Olympic legend Greg Rutherford is leading the charge on a fresh campaign to get kids munching on more fruits and veggies, in light of alarming stats showing a mere 23% of children hit their five-a-day quota.
The long jump gold medallist from London 2012, who’s also a dad to three, gets the struggle parents have in jazzing up healthy grub for their little ones, with a hefty 36% of mums and dads admitting it’s a tough gig.
Teaming up with innocent Drinks after they quizzed 1,500 parents, Rutherford’s throwing his weight behind the ‘innocent crushing it summer games’ at Olympic Park, Stratford.
Kicking off today [Thursday 25 July] from 9am to 5pm, this free-for-all bash lets families smash and squish fruit and veg into tasty smoothies, all while getting stuck into quirky sports-themed contraptions.
The line-up features a bike that whips up smoothies as you pedal, a rowing machine that churns out banana boats, and even a basketball hoop that showers you with fresh orange juice.
Greg weighed in on the battle to get kids keen on greens, confessing: “As a father, I know first-hand how tricky it can be to get children eating healthily – and I’m not alone.”
He didn’t forget to nod to his athletic days either, underlining just how crucial a role fruit and veg play in a top-notch diet: “I also know as a former professional athlete how important fruit and vegetables are from a nutritional point of view.”
“We need children to see fruit and veg as something positive so that they can grow up into big healthy adults, and ‘crush it’ in all walks of life – from the playground to the sports field.”
The study also discovered parents noticing a surge in their children’s energy levels when they consume fruit and vegetables, with 57% observing the uptick as opposed to when such foods are absent from their diet.
Olympic hero Greg MBE announced: “Together we are hosting a free event at London’s Olympic Park. This is an extraordinary chance for families to indulge in the excitement of fruit and veg, squashing their own smoothies in fantastically inventive ways.”
Greg has teamed up with innocent drinks for an action-packed summer campaign, which promises to keep families amused through the long summer days and beyond, including daily ‘crushing it’ fitness challenges fronted by the athlete, alongside activities like ‘juice juggling’ and ‘picnic-tionary’.
Nutritionista Lily Soutter, collaborating with innocent drinks, cautions against children missing out on essential nutrients by not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
She explained: “I’m working with innocent Drinks to support their long-lived mission in getting families to eat and drink more fruit and veg.”
“Fruit and veg are a critical part of children’s diets, providing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fibre required for healthy growth and development.”
She added: “Events like the ‘innocent crushing it summer games’ have the ability to engage children and build positive associations with fruit and vegetables, which in time makes it more likely that they will happily consume them.”
