Healthy eating is an essential part of maintaining health and growing well. This is true for people of all ages, but it is especially important for children. Recent studies by the NHS have shown that in 2021 14% of children starting primary school were classed as obese- and this is in part (though not entirely) due to diet. So you can see, the food we eat, how much we eat, plays a significant part in the health and wellbeing of our children; we have to ensure that there are good eating habits being developed in childhood.
But what are the best ways to encourage the development of healthy eating habits and diet in childhood?
Some ideas are as follows:
- Meal planning. Not only is this an extremely useful way to budget and make meals more affordable, but it means it’s easier to alternate between your child’s favourite food and other meals that they may eat begrudgingly.
- Let kids be involved. Developing healthy eating habits is so important, and a great way to do that is to encourage the kids to join in with making dinner; let them grate cheese, pour the right amount of pasta into the saucepan etc. It also assists children to understand what goes into a meal, cooking and food preparation is a great skill to have.
- Getting plates with the division of different food types. You can stick up posters or get plates that physically show the division of how much of your meal should be divided into by food type, children often learn by watching and observing things.
- Talking about food choices and why they’re sensible. Having conversations with kids about why foods are healthy, or why they need to be consumed in moderation is extremely important. If it can be explained to a child in a way they can understand, then they may feel better prepared to make decisions about their food. It gives children a sense of independence that is always beneficial, if they can be confident about what their eating and why they’re eating it then it is very helpful.
We hope this is useful to parents, we really believe that a healthy, balanced diet is important for children. It helps them to grow, to concentrate and learn well- fundamentally it helps them to be happy.
It can take time to make a diet healthy, and it can take a great deal of perseverance; but by being open and honest and talking to your children about their food choices you can help them to develop their healthy eating habits.
Recipes:
Recipes – Healthier Families – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Eat Well for Less? recipes – BBC Food
Resources:
Healthy Eating Week 2023 | Healthy Eating Week Resources (twinkl.com.au)