The doctor of the future will give no medication,
but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame,
diet
and in the cause and prevention of disease.

– Thomas A Edison

Here’s a cute way to motivate your kids to get their daily recommended intake of fruits & veggies in.

The Munch 5-a-Day app is a free iPhone app (also available for iPad) launched by social well-being company MeYou Health. Basically, you set your goals for crunching on the good stuff, and whenever you eat a serving you simply tap on a vegetable or fruit (and are rewarded with a satisfying chomping sound and accompanying graphic).

Kids then earn silly badges like the “Talking Tomato” for munching their way to a nutritious diet. So far, I’ve unlocked the Avocado of Enthusiasm, which would be an awesome name for a band (just sayin’).

 

The app has helpful information about serving sizes for both adults and children, and you can adjust your goal as high as a dozen a day if you want to make the goal a team effort. You can also post your progress to the Facebook or the Twitter if you are so inclined.

 

Down-on-the-farm background noises earn bonus points for cuteness, in my opinion, but I readily appreciate the option to turn the sounds off.

Remember, the habits you instill in your kids will shape their future eating practices. Are you setting a standard to live by, or an example to be overcome?

Be honest, now:

Do you get your five a day? Do your kids?