As our lively little toddler is now happily munching away on blueberries, broccoli and a wide variety of other fruits and veggies, I feel brave enough to finally write this column. I have a deep-seated fear that the moment I tell you all she is thriving on a nutritionally perfect (almost!) diet, she will refuse all food except cupcakes. If she does, I'll swear off tempting fate forever and start experimenting with spinach muffins. As I'm not confident regarding the latter, let's hope Chloe keeps up her good behaviour.

I have been obsessed with fruit and vegetables over the past few weeks. As a nutritionist I should obviously take a healthy interest, but recently things have stepped up a notch. I work full-time for Argus managing their Wellness Programme and we are fast approaching our fifth annual health fair. This year, after discovering that 93 percent of almost 3,000 adults surveyed in Bermuda do not eat five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, we've decided to take things back to basics with a five-a-day theme.

The Argus Health Fair is being held at Number Six Shed, from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday. We'll be looking at the five-a-day topic comprehensively, covering everything from portion sizes to economical options. We also have plenty of ideas to help infuriated parents get more fruit and veg into their children's diets and as it's such a hot topic, if you can't wait til Tuesday, here's a sneak preview:

Chips and dips:

All kids love chips and dips, the challenge is to make them healthy! Try replacing some of the chips with veggie sticks like raw carrot, cucumber and celery. Yellow pepper works well too as it's sweet and juicy. (For babies, try steaming carrots and zucchini for softer dippers). If the kids don't pick the veggies up straight away, try not to stress out it's best to take a relaxed approach to diversifying their diet and you can use the leftovers in salads and stir-frys instead. You can sneak extra nutrients in by serving guacamole (avocado), salsa (tomatoes) or hummus (chick peas) as a dip instead of cheese-based dips.

Fruit kebabs:

Presentation counts and kids are more likely to eat food that looks attractive. Fruit kebabs are quick and easy to make. Try making kiwi and strawberry kebabs. If that's not tempting enough, then drizzle with a little honey and roll them in chocolate sprinkles. Kids love this process and although the honey and sprinkles aren't exactly optimal, this is a whole lot healthier than a bowl of ice cream!

Fruit dippers:

This is a sweet alternative to traditional chips and dips. If your kids find fruit boring, invite them to dip strawberries, pineapple and slices of apple into yoghurt or chocolate sauce.

Frozen berries as ice cubes, or in ice cubes:

Try adding frozen berries as ice cubes into drinks. You can also freeze small berries (e.g. blueberries or raspberries) inside ice cubes and the kids will have fun watching the ice melt away and the fruit escape. Try doing this with 4oz 100 percent juice mixed with 4oz still or sparkling water. Then encourage the kids to eat the fruit afterwards.

Fruit smoothies:

Kids love to whiz up their own combination of fruits into smoothies. Try mixing one high-sugar fruit (e.g. banana, pineapple, mango) with a low-sugar fruit (e.g. berries, kiwi, plum) to keep the sugar content as low as possible whilst also maintaining the sweetness. Try using milk as a mixer instead of juice this also helps to keep the sugar content down and provides a little protein. If milk won't work with your recipe, then try adding a few ice cubes instead.

Extra tips:

• Get everyone involved. Kids tend to like what they make, so the more you are able to involve them in shopping and cooking, the more likely they are to eat fruit and vegetables.

• Allow them choice. Where possible, allow your kids to help you pick out the veggies for lunch or dinner. Of course, they may change their minds a million times just to torment you, but giving them a say usually results in more cooperation.

• Keep healthy options readily available make it easy for kids to grab something healthy! Try keeping a bowl of fruit salad or veggie sticks made up in the fridge and, climate permitting, fruit in the fruit bowl.

• Compromise if the only way your kid will eat broccoli is on a pizza, then so be it.

• If all else fails, cheat! Books such as 'Deceptively Delicious' by Jessica Seinfeld will show you how to hide pureed vegetables, beans and fruit in everyday recipes. It's perfectly possible to blend pumpkin into mac 'n' cheese, and spinach into brownies she will show you how. Also useful for reluctant spouses.

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist.

She can be contacted at clinicalnutrition@gmail.com.