can go through two or three boxes in one day, and some even ask grandparents and neighbors if they have any extra berries too! It's not like the parents don't like berries either; they actually love them, but many think it's way overpriced.
"200 dollars a month on strawberries? I bought this for my daughter because she loves them and asks me every day if we can please get some," says Stephanie, mommy of Abby (5), who has eaten at least 24 boxes in her short life. "I just really want the cost to come down. At this point, I'd buy them at 55 cents a box, but I know it'll never happen."
Vitamins in berries are quite important for health, but you can get other vitamins for a much cheaper price. One may buy fruits with hefty amounts of Vitamin C like lemon, kiwi, orange, and others. For some parents, it's not just the cost of the fruit, but having to clean up after their kids if they make a mess. One mother admitted "I was at my friend's house once when my daughter spilled her strawberries all over the floor. At first, my friend was very polite about it and cleaned it up with me, but then she told me that she really got annoyed because her younger brothers were making a mess too. My daughter is at least able to clean up after herself now!"
Some people agree with this opinion and are actually boycotting berries for themselves. Others think that families should stop buying cereal in order to save money.
Eventually, more people will get tired of paying for berries and stop buying them. The situation may change only during the summer season.
To tell the truth, children still can find joy in other fruits and vegetables. Even the most expensive fruits and vegetables, like avocados and kiwis, can be bought for a cheaper price.
Parents of children that eat many berries should try buying other fruits and vegetables that will help their kids to grow big and strong. Parents also should stop asking other people for fruit because it is childish behavior. It's both parents' responsibility to make sure their child eats healthy - not anyone else's.
What is more important - provide a balanced diet for your kids. They need to receive a lot of Ca, K, B1, and B2 vitamins.
You can find all these vitamins in:
- Avocado (one medium avocado contains 30% of the RDA for Vitamin K, 35% of the RDA for Vitamin B1, and 23% of the RDA for Vitamin B2)
- Kiwi fruit (one kiwi fruit provides 42% of the RDA for vitamin C and 15% of the RDA for potassium)
- Spinach (100 g cooked spinach contains 48% of the RDA for vitamin K, 358 mg or 54% of the RDA for calcium, 453 mg or 77 % of the RDAs vitamins A and C, 658 IU or 115 % of vitamin A needed by children aged 1 to 3 years, 783 IU or 140% of vitamin A needed by children aged 4 to 8 years, 1202 IU or 206 % of the RDAs vitamins A and C)
- Orange (100g oranges contain 184 mg or 26% of the RDA for Vitamin C, 181 IU or 25% of the RDA for vitamin A, 24.1 g or 36 % of the RDAs dietary fiber).
Thus, try to replace berries with other fruits in your diet.
Still, whether or not the prices will lower anytime soon is uncertain, but one thing's for certain: kids are going to keep eating berries. You can't blame kids for wanting to keep eating berries. And even though the prices may not go any lower anytime soon, there are still plenty of them at your local grocery store or farmers market! Choose how many you want and enjoy these delicious fruits that will make everything taste better anyway.