If you want to get your kid to eat something healthy and something that he or she might even perceive as being candy then try giving them pomegranate pips. These are the shiny juicy seeds of the pomegranate fruit and some kids really love them. If your kids don't like them then it is probably because of the sometimes sour or nutty taste that the pip's hard center might have. However for the most part you should be able fool your kid into thinking that a pomegranate is some kind of candy partly because it is so shiny and red.

A word to the wise – it is probably best to shell your own seeds out of freshly bought fruit no matter how time consuming you find this to be as the prepackaged pips that you can sometimes get taste really sour and fermented.  I wish I had a tip for saving you time when it comes to shelling pomegranates but it is one of those complicated fruits that is labor intensive no matter what you do. One good thing about a pomegranate is that peeling and shelling one can actually be a great activity for an older child, especially a fatter one that needs to learn how to not eat mindlessly in front of the television.  Getting pomegranates out of their shell does take some effort and concentration that encourages the overweight child to focus on the food and be more mindful of what is being consumed. 

Why should you feed your kid pomegranates in the first place? They have a ton of Vitamin C and anthocyns that can help protect your child's vision. Anthocyns, which give the pomegranate its blue red color can also help prevent your child from free radicals in the form of pollution, too much sunshine, carcinogens (from that barbecued hamburger) and tobacco smoke. They are also very good for a child's gums. 

If you can't get your child to eat the pips of a pomegranate then try giving them the juice. Most kids love the juice and you can get all kinds of generic brands of it now that is made from pure fruit without having to invest in that expensive POM stuff. You can also try sneaking into other foods. Pomegranate juice is a great addition to a salad dressing that is made with vinegar, oil, red wine and shallots.  You can also make pomegranate jelly using ordinary gelatin or you can add the juice or pips to strawberry or grape jello. Almost no kid can resist this especially if you have a little shot of whipped cream on the top. 

Pomegranate syrup, the stuff that bars use in cocktails, actually tastes really nice on pancakes so that may be one way of sneaking those anthocyns into your child's diet.  A good combo is pancakes heaped with bananas that is then drooled with a mixture of pomegranate and maple syrup that has been slightly warmed on the stove before serving.