New Fruit or Vegetable Challenge
Our school is participating in the Bergen County Department of Health Services’ Eat Right, Play
Hard Challenge this school year. Students are being challenged to
try a new fruit or vegetable.
Please help by making a new fruit or vegetable available! The food does
not need to be exotic or expensive, just something your child has not
tried before. Make it a family experience and have everyone try the new
food.
Tips:
● Foods that can be eaten raw are especially easy to try. While fruit is
very often eaten raw, some of us are less likely to try raw vegetables.
Vegetables that you might not think of eating raw include broccoli,
cauliflower, mushrooms and snow peas. These are often cut into
bite sized pieces to be eaten raw and combined with a dip. Try using
them with salsa to include another vegetable in your experience.
● Try roasting vegetables. While there are many different recipes, the general instructions are to
cut them into large bite-sized pieces. Arrange vegetables in a baking dish or roasting pan in a
single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat well.
Sprinkle with pepper.
Roast in oven at 400o F;
reduce heat if vegetables
are browning too quickly
before they are tender. Can
be served hot or at room
temperature. Try roasting
cauliflower, carrots,
mushrooms or zucchini.
Your student will be asked to complete a Sense Rating Sheet describing how the food appealed to
his or her senses. Remember that it isn’t necessary for the student to like the new fruit or vegetable,
just to try it! It might be helpful to talk this sheet over with your student to help him or her think of
words to describe the food.
Please sign that your student tried at least one new fruit or vegetable this month and return
this form by ____________________
Name: ________________________________________________________________
Date:
________________________________________________________________
Bergen County Department of Health Services
201-634-2700  www.bergenhealth.org